Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-07-03DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1522062
Jonathan Ferguson
{"title":"Moravian Gunmaking II: Bethlehem to Christian’s Spring","authors":"Jonathan Ferguson","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1522062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522062","url":null,"abstract":"As the ‘II’ of this book’s title implies, this publication is part of a series. The first volume was published in 2010 under the title ‘Moravian Gunmaking of the American Revolution’ and served as ...","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"193 - 195"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522062","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46508691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-07-03DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1522059
P. Moore
{"title":"Dundee-made harpoon gun associated with H. M. S. Challenger","authors":"P. Moore","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1522059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522059","url":null,"abstract":"Attention is drawn to the existence of a harpoon-gun putatively from H. M. S. Challenger, a ship whose three-and-a-half-year circumnavigation of the globe (1872–1876), marked the beginning of the science of oceanography. The harpoon gun in question was made by Dundee shipsmith and harpoon-gun maker, David Neave. Only a few other examples of his work are known to exist and this example with a Remington rolling-block action is unusual for a British harpoon gun. It is proposed that it came to Millport's Marine Station via links Sir John Murray (1841–1914) had with the Marine Biological Association of the West of Scotland.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"163 - 171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522059","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45484605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-07-03DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1522060
K. Rooney
{"title":"Godsal Bullpup 11005: The Story of an English Test Rifle in Montreal","authors":"K. Rooney","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1522060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522060","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this article is threefold: to provide a general description of the Godsal bullpup rifle, to describe Godsal rifle 11005 in detail, and to follow that rifle’s voyage from 1905 Birmingham to 21st century Montreal. The general description draws on published articles, patent documents, and comparisons to other specific weapons. The detailed description of 11005 includes precise measurements (of the entire assembly as well as individual pieces after dismantling), comparisons to other rifles, and observations noted after cycling through the action of the weapon. The voyage of Godsal 11005 is revealed via a series of markings found on it, some of which are familiar to the public, some of which will be presented and explained in this article.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"172 - 190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522060","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47318176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-07-03DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1522138
Ralph Moffat
{"title":"A Sign of Victory?: ‘Scottish Swords’ and Other Weapons in the Possession of the ‘Auld Innemie’","authors":"Ralph Moffat","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1522138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522138","url":null,"abstract":"Many late medieval documents, notably inventories of arms and armour, of Englishmen contain references to ‘Scottish swords’ and other weapons. What did the compilers of these documents mean when they described a weapon as ‘Scottish’? How did such weapons come to be in the possession of these men? This article will attempt to explain this phenomenon drawing on primary documentary sources and surviving material culture from Glasgow Museums’ collections and others, as well as artworks from the period.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"122 - 143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522138","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45317837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-07-03DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1522136
Jonathan Ferguson
{"title":"‘Brown Bess’ vs ‘Miss Minie’","authors":"Jonathan Ferguson","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1522136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522136","url":null,"abstract":"Following the publication of the article ‘Trusty Bess’: the Definitive Origins and History of the term 'Brown Bess', the author was made aware of an intriguing illustration that perfectly captures the meaning of that famous nickname. This short note details this archival document and sheds light on both its place in the lore of ‘Brown Bess’ and its wide historical context in terms of the Victorian attitudes to military small arms development.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"144 - 148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522136","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42956589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-07-03DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1522061
P. Smithurst
{"title":"Thomas Firth and Sons – Steelmakers to the Arms Industries. Part 2: Heavy Armaments","authors":"P. Smithurst","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1522061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522061","url":null,"abstract":"Firth’s were the first of the Sheffield steel makers to enter the field armaments. Their involvement with Colt has been outlined in an article in the journal of the Colt Collectors Association in America and their activities as steelmakers to the small-arms industries has been covered in a previous issue of this Journal. This article gives a brief overview of their involvement as manufacturers in the field of heavy armaments, being the first to make all-steel guns and their evolving role in the use of steel for ordnance, culminating in the displacement of wrought iron by the adoption of steel for ordnance manufacture by the Royal Gun Factory in the 1880s. It also highlights their development of stainless steel in this context.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"149 - 162"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1522061","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48260229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2017.1380973
