High Quality Gold and Silver Appointed Flintlock Fowler Made by Famed British Gunsmith William Parker

High Quality Gold and Silver Appointed Flintlock Fowler Made by Famed British Gunsmith William Parker – This finely crafted flintlock, half-stock fowler was crafted by the well-known, British gunsmith William Parker (1773 – 1841). Parker, the founder of a famous firm of gunmakers; he had a Royal Warrant and produced guns at his shop in the Holborn section of London, almost until his death in 1841. Parker made a variety of firearms to include flintlock pistols, brass blunderbusses, as well as, under a Royal Government contract, flintlock musketoons. In 1829, Parker was contracted to provided the newly formed, London Metropolitan Police with flintlock, then later percussion pistols. Parker would continue working, as mentioned, until his death in 1841, at his ship at 233 High Holburn in London. He held ordnance contracts with the East India Company and The Hudson’s Bay Company and supplied arms to the London Police from 1803 and the Metropolitan Police from 1828.

This beautifully appointed half-stock fowler is decoratively engraved on several areas of the iron furniture of the gun. The various barrel escutcheons are silver; unusually, the frizzen pan and the barrel touch hole are both layered in gold. On the top of the barrel, near the breech, is a decorative band of gold and a small, hexagonal inset of gold engraved with: “W. Parker / Holburn”. The lock plate is stamped with: “W. Parker”. On the underside of the barrel are two sets of what appear to be crossed swords surmounting a botanical feature and the number 1254. The exterior lock plate mechanism is quite complex; the gold lined frizzen pan flips out for ease of cleaning the touch hole. The stock appears to be made of  figured walnut. At the wrist of the stock, an old crack was repaired by the American owner of the gun with a decoratively scalloped, silver plate. Engraved on the plate, on the right side, is the following:

“Richard C. Harford

Baltimore”

Harford was a citizen of Baltimore, Maryland; he was born in 1819 and died in 1872 and is buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore. Apparently, Harford had purchased this gun sometime while living in Baltimore. The gun is not the type that would have been a so-called “off the rack” weapon, as it is too finely appointed and made; it is conceivable that this fowler was custom made. Regardless, the gun remains in excellent condition; the firing mechanism functions; it retains its original, wooden ramrod.

Measurements: Overall Length – 40.25”; Barrel Length – 33.5”