Original 18th/19th Century British Made Land Pattern Brown Bess Socket Bayonet Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Land Pattern musket was introduced in 1722. Both the musket and its bayonet evolved over time, until superseded by the India Pattern at the close of the 18th Century.

This example is of the Pattern 1727, and likely dates from the late 18th Century. Distinguishing characteristics include: a wide blade, with a concave face and prominent circular guard. Elbow is flush with the socket front and extends well-forward of the socket. There are multiple markings on the “ricasso” area of the blade and appears to be Crown over 5. The first marking is rather faint and partially incomplete making it difficult to identify the manufacturer.

A lovely Revolutionary War era British made bayonet ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 16 3/4″
Blade Style: Triangular Socket
Socket Length: 3 7/8″
Overall Length: 21 1/4″

“Brown Bess” is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army’s muzzle-loading smoothbore flintlock Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. The musket design remained in use for over a hundred years with many incremental changes in its design. These versions include the Long Land Pattern, the Short Land Pattern, the India Pattern, the New Land Pattern Musket and the Sea Service Musket.

The Long Land Pattern musket and its derivatives, all 0.75 inch caliber flintlock muskets, were the standard long guns of the British Empire’s land forces from 1722 until 1838, when they were superseded by a percussion cap smoothbore musket. The British Ordnance System converted many flintlocks into the new percussion system known as the Pattern 1839 Musket. A fire in 1841 at the Tower of London destroyed many muskets before they could be converted. Still, the Brown Bess saw service until the middle of the nineteenth century.

Most male citizens of the thirteen colonies of British America were required by law to own arms and ammunition for militia duty.[5] The Long Land Pattern was a common firearm in use by both sides in the American War of Independence.

In 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, the United Kingdom subsidized Sweden (during the Sweden–Finland period) in various ways as the British government anxiously wanted to keep an ally in the Baltic Sea region. These included deliveries of significant numbers of Brown Bess-muskets for use in the Finnish War of 1808 to 1809.

During the Musket Wars (1820s–30s), Māori warriors used Brown Besses purchased from European traders at the time. Some muskets were sold to the Mexican Army, which used them during the Texas Revolution of 1836 and the Mexican–American War of 1846 to 1848. Brown Besses saw service in the First Opium War and during the Indian rebellion of 1857. Zulu warriors, who had also purchased them from European traders, used them during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. One was even used in the Battle of Shiloh in 1862, during the American Civil War.