MENU
Welcome to my modest online museum. The collection was originally based on Royal Navy boarding weapons of the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, before being expanded to include additional naval artefacts and other items of particular interest to me.
This website is currently under construction. It is primarily being developed for my own interest and enjoyment but also to be shared with anyone else who may be interested. If you do view it, I hope you enjoy your visit!
Barry Jones
2019
“May God bless my King and Country,
and all those I hold dear.”
NELSON AND BRONTE
Codicil No. VIII
21st October 1805
The Dispatches and Letters of
Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson
Illustration from The Naval Chronicle
Volume 3, January to July 1800
ABOUT
The inspiration for my small collection dates back to a childhood holiday. One day my father took me around an antique shop in Rye, Sussex, where one item in particular caught my eye. It was a very long flintlock pistol – and to me, a quite beautiful creation of steel, brass and wood. I remember the word ‘TOWER’ inscribed on the lock. I had started reading about 18th century smugglers and thought it must surely be a smuggler’s pistol.
Many years later, a growing interest in Horatio Nelson and the Royal Navy of the Age of Fighting Sail lead me to read more about the man and the period. It was when reading about the equipment and boarding weapons that I saw photos of that very same pistol.
If my memory served me well, it was in fact a Royal Navy sea service pistol. I decided that I owed it to my younger self to have one of my very own. And that was the start – to be followed by other boarding weapons, associated artefacts and books from the period, together with a few odds and ends from other historical periods of particular interest.
I hasten to add that the National Maritime Museum or Wallace Collection it is not! It is just a very small collection of items that interest me.
I find it fascinating to be able to hold and closely examine items that have actually ‘been there’! I find that reading about the items is like opening up a small window into another world. As their current custodian, I hope they will pass on to others who will appreciate and respect them as much as I do.
Photos: HMS Victory, Portsmouth [1]
MARKINGS
I am particularly interested in the various markings, indicating government ownership, proofing and manufacturer. Especially individual markings, which with the naval items may indicate that they have sailed – as far as one can tell anyway – on one of His Majesty’s ships of war.
Without documented provenance, one can never be sure of course, but I have looked specifically for items that were marked in some way to indicate use - as opposed to spending their ‘service lives’ in storage. Most of the swords and cutlasses bear the makers name, which also opens up an area of interest.
AUTHENTICITY
I am absolutely no expert, but as far as I can tell, all items in the collection are authentic - except for one item, a gun lock, which was made by the apprentices at Enfield Lock and has a story of its own.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Unless otherwise noted, all artefacts and engravings are from the collection. The photos of these and of HMS Victory were all taken by me.
All paintings are reproduced by kind permission of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and have been so credited (NMM followed by the Object ID).
NOTES
Notes are referenced in the text by a number within square brackets. The explanation is shown at the bottom of the relevant page.
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The button is shown on the top and bottom of each page.
NOTE [1] The photos of HMS Victory were taken in June 2009,
prior to the upper masts and rigging being removed for restoration.
The collection and website are dedicated to the 'immortal memory'...
Welcome to My King & Country