Original British Napoleonic Officer’s Private Purchase Light Dragoon Flintlock Pistol by Gill marked 23rd Regiment of Foot – Royal Welch Fuzileers Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This Lovely officer’s private purchase flintlock Pistol dates to prior the Battle of Waterloo, and is marked to the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fuzileers). This regiment was first raised by Henry Herbert at Ludlow on 16 March 1689, following the 1688 Glorious Revolution and exile of James II. It served throughout the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland, including the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690, and the Battle of Aughrim in 1691 which brought the campaign to an end.

The regiment fought in the War of The Spanish Succession, renamed as the Welch Regiment of Fuzilieers, and later was renamed the Prince of Wales’s Own Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers. Under these names it fought in various conflicts, and following the 1751 reforms that standardized naming and numbering of regiments, it became the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fuzileers). It took part in the Seven Years War in Europe, and then in the American Revolutionary War, where it took heavy losses at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775. It then took part in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.

A storied regiment, it was later involved in the early stages of French Revolutionary Wars. However, apart from Egypt, the Battle of Alexandria in 1801, and the Invasion of Martinique in 1809, the regiment saw little action in the Napoleonic Wars until being sent to the Peninsula in 1810. Between 1811 and 1814, it fought in many of Wellington’s actions, including the battles of Albuera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Nivelle and Toulouse. At the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, it was part of Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Mitchell’s 4th Brigade in the 4th Infantry Division.

There is a very good chance that this pistol was carried by an officer during the Napoleonic wars, and on the field at Waterloo itself! As a private purchase weapon, we had considered that it may be for another 23rd Regiment in the British Army, however the 23rd Light Dragoons were at Waterloo as well. Just a fantastic Pistol!

The pistol is a standard full stocked flintlock pistol which conforms well to the P-1796 standard, used by British Light Dragoons across the empire. The Lock Plate is marked (CROWN) / G.R. under the pan, with TOWER across the tail, indicating arsenal inspection at the Tower armory for military use. There is the correct “Lock Viewer’s Mark” under the pan, and under this is maker mark I-GILL, for Birmingham Gunsmith John Gill (when initials were used “I” was substituted for “J”). John was the son of the late Thomas Gill, and worked 1802-1817, putting this pistol right in period. Both he and his father were known makers and contractors to the Crown.

The barrel bears the correct CROWN / GR and CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTERS proof markings for manufacture in Birmingham, England. Further down the barrel is engraved with XIII REG’T, for the 23rd Regiment of Foot. It is also marked A / 16 on the trigger guard, for “A” company, 16th Man.

The ramrod is brass mounted walnut and not of the ‘swivel” type later introduced as the New Land Pattern, which was based on East India Company innovations. The pistol has a 9″ long .69″ bore barrel, and the stock looks just lovely. There are some repaired cracks running along the grain in the fore stock area of the gun, and it looks like the channels for the barrel pins were plugged and re-drilled. The lock is in good shape and functional, though the tumbler is worn, so it will fire at half cock.

A highly desirable Flintlock Dragoon Pistol from the Napoleonic Wars, ready to display!

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: circa 1802
Caliber: .69″ Pistol
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length: 9 inches
Overall Length: 15 1/4 inches
Action: Flintlock Side Action
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country’s antique gun laws prior to ordering.