Original British 1798 Dated East India Company India Pattern Brown Bess Musket with Bayonet – Marked MORTIMER Original Items

Original item. One Only. The main components of this rare musket were discovered in Nepal in our 2003 and were part of our purchase from the Royal Nepalese Army.

This is a standard Third Pattern Brown Bess (India Pattern) Flintlock musket adopted by the British Army in 1796. It has a English made 39 inch .75″ bore barrel with LONDON proofs (faint). The lock is marked with MORTIMER, the East India Company Heart Logo and is dated 1798. The musket comes with a matched EIC socket bayonet that is also marked MORTIMER and dated 1799 along with the EIC heart logo.

In DAVID HARDING’S wonderful work “SMALL ARMS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY, 1600 – 1856” Volume TWO on page 459 it states that MORTIMIER made Brown Bess Muskets for the E.I.C. in 1797, 1798 and 1799. Very possibly at other times also, but these dates are specifically mentioned.

The musket looks great however the MORTIMER markings are not in the English style and we believe that the markings were natively applied to the lock perhaps because of wear while in service in India. The bayonet which is also Mortimer marked and dated 1799 is most likely of EIC local Indian production and was marked to match the musket when it was first fitted at the time.

Musket comes complete in fine reproduction oak stock that has all the correct brass fittings and would pass for original were it not in such wonderful condition.

Interesting EIC India Pattern Brown Bess Musket with a British proofed barrel, 1798 dated lock and a matching bayonet both “made” by Mortimer.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.