Generally, if both duelists fired without effect, the challenger could declare himself satisfied or demand another exchange. Wogdon & Barton dueling pistols Wogdon & Barton (founded by Robert Wogdon) was an 18th-century firm of gunsmiths based in London, England. Graceful yet practical and perfectly balanced in the hand, they privilege overall formal quality and flawless mechanical work over applied adornments. He was only 19 years old. (42.5 g); screwdriver (e): L. 3 15/16 in. The Burr-Hamilton duel pistols were originally in a very similar configuration to this pair. This supremely elegant target pistol is among their most accomplished work. Bonhams : A 28-Bore Flintlock Duelling Pistol Robert Wogdon (1734-1813) is arguably the best known and most respected maker of flintlock dueling pistols. "British Flintlock Dueling Pistol by Wogdon (AH6306)" for sale You can safely challenge a friend to a duel with muzzleloading pistols today by using modern dueling targets that leave only bragging rights on the line. The remaining furniture is iron and includes classic English engraving, including fine pineapple finials on the trigger guards. Robert Wogdon produced flintlock firearms from the 1760s, and was particularly well known for his high quality duelling pistols. The barrels are marked Wogdon & Barton London in script on the top flat. Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. Estimated at $7,500-$12,000, these dueling pistols are beautiful, rare, and historically significant. Burrs intention seems quite clear. Churchs pair supposedly had concealed set triggers, but in reality, set triggers were a standard feature of these pistols rather than a secret designed to give one duelist an advantage over the other, and that pair simply did not have a visible adjustment screw. [11] A pair of rifled pistols often included a small hammer or mallet as an accessory; they used slightly oversized bullets and a hammer was needed to drive the bullet down the barrel when loading. Not all fine, antique pairs of pistols are duelling pistols, though they may be called so. (17.1 cm); Wt. Special care was taken when moulding the lead bullets to ensure that there were no voids which would affect accuracy. The Colt Single Action Army revolver and the Winchester Model. Wogdon retired in 1803 and died in 1813. All rights reserved. His total production of duelling pistols over the 39 years that he was a gunmaker is unknown. Both sets of pistols have single set triggers. The sliding-safety locks are marked in script "Wogdon" over "&" over "Barton". Initially standard holster or travelling pistols were mainly used, but by the end of the century special-purpose duelling pistols were being made by craftsmen in England, France, Germany, Austria, and the United States. Gunmaker John Rigby indicated this was done by Wogdon to try to remedy the fact that duelists often fired high and missed their mark, but in reality bending the bore down would not have helped, and shooting high could have been more easily remedied by different height sights. (6.7 cm); W. 17 1/2 in. London proof marks and RW barrel makers mark. [4], All component parts were manufactured, hand-finished and then adjusted with great care and precision, which made duelling pistols much more costly than standard firearms of the period. While that is the origin, people clearly had misgivings about whether God would come to their aid in a duel both back in the Middle Ages and in the early modern era. Dueling pistol makers continued to innovate through the end of the flintlock era and into the percussion era. Mortimer, and many other talented English gunmakers certainly manufactured incredibly fine dueling pistols and helped create new innovations in their designs over time, but Wogdon truly specialized in them. Compounds and Solutions for Metals. Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. The bow and butt cap also show engraving. A PAIR OF FLINTLOCK DUELLING PISTOLS - Christie's Wogdon & Barton - Wikiwand This is famously represented in the book and film The Last Duel. 1 lb. SOLD. However, there is rarely any information as to the type, ownership or maker of the pistols used. All the shooter has to do to set the trigger is press it forward, something readily found in examination by anyone knowledgeable with dueling pistols, and a feature I would expect the seconds to explain if one or both duelists was inexperienced. They resulted in the deaths of two men from an illustrious American family just a few years apart. When his second wife divorced him in 1834, Alexander Hamilton Jr. served as her lawyer. Rogers Fund, 1937, Accession Number:
