Product Details
EX. SHIRBURN CASTLE ARMOURY
AN EXTREMELY RARE 25-BORE FLINTLOCK RIFLED CAVALRY CARBINE OF UNUSUAL FORM BY DURS EGG, rack no. 2,
circa 1780 and made for the Fourth Earl of Macclesfield, with slightly swamped round 24in. barrel rifled in seven grooves, applied boat-shaped fore-sight, moulded standing notch rear-sight applied to the short flat sighting plane, the flat signed 'D. EGG, LONDON' and with a small number '2' forward of the plain solid top-tang, borderline engraved lock with distinctive double ring-necked cock and signed 'D. EGG' below the pan, walnut full-stock with unusual comb-less hand-rail butt capped with a flat brass oval heel-plate, single side-nail, moulded brass trigger guard and lower tang, long iron saddle-bar, single iron horseshoe swivel behind ramrod throat, brass pipes, the front of large trumpet form with an iron flat-spring behind tensioning the captive iron ramrod and three iron barrel-keys, together with a file of notes on the castle, the armoury and family history
Provenance: Shirburn Castle Is a brick-built fortified manor house in Oxfordshire. Originally begun in around 1380, it had circular towers on each corner, a gate tower and a moat that was fed by local springs. Despite being dramatically altered in the 18th and 19th centuries, the building still retains the majority of its original brickwork.
In 1716 the 1st Earl of Macclesfield (family name Parker) bought the castle from the Gage family. The Parkers had been Royalists during the Civil War, but after the restoration, Gerald Parker was promoted to the position of Lieutenant General of all the English Forces and despite a dubious financial record, had been created the 1st Earl Macclesfield in 1679. Due to these financial irregularities, a second appointment of 1st Earl (an almost unique occurrence) was created in 1721 and given to Thomas Parker, son of the first 1st Earl. He was found guilty of accepting bribes whilst Chancellor of the Exchequer and fined the astonishing sum of £30,000.
It is the belief that the 4th Earl, also Thomas, established the carbines in the armoury in around 1780, which already housed a number of weapons unique to the castle. Only seven of this type of arm were produced by three different gunmakers; Ferguson, Wogdon and Egg. The first two only produced one each, the Ferguson example built with his breech-loading system. Durs made the remaining five, three with 30in. barrels and two with 24in. as offered here. No satisfactory evidence has been forthcoming as to the peculiar stock design with the most likely explanation being it was an attempt to balance the arm for single handed use whilst on horseback, but another theory is that the stock was modelled to imitate the locking bar from the front door of the castle which was of similar profile.
Internal disputes within the Parker family regarding inheritance matters resulted in the 9th Earl having to relinquish his occupancy in 2004 and many of the contents have been subsequently sold at auction. The contents of the armoury were purchased privately by a UK dealer and dispersed
We are gratefully indebted to the late Alan Brett for the above information
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Estimate £3,000-5,000