Thomas Del Mar - Armour Sale

403403A RARE NAVAL SEVEN BARRELLED FLINTLOCK VOLLEYGUN BY HENRY NOCK, TOWER PROOF MARKS, CIRCA1780with browned sighted barrels signed H. Nock’ ahead of thelock, plain action tang with sighting groove, bevelled lockengraved with ‘Tower’ and ‘GR’ crowned, stamped ‘HN’inside (mainspring broken), figured walnut butt impressed’VII’ inside the lock cavity, regulation brass mountsincluding side-plate and three ramrod-pipes, the forwardramrod-pipe with sprung steel catch (trigger-guardmissing), and contemporary steel ramrod (the steel partswith areas of wear, stock bruised)50.8cm; 20in barrelsNock’s Sea Service Volley guns were designed to providean effective means of clearing the enemy decks andfighting tops of sharpshooters. Sharpshooters in the topswere both a danger to the enemy and themselves. Thedramatic fire on the Orient at the Battle of the Nile in 1798was apparently caused this way, afterwards Nelson bannedthe use of such weapons and consequently the Frenchsniper that fired the fatal shot at Trafalgar went unmolested.It was of little consolation to the British to read after thebattle that one of the French sharpshooters had set fire totheir own vessel, as Nelson had predicted. See H.L.Blackmore 1955, pp.165-192.£6000-8000168