1600’S LONGRIFLE QUESTION

[Belleville]

Artie,

Little information on this time period for firearms in Canada.

Here is all I have:


1619: To be brought for the settlement of Quebec (City), for armaments, 24 pikes, 40 [matchlock] muskets with their bandoliers, 4 wheelock harquebuses [with barrels] 4 to 5 feet long [with their forked support rests], … (Kent, Phantoms).



1639: Guillaume Hebert of Quebec owned 1 flintlock arquebus, 1 wheelock arquebus, 1 flintlock carbine, a wheelock carbine and 1 flintlock pistol (Gladysz).



1642: Guillaume Couillard had an arquebuse worth 25 £
in 1642 he had two wheel pistols, one common one decorated,
one pocket wheel pistol and four flint guns (property of the " Compagnie Générale "). [Snaphaunse sometimes get classified as arquebuse because the clockwork style lock is as complicated. Tourblanche, Frontierfolks/ Colonial Nouvelle France/New France/French Wheelocks? 6-24-10]. (Normal definition for arquebuse is a matchlock).



1656, Montreal merchant Jacques Testard de la Foret's estate included various fusils (Gladysz).



1657: In the post-mortem inventory of Nicolas Godé, Montréal, November 7, 1657, there were 3 flintlocks. Estimated value: 67 livres for the lot. (Ledoyen)



1657: In the post-mortem inventory of Jean de Saint-Père (notary), Montréal, November 15, 1657, there were 3 flintlocks. Estimated value: 36 livres, 20 livres and 12 livres. (Ledoyen)

Artie,

Another thought. See if you can find your ancestor's 'death inventory', if it still exits. It was required by law and may tell you what arms he had at his death.

Doc S.

 

[rich pierce]

This thread was 2 years old. Nice to resurrect it. How did you come across a thread this old?

 

[TFoley]

was watching Barkskins what pistol would the English have been giving to the Indians? and why not rifles instead? what kind of rifle? Towers or something else?

Not rifles at that time. Rifles were the province of the VERY rich continental Europeans, and very unlikely to have been given to a colonist.

 

[Rudyard]

Interesting but no' Long rifles' unless I missed it .

This thread was 2 years old. Nice to resurrect it. How did you come across a thread this old?

Must have come up perhaps in the' related item' now usefully available . presume new moderaters idea .
Regards Rudyard

 

[Carteret Kid]

 

[Carteret Kid]

View attachment 151322

Would something like this work?

 

[Rudyard]

Well if the piece illustrated an 'English ' lock if rifled would be a 'Long Rifle'. However it wouldn' t be the general sort of rifle normally thought of as a ' long rifle' a in the US context.. This said Ide except is was undoutably a ' long rifle ' just not the later sorts so ingrained in US culture . I once made up just such a rifle only it was a snaphance . but more thinking such as King Phillips War than any 18th C thinking . This rifle used up an old probably Moroccan lock & the barrel was seemingly middle eastern origin & I certainly was thinking more King Phillips war . I ' Got it up' in Mass but never got into that reenactment scene as it happened .


This said if a17th c rifle still worked it might still be fit for service into the mid to late 18th c how many guns still used today by sportsman that where made over a hundred years earlier ? Trapdoors, Sniders,Martini Henrys,03 Springfields. Rolling blocks. Lee Enfields . I use a 1901 Long lee 303 thats 122 years old . SO though old such a rifle COULD be used by some thrifty Long hunter (Probably a Scot or a Yorkshireman their a thrifty lot !) Regards Rudyard

 

[Rancocas]

I find it strange that on the lists of weapons for this time period no crossbows or long bows are mentioned. England, especially, was famous for it English longbow.
I would think the French at least had crossbows.

One of my direct ancestors, Stephen Hopkins, was a passenger on the Mayflower (1620). Prior to that he had spent a couple of years in Jamestown, down in Virginia before returning to England. Because of his experience in Jamestown, he was considered to have more knowledge about the Indians than the other Pilgrims. Therefore he was among the first landing parties to explore Cape Cod. It is said that an odd contraption they found was identified by Hopkins as a "deer trap".
I don't know what arms and armor he went ashore with, but I suspect that he had a matchlock and probably a sword.
Actually he wasn't a "Pilgrim". There were two groups on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and what the Pilgrims called "the strangers". Stephen Hopkins was a "stranger".

 

[Hermit Tim]

I find it strange that on the lists of weapons for this time period no crossbows or long bows are mentioned. England, especially, was famous for it English longbow.
I would think the French at least had crossbows.

One of my direct ancestors, Stephen Hopkins, was a passenger on the Mayflower (1620). Prior to that he had spent a couple of years in Jamestown, down in Virginia before returning to England. Because of his experience in Jamestown, he was considered to have more knowledge about the Indians than the other Pilgrims. Therefore he was among the first landing parties to explore Cape Cod. It is said that an odd contraption they found was identified by Hopkins as a "deer trap".
I don't know what arms and armor he went ashore with, but I suspect that he had a matchlock and probably a sword.
Actually he wasn't a "Pilgrim". There were two groups on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and what the Pilgrims called "the strangers". Stephen Hopkins was a "stranger".

Watch Saints & Strangers. Hopkins is main character and it is an excellent movie about what your comment references.

 

[Rancocas]

Watch Saints & Strangers. Hopkins is main character and it is an excellent movie about what your comment references.

Thanks. I had not heard of it. I'll look it up.

 

[Rudyard]

I find it strange that on the lists of weapons for this time period no crossbows or long bows are mentioned. England, especially, was famous for it English longbow.
I would think the French at least had crossbows.

One of my direct ancestors, Stephen Hopkins, was a passenger on the Mayflower (1620). Prior to that he had spent a couple of years in Jamestown, down in Virginia before returning to England. Because of his experience in Jamestown, he was considered to have more knowledge about the Indians than the other Pilgrims. Therefore he was among the first landing parties to explore Cape Cod. It is said that an odd contraption they found was identified by Hopkins as a "deer trap".
I don't know what arms and armor he went ashore with, but I suspect that he had a matchlock and probably a sword.
Actually he wasn't a "Pilgrim". There were two groups on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and what the Pilgrims called "the strangers". Stephen Hopkins was a "stranger".

Such a great post and account of a very adventurous man amongst a group of singularly adventurous souls. AlI I know was my grandfathers both where grinders in Sheffield & both served in WW1.
A jest in these antipodes is "We came over on the" Orsova "(P&O Steamer)" And been' Orsova' ever since"! .A jokeing allusion to a confused or parleous state . as in 'Arse over tea kettle '
Australians & New Zealander s might get that humorous allusion but it could be lost on other colonials .or a younger age group. Quite what your forebear had we can but guess but Ide say your estimate would be pretty close .
Regards Rudyard