Original Item (except where specified): It is no secret that included in the extraordinary cache of arms purchased from the Royal Nepalese Armory by IMA there were a limited quantity of original 18th Century British Brown Bess Flintlock Muskets. Regrettably, they were in a deplorable condition having arrived in Nepal via the East India Company sometime before 1820 and laid undisturbed, and not cared for, since the 1850’s. These Brown Bess Muskets are the East India Company Pattern of 1771 featuring a 39″ barrel. The British Government adopted the 39″ barrel (reduced in length from the 42″ Short Land Pattern) in 1796. This is why these muskets are commonly referred to as “The Brown Bess India Pattern of 1796” or the Brown Bess 3rd model.
The Flintlock Locks were all made in England for the East India Company and still retain English maker markings, and incredibly dates within the 1770’s. Each lock also shows the East India Company heart symbol across lock tail. None of these locks however, bear a “Crown G.R.” symbol as India was privately run as a corporation until after the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857/58 when the British Government assumed control. Once in Ghurka hands, after 1816, many of these original English manufactured and marked locks were remarked with the Nepalese Crest, we offer Gurkha re-marked lock Brown Bess sets separately. However, incredibly…
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