here is the text portion of the article and I will try downloading and posting some of the photos later today
cheers mooncoon
£6,000.00
A very rare Canadian fine quality Percussion Rifle using a what seems to be a polygonal copy of the Westley Richards/Whitworth rifle system.
It is a single octagonal barrel with what appears to be an inner eight-sided polygonal rifling system, not unlike the hexagonal Whitworth system and