Original English Brass Framed Flintlock Box-lock Tinder Lighter by Wood of York circa 1780 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Something we don’t see very often but in it’s day was a vital piece of equipment for every household.

This is a genuine brass framed tinder lighter in the form of a flintlock box-lock pocket pistol. The Brass barrel is in fact a storage compartment for the tinder usually form of open weave flax or other material that would be highly combustible especially with the addition of some accelerant.

Complete with a table stand to front the pan beneath the frizzen holds the small piece of tinder to be ignited. On firing the flintlock mechanism the spark, instead of lighting the gunpowder ignites the tinder which is used in turn to ignite a taper with which candles, fires and stoves could be lit.

In addition to being marked WOOD and YORK, the under side of the pistol is marked LEITH HALL.

LEITH HALL, said to be Scotland’s most Haunted Castle, in 1963, upon the death of the last member of the Leith family. Upon Lady Leith’s death, the Castle, known as ‘Leith Hall’ was given to The National Trust for the use of the Nation. Before so doing Lady Leith had all those ‘horrid unwanted weapons’ removed by her attorneys who shortly after her death disposed of the contents of the Armory and various family documents to an English Antiques Dealer, Herbert Sutcliffe. Mr. Sutcliffe subsequently sold many of the exhibits to George Strakaty of Vienna an ardent Collector and himself an International Arms Dealer (google him). Christian, IMA’s owner, subsequently purchased what we refer to as the “Strakaty collection” over the course of ten years beginning in the 1980s.

Remember this is from a time a good 100 years BEFORE an electric light and a pretty miserable time it must have been too. An interesting piece of 18th century firearm related equipment from a known Scottish castle.