Look at any Wogdon duelling pistol, be it one from his early production years in the mid-1770s or one made towards the end of his career when in partnership with John Barton in the early 1800s, and they all have that unmistakable Wogdon style. Robert Wogdon manufactured the pistols used in the Hamilton-Burr duel, the most famous duel in American history. Church himself had fought a bloodless duel with Burr a few years earlier. ANTIQUE Engraved WOGDON FLINTLOCK Dueling Pistol Pistol Maker of the The pistols have smoothbore Damascus barrels with gold vent liners, dovetailed silver blade front sights, "Wogdon & Barton London" signed on top, registration markings for County Down in Ireland, engraved borders at the breech, and casehardened standing breeches with fixed notch rear sights and engraving. Pair of Wogdon & Barton Flintlock Dueling Pistols for sale. The stock on gun 2 is fine with no cracks or chips and the dents and dings expected of light to moderate use. He died on September 14, 1836, a poor and broken man, on the same day that the divorce was finalized. Scroll left to view more. Click here for more information. 3 lb. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments. The various component parts of these firearms were individually produced under the direction of a master gunmaker by highly specialized craftsmen, including a lock smith, barrel forger, stocker, and engraver. In some duels, the pistols were carefully and identically loaded, and each duellist was offered his choice of the indistinguishable loaded pistols. More Info. Forging damascus steel barrels the rarest of skills, The Fields bucket list for a sporting year, Seasons greetings a love letter to postage stamps. Description The barrels are 10 octagonal, sighted, browned twist with bore size of .476 and scratch rifled. Its long barrel, measuring nearly twelve inches in length, indicates its intended use for targets. The whereabouts of the second Wogdon pistol are unknown. SOLD. With swamped octagonal sighted barrels each signed in script along the top flat and engraved with a band of beadwork at the breech, silver fore-sights, tangs each incorporating the back-sight and finely engraved with foliage, signed flat . This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. .38 in. The 9 5/8" octagon 64 caliber swamped smooth bore barrel has a fair bore . There is an oval escutcheon at the wrist that has the initials GL and, in very small letters at the top of the arc, ""FOR RIGHT AND REASON"". In Britain, the favoured type was for the duellists to stand still at an agreed distance and shoot when given the signal. Gunsmith Robert Wogdon British
[2] Robert Wogdon made many and varied firearms - pocket and livery pistols, double-barrelled pistols, sporting guns and rifles, carbines and blunderbusses - but he was most renowned for his duelling pistols. He was found guilty of conspiracy to abduct Mary and sentenced to three years in prison, though he managed to spend his prison term in comfort due to his continued access to Marys estate. The stock on gun 1, which is lighter than gun 2, is vey good with no cracks, a chip around the rear barrel key, a small chip at the rear trigger guard attachment pin on the right, and scattered usage dents and dings. Then Eacker raised his pistol and shot Hamilton above the hip. Pistols with rifled barrels spin-stabilize the shot when it is fired, resulting in much improved accuracy. The overall length of the pistols is 16in and the smooth-bore octagonal barrels are 29-bore. Mortimer & Son dueling pistols was presented by the Prince Regent to Spanish rebel Francisco Sayus in 1811 and was later owned by Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen R. Mallory. Price and Eacker exchanged shots multiple times the following day without injury and considered their affair settled. "Loan Exhibition of European Arms and Armor," August 3September 27, 1931, no. Wogdon & Barton | Flintlock Target Pistol of Prince William Frederick Gunmakers to Bow St. Police, 1801-3. Died aged 79. This is an edited extract from Robert Wogdon, Wogdon & Barton, John Barton, London Gunmakers 1764-1819, price 75, published by Bonhams. Original Tools. This supremely elegant target pistol is among their most accomplished work. Dueling pistols hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy The events that culminated in the duel were the result of several years of simmering political differences and antagonism. Collectors Firearms, LLC. However, for at least twenty years before the BurrHamilton duel, English duelling pistols by all the top makers had been customarily fitted with set triggers. A PAIR OF ENGLISH FLINTLOCK DUELING PISTOLS by Wogdon & Barton, London Exactly what happened next has been debated and veiled in mystery ever since. This is a very nice pair of dueling pistols by a well-known maker of quality flintlock pistols. With John Barton traded as Wogdon & Barton, from 1795, succeeded by Barton, 1803. His pistols were so well known that "Stanzas on Duelling Inscribed to Wogdon, the Celebrated Pistol-Maker" from 1782 starts with the lines "Hail Wogdon! Hamilton was morally and religiously opposed to dueling and is widely believed to have intended to delope (throw away his shot) rather than aim at Burr. Both pistols have their original iron-tipped ramrods with an attached worm at the end. Since the 1800s, explorers and dangerous game hunters navigating the African bush have trusted their lives to the double rifle. