Queen Anne Flintlock Carbine by Henry Delaney, Circa 1720

This is an extremely rare Queen Anne styled flintlock carbine. Like a Queen Anne pistol, it has a turn-off barrel that resembles a cannon. The barrel is fitted with a hinged retaining link at the breech (1). It is rifled with eight grooves and has an unscrewing lug. "H. DELANEY LONDINI" is engraved on the lower lock side of the breech. Londini is the Latin place name for London. The walnut stock has relief carvings around the barrel tang, steel escutcheon and steel butt plate. Three proof marks are stamped on lower side of breech opposite the lock. Two are oval-shaped, a Crown over a "GP" (the gunmakers' proof) and a Crown over a "V" (the "view mark"). The third is a fleur-de-lis.

Henry Delaney was a Huguenot immigrant to England. The Huguenots were French Protestants. They were escaping persecution after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685. Delaney was admitted to the freedom of the Gunmakers Company in 1715. He worked in Long Acre, Holborn and was recorded as a "Maker of fine breech loading sporting guns and silver-mounted pistols". Delaney died in 1745. (2) (3) In addition to the Queen Anne Carbine shown here, two similar carbines by Henry Delaney are known to exist. One was once on display at the Tower of London and is currently in store at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Its museum number is XII.4851 (4). The other is in an undisclosed private collection.

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