Pistols, owned by Lieutenant Sir James Baird, 10th Hussars

These pistols date from 1827 and were bought around 1838 by Lieutenant Sir James Baird of the 10th Hussars. These high-quality weapons were considered a necessary part of the military equipment of an officer and a gentleman. The examples here take a pistol ball of the calibre of the standard Army cavalry pistol of the period and were thus intended for service use.

The accessories in the case include a cleaning rod, a powder flask, and a supply of percussion caps. To fire the pistol, a cap was placed on a nipple beneath the hammer. When the trigger was pulled, the hammer struck the cap. The cap then ignited the charge of gunpowder in the barrel that fired the shot.

James Wilkinson & Son, the makers of these pistols, were well-known at the time as high quality gunsmiths. They later diversified into the manufacture of swords and, later still, into razors.

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