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Mantons, Griffin & Tow, H.W. (42.5 g); screwdriver (e): L. 3 15/16 in. Wogdons guns were designed to be aimed quickly, reliably fire, and shoot true. 37.154.3ag. Once one man fired, he was generally expected to stand at that spot and await his opponents shot within the remaining time and before crossing the barrier. Mechanically fine. Pistol Kits; Chemicals and Compounds. (39.4 cm); Wt. Lot 3248 in the upcoming August 26-28 Premier Auction: A classic pair of Wogdon dueling pistols from circa 1780. One of a pair of silver-mounted duelling pistols, hallmarked 1776, with the first recorded use of the helmet and falchion side-plate. Cased Pair of Wogdon & Barton Flintlock Dueling Pistols A duelling pistol is a type of pistol that was manufactured in matching pairs to be used in a duel, when duels were customary. Though disputed, this duel most likely took place on 26 May 1789. Robert Wogdon and John Barton operated at 14 Haymarket, London, from 1795 to 1803. Famous for duelling pistols. More Info. Robert Wogdon - Cased pair of Flintlock Duelling pistols [2] The name Wogdon became synonymous with dueling, to the extent that duels in England were sometimes referred to as "a Wogdon affair". As John Norris writes in Pistols at Dawn: A History of Duelling, Wogdons name has unarguably become more closely associated with dueling pistols than any other gunsmith of the period, and has come to epitomize these specialized firearms. (10 cm); Wt. Two English Flintlock Pistols | Rock Island Auction Price: 28,500 Maker: Robert Wogdon Date: circa 1780 Each Pistol with 10 inch browned swamped octagonal barrel signed along the top flat, engraved with a transverse band of beadwork at the rear of the breech and with silver fore sight, case-hardened foliate engraved tang decorated with a band of beadwork in front of the rear sight . The circumstances of the duel began when the Duke of York let it be known, that Colonel Lennox had heard words spoken to him at Daubignys [a gentlemans club] to which no gentleman ought to have submitted. Whether Lennox had used his Wogdons in his duel with Swift is not known. 14.75"". Tools and Accesories. When it came down to staring down an opponent, many men put their trust in gunmakers like Robert Wogdon rather than divine intervention. A Very Fine Cased Pair of 28-Bore Duelling Pistols. Robert Wogdon: duelling pistols - The Field (36.9 g); bullet mould (d): L. 4 13/16 (12.2 cm); Cal. The barrels have a decorative band around the breech end. Gunmaker at Mr. Maws haberdashers, Cockspur St., Charing Cross, 1764. In the late 18th century and early 19th century in Europe as well as America, if a gentleman, or in rare cases a lady, or someone close to them faced an insult, they were expected to demand a proper apology or satisfaction., To refuse or decline a challenge risked their reputation and being posted as a poltroon (an utter coward). The actions on both pistols function correctly. The overall length is approx. Ref: 582. The seconds turned their backs, so they could deny being credible witnesses to what transpired should they be drawn into court. Duelling pistols are often single-shot flintlock or percussion black-powder pistols which fire a lead ball. Patron of that Leaden death!" Swords or dueling pistols were standard, but rifles and other firearms were also used in rarer instances, and, in theory, duels could be fought with any agreed upon weapons under just about any terms, even in hot air balloons with blunderbusses over Paris. The Duke of York had publicly insulted him and had virtually accused him of cowardice. [3][4] Wogdon formed a partnership in 1794 with John Barton, after which their pistols were signed Wogdon and Barton. Each pistol with 10 inch rebrowned sighted octagonal barrel inscribed Wogdon & Barton London on the top flat, gold lined touch hole, foliate engraved tang incorporating the rear sight, flat bevel edged signed lock with stepped tail and sliding safety, set trigger, figured walnut full stock, swelling flat sided butt, engraved iron furniture including trigger guard with pineapple finial, horn tipped ramrod; contained in their original baize lined mahogany case with accessories including a leather bodied flask, flint wallet and cleaning rod, the exterior with recessed brass carrying handle. Burr was never tried for Hamiltons death, but rather than revive his political career, the duel was its death knell. Click here for more information. A fine duelling pistol by one of the best makers, in good condition, Robert Wogdon was apprenticed to Edward Newton of Grantham, Lincolnshire in 1748. Only one of the pair of pistols made by Robert Wogdon that were used in this duel has survived, and is on permanent exhibition at the Museum of London; it presumably belonged to Colonel Lennox.