AN UNUSUAL FLINTLOCK BREECH-LOADING MAGAZINE GUN BY JOHN COOKSON
FIREARMS signed by John Cookson were made from the 1680s to the 1760s, the reason being there were two gunmakers called John Cookson. The younger one worked in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1701-62, while the older Cookson was believed to have remained in London. Very few examples of their work survive.
This gun made in about 1690, inscribed IOHN COOKSON FECIT (made by John Cookson) displays the distinctive flair of Cookson the elder. Intended for sporting use, this single-barrel smoothbore (.55in) gun is generously chiselled in high relief on sections of the barrel, breech and trigger-guard with fronds of foliage and grotesque masks; whilst deeply chiselled foliate scrollwork and animal faces feature on the remainder of the iron furniture. Stocked in burr-walnut, the butt is carved in the manner of a creature’s top jaw clamping down on the wrist of the gun; yet the chief feature is a tall, iron foresight shaped into a curved axe blade.
Its appearance is most unusual. From certain angles it is quite ungainly due to its most remarkable component, the incorporation of a breech-loading repeating magazine system. It is not certain who invented this system but it has been long attributed to the Sienese gunmaker Michele Lorenzoni (born 1645) between 1665 and 1680.
The system itself gradually improved and remained in use until the early 19th century. Lorenzoni worked mostly in Florence, where his patrons included Cosimo III de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1670-1723), whilst his work equalled that of the great Italian gunmakers of the time, such as Matteo Cecchi (known as Acquafresca) and Giacomo Berselli of Bologna.
The weapon was astounding for its age and was, essentially, operated as follows: firstly, powder and ball, enough for up to 10 shots, were loaded into separate compartments of a main magazine in the wrist, through a hinged gate above and to the left of the trigger guard. Next, tipping the gun sideways, so that the lockplate faced the floor, allowed powder to fill a secondary magazine located beside the priming pan. The lever on the right-hand side, parallel to the barrel, was then rotated 180 degrees, in succession filling the priming pan, closing the frizzen, cocking the gun and placing powder and shot ready for loading. The lever was then rotated in the opposite direction, loading the chamber, returning the priming pan to its upright position, hidden by the now closed frizzen. The gun was now ready to fire, and repeating the process – except, of course, for filling the magazine – allowed it to be fired again.
A drawback of this system was the possibility that the weapon may explode after multiple shots. If the gun did not have a close fit between the brass rotor and the frame, powder grains could become wedged between the two. Therefore, any flashback that occurred from the discharged shots could ignite the stray grains, eventually travelling backwards towards the main magazine. As this weapon remains intact but shows traces of use, it must be concluded that Cookson the elder was not only a proficient craftsman but also an engineer of the highest calibre.
The Cookson gun can be viewed by appointment at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, the national museum of arms and armour. Check for opening times at: royalarmouries.org