A 28-Bore Flintlock Duelling PistolBy Wogdon & Barton, London, Circa 1800. Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, "Flintlock Target Pistol of Prince William Frederick, Second Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (17761834), with Case and Accessories", "Robert Wogdon, Gunmaker, London (1737-1813)", "The Pistols of Robert Wogdon | Andrea Penrose Author", "The Little-Known Story of the Gun That Killed Alexander Hamilton", Information on Wogdon and his grave in Layston Church, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wogdon_%26_Barton&oldid=1131084818, This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 13:34. The Burr-Hamilton duel pistols were originally in a very similar configuration to this pair. (30.3 cm); Cal. [1] The name Wogdon became synonymous with dueling, to the extent that duels in England were sometimes referred to as "a Wogdon affair". New York. .36 in (9.3 mm); Wt. Burrs intention seems quite clear. Prince William Frederick, Second Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1803d. Its long barrel, measuring nearly twelve inches in length, indicates its intended use for targets. With John Barton traded as Wogdon & Barton, from 1795, succeeded by Barton, 1803. Gunmakers to Bow St. Police, 1801-3. Duelling pistols are often single-shot flintlock or percussion black-powder pistols which fire a lead ball. Click here for more information. Exactly what happened next has been debated and veiled in mystery ever since. Starting in 1795 to 1803, he operated with a partner, John Barton, as Wogdon & Barton so this pistol is 1795 or earlier. His Royal Highness replied he should say nothing, after which all parties left the ground. Many later pistols have heavier barrels and half-stocks while the early pistols are lighter and full-stocked. 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. [3], In continental Europe, the use of smooth-bored pistols was considered cowardly, and rifled pistols were the norm. When it came down to staring down an opponent, many men put their trust in gunmakers like Robert Wogdon rather than divine intervention. 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. Both pistols have their original iron-tipped ramrods with an attached worm at the end. Stoney demanded Bate reveal the author of these articles; Bate refused and Stoney challenged him to a duel as the Countess of Strathmores champion. (6.7 cm); W. 17 1/2 in. [2] Flintlock Target Pistol of Prince William Frederick, Second Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (17761834), with Case and Accessories, Gunsmith:
Geoff Walker trading as The Flintlock Collection - All Rights Reserved In 1801, young Philip Hamilton, son of founding father Alexander Hamilton, and his friend and theater manager Stephen Price challenged New York City attorney George Eacker to a duel after confronting Eacker about a Independence Day speech he had given critical of Alexander Hamilton. WOGDON & BARTON. Spring Steel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The wedge and wrist escutcheons are silver, and the latter have a monogram that appears to be the initials "LD." For this reason, very few duels can now be confidently identified as those in which Wogdon pistols were used. The Most Famous Set of Dueling Pistols - Wogdon & Barton Until the building's demolition in 2019, you could view the most famous set of dueling pistols in history on display at the former JPMorgan Chase Tower, at 270 Park Avenue, NY, New York.