Cymbeline Storey
{"title":"William Siborne’s Second Waterloo Model: New Discoveries Emerging from Conservation","authors":"Cymbeline Storey","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2017.1380973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2017.1380973","url":null,"abstract":"In 2015, the second model of the battlefield of Waterloo by William Siborne was conserved in preparation for an exhibition commemorating the bicentenary of the battle. Conservation of the model provided an opportunity to conduct thorough examination, analysis and documentation of this complex work of art. The conservation and documentation of the model is described along with new discoveries emerging from analysis of materials.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"110 - 96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2017.1380973","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46535976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1436504
Jonathan Ferguson
{"title":"Gun Culture in Early Modern England","authors":"Jonathan Ferguson","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1436504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1436504","url":null,"abstract":"This important and exhaustively researched book assesses the social, economic and political impact of gunpowder weapons or, as the title has it, the national ‘gun culture’ in early modern England. Some readers may bring with them negative impressions of the phrase, but the author takes pains in her introduction to re-establish the phrase ‘gun culture’ as a useful descriptor and a legitimate historical term. Likewise, it can be difficult to read about historical gun control without bringing along the ‘baggage’ of contemporary issues. The author acknowledges this problematic association with references to the Hungerford and Dunblane massacres that have shaped current firearms legislation in mainland Britain. However, she does not allow the contemporary arguments to intrude into her scholarly analysis of the historical situation. Instead, the overall theme of the book becomes the sustained popular interest in firearms and the parallel ongoing efforts by the authorities to curtail it. The book is logically and well structured, including a helpful recapitulation at the end of each chapter. The opening chapter takes a chronological approach to set the scene of the initial proliferation of firearms in England, but the remaining nine chapters are strictly thematic. These are well delimited into manufacture (Chapter 2, which includes an excellent concise history of the relevant makers guilds), efforts at gun control (Chapters 3 and 4), the military aspect (Chapter 5), the importance of London as a hub (in every sense) (Chapter 6), before breaking down the social historical experience into the male, female and juvenile experiences respectively (Chapters 7–9). Finally, Chapter 10 tackles Article VII of the Bill of Rights and uses this as a lens through which to summarise the ‘big picture’ in England in the period in question. Some of Schwoerer’s findings will surprise some readers. Although in they may have been perceived as the preserve of the monied classes, early firearms were cheap, or at least cheaper than other hunting and military arms. Far from being a modern movement, gun control began in England from 1514 onwards. Firearms were regarded as something that the common person should not have access to. As they do today, period legal controls cited public safety, but also poaching by the lower social classes and the decline of practice with the longbow. They also reflected fears of insurrection. Importantly, the author does not stop at reporting firearms legislation and licensing, but makes clear that ownership and use of guns continued in spite of these restrictions, albeit not at the level that would be reached in North America. We also learn of popular efforts to push back against these restrictions. For those that could legally own them, firearms were purchased for a variety of purposes including hunting, recreation, self-defence and to enhance prestige. There is a strong social history perspective that runs throughout the book and is very welcome.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"111 - 112"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1436504","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47025636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arms & ArmourPub Date : 2018-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17416124.2018.1436491
J. M. Ballard
{"title":"Statistical Analysis as an Adjunct to Historical Research: Identification of the Likely Manufacturers of British Pattern 1907 Bayonets Supplied by the Birmingham Small Arms Company to the Siamese Government in 1920","authors":"J. M. Ballard","doi":"10.1080/17416124.2018.1436491","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17416124.2018.1436491","url":null,"abstract":"In 1920, the Birmingham Small Arms Company supplied 10,000 Pattern 1907 bayonets to the government of Siam to accompany an order for rifles. The original maker of these bayonets was unknown, but historical research indicates that the Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd. was a primary maker. The weights of some surviving Pattern 1907 bayonets, including twelve bayonets from the 10,000 described above, produced by the six makers in the UK before and during the Great War (1914–1918) period were available. A statistical analysis of the data was performed to compare with the historical research. The results strongly supported that the Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd. was a primary maker. They were also sufficient to exclude from this batch of twelve bayonets the Royal Small Arms Factory (Enfield) and Vickers Ltd. as manufacturers. The statistical evidence for the presence of bayonets made by J.A. Chapman Ltd., R. Mole & Sons and Sanderson Bros. was weaker than that for the Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd., but was nevertheless supportive of that hypothesis. Overall, the analysis was consistent with the supply to Siam of commingled bayonets from British government stores. It was noted that the bayonets for the Siam contract fell into a relatively narrow weight range, but the reason for this could not be determined.","PeriodicalId":40914,"journal":{"name":"Arms & Armour","volume":"15 1","pages":"83 - 95"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2018-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17416124.2018.1436491","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44702744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}