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. They loaded the pistols and the parties took their stations. This resulted in a further duel between Colonel Lennox and Swift, which resulted in the unfortunate Swift being shot in the abdomen. The trigger guard finial is an engraved acorn. The 10"" swamped at the muzzle octagon 67 caliber smooth bore barrels have good bores with light roughness. Lock plates engraved Wogdon & Barton, having push-on half-cock safeties, semi-rain proof pans, and roller frizzen springs (one spring repaired). Wogdon made the pistols used in the infamous BurrHamilton duel, which were later claimed to have concealed "hair triggers" (also known as set triggers). This supremely elegant target pistol is among their most accomplished work. Mary Eleanor Bowes was the richest heiress in England at that time. Read British gunmakers of the 21st century for more about the companies continuing a long tradition. Despite duelling being always regarded as illegal, in practice it was widely tolerated by both the juries and the sentencing judges. Fate or divine intervention was a key aspect of the origins of dueling. Carried to his Manhattan home, Hamilton lingered in agony, the pistol ball lodged next to his spine. As the distance closed they could fire at will. The relined case has moderate age and storage related wear. More has been written about this duel than any other in American history. .38 in. The plain stepped locks are simply engraved Wogdon, with a plain narrow safety catch. But you had never gained so great a name, In England had your pistols killed as few." Cased Pair of John Blissett & Son Percussion Dueling Pistols: Lot 332 Four British Prime Ministers have engaged in duels throughout history. This is an edited extract from Robert Wogdon, Wogdon & Barton, John Barton, London Gunmakers 1764-1819, price 75, published by Bonhams. Instead of firing into the sky or the ground, aiming for a near miss would show seriousness and would appear to any witnesses to have been a legitimate attempt but avoid taking a life. (14.2 g); case (g): H. 2 5/8 in. Colonel Lennox and the Duke, accompanied by their seconds, met on Wimbledon Common on the morning of 26 May. Hamilton did not elaborate but indicated his remarks were political, not personal, which would imply that Burrs honor had not been drawn into question. He went on to become one of the most infamous traitors in American history for conspiring to steal by force territory acquired for the United States by Thomas Jefferson as well as land in Mexico to create his own western empire. (44.5 cm); D. 6 3/4 in. [3] Other features were saw handles, platinum-lined touch-holes and hair triggers. A Scarce Double Barrel Pocket Pistol . Although best suited for military use, they were often owned by civilians. 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. 1834); Theodore Offerman, New York (until d. 1937; his estate sale, American Art Association-Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, November 1113, 1937, no. [12], Late model English duelling pistols fired by percussion cap, bearing the Royal Warrant on the case, Earlier English flintlock duelling pistols made by Wogdon & Barton, used in the fatal Burr-Hamilton duel of 1804. British, London, Medium:
Initially, both men refused to fire. The pistols used in the Hamilton=Burr duel, which belonged to Hamiltons brother-in-law. His total production of duelling pistols over the 39 years that he was a gunmaker is unknown. The overall length is approx. Church himself had fought a bloodless duel with Burr a few years earlier. 0.00. 1 lb. [20], The use of pistols in duels became popular in the United Kingdom, France, and colonial America during the mid-eighteenth century. It has a dovetailed blade front sight, "Wogdon & Barton London" in script on top of the barrel, a gold vent liner, notch rear sight on top of the breech, "Wogdon & Barton" on the . Upon the signal, they could advance towards one another and choose when to fire. For example, when the Duke of York was challenged by his nephew Charles Lennox when they were serving in the Coldstream Guards, Lennoxs Wogdon pistols from 12 paces at Wimbledon Common was chosen, and they were to fire upon the signal. As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes. (10 cm); Wt. In addition to the renown quality of his pistols in his own time, Wogdon is arguably the most recognized maker of dueling pistols known today because of the pair used in the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr that ended with Hamilton fatally wounded. This dueling flintlock pistol is by Robert Wogdon (1733-1813), a well-known London gunsmith from Lincolnshire who operated at Haymarket, London, from 1774 to 1802. Wogdon & Barton (founded by Robert Wogdon) was an 18th-century firm of gunsmiths based in London, England. While the design looks a bit odd, the author has found most sawhandle pistols point very naturally. To refuse to take part in the duel would have had the same result. Collecting, preserving, researching, publishing, and exhibiting distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. All rights reserved. "British Flintlock Dueling Pistol by Wogdon (AH6306) . [7] The name Wogden in particular became associated with duelling pistols, to the extent that a duel was sometimes referred to by lawyers as a "Wogden Case". The sliding-safety locks are marked in script "Wogdon" over "&" over "Barton". Somewhat reluctantly, Mary agreed and four days later Stoney was carried on a stretcher down the aisle of St Jamess Church, Piccadilly, to marry Mary Elizabeth Bowes, Dowager Countess of Strathmore. Duelling pistols have long and heavy barrels - the added weight helped steady aim and reduce recoil. As the smoke cleared, Alexander Hamilton lay mortally wounded. The butt cap and trigger guard are polished bright. More Info. (1726.5 g), Classification:
Burr was never tried for Hamiltons death, but rather than revive his political career, the duel was its death knell. 0.00. The original dueling pistols used by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in the 1804 duel that killed Hamilton were on exhibit from May 25 - September 16, 2018. 7626 Westheimer @ Voss, Houston, Texas 77063. (41 cm); L. of barrel 11 15/16 in. Wogdon retired in 1803 and died in 1813. These types are similar to duelling pistols in that they were muzzle-loading weapons that were sometimes expensively made and sold in matched, cased pairs with a set of accessories. Nonetheless, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel to repair his reputation. He was only 19 years old. Pistols with calibers of 0.45in (11mm), 0.52in (13mm), 0.58in (15mm) or even 0.65in (17mm) were common. Wogdon was partnered with John Barton at 14 Haymarket Street in London in 1795-1803. Two pairs of pistols allowed for a second exchange of shots if both missed and the challenger of the duel was intent on continuing. Robert Wogdon (January 1734 - 28 March 1813) died aged 79 and was buried with his wife Jane (died 15 February 1805, aged 69) in the chancel of St Bartholomew's Church, located on the outskirts of Buntingford, Hertfordshire. More Info. [21], Pairs of duelling pistols were often supplied in compartmentalised wooden cases along with a powder flask, rods for cleaning and loading, spare flints, spanners and other tools, and a bullet mould. The poem later references him again and notes, "This death we lay not, Wogdon to thy blame; Cullum must have his fame as well as you. The seconds turned their backs, so they could deny being credible witnesses to what transpired should they be drawn into court. With dueling pistols, Hollywood loves to show to adversaries starting back to back and walking off a set number of paces before turning to fire. The brown damascus style finish is . 19th September 2018. He died early the next morning. The events leading up to the duel, the newspaper articles, the near fatal injuries Stoney had suffered, had all been a complete sham engineered by Stoney and Bate to trick Bowes into marriage, giving Stoney control over her huge fortune. Since the 1800s, explorers and dangerous game hunters navigating the African bush have trusted their lives to the double rifle. Two Engraved English Flintlock Pistols -A) Desirable Wogdon & Barton Dueling PistolWogdon dueling pistols are among the most historical and were used in the most famous of all American duels: the Burr-Hamilton affair. 12.9 oz. A pair of duels in the early 19th century in America have done much to fix Wogdons name in American memory. Rogers Fund, 1937, Accession Number:
A Rifled Pocket Pistol by Smith. 0.00. Engraved in gold on the barrel: ARGer DE L'EMPEREUR. The 10" swamped at the muzzle octagon 67 caliber smooth bore barrels have good bores with light roughness. Pistol: wood (walnut), steel, gold, brass, horn; ramrod: wood (walnut), brass, steel; case: wood (mahogany), velvet, brass; powder flask: brass, steel, leather; bullet mold: steel; screwdriver: wood (walnut), brass, steel; cleaning rod: wood (walnut), brass, steel; bottle: glass, Dimensions:
Impact also services the needs of law enforcement and military with our wide variety of tactical weapons and . Robert Wogdon and John Barton operated at 14 Haymarket, London, from 1795 to 1803. Gunmaker at Mr. Maws haberdashers, Cockspur St., Charing Cross, 1764. Thus, firing too early might make you more likely to miss and have to risk being shot at from a shorter range. Whether it was in this form when used by Colonel Lennox in the 1789 duel, or still in its original full stocked form, is unknown. At the time, the Duke of York, second son of the reigning King George III, was Colonel of the Coldstream Guards, and one Charles Lennox, nephew and heir to the Duke of Richmond, was Lieutenant-Colonel of the same regiment. 15". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 0.5 oz. If the matter could not be resolved through formal correspondence, the conflict would most commonly be settled with a formal exchange of shots from proper dueling pistols: a Wogdon affair.. [13][Note 4], There were various forms of pistol duel. Hosted and Maintained by TwoPointZero IT. 20002023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All the metal has a smooth gray-brown patina. Compounds and Solutions for Metals. Hamilton languished until 2 p.m. on July 12, 1804. The 9 5/8"" octagon 64 caliber swamped smooth bore barrel has a fair bore with pitting. Philip was mortally wounded, and died in agony the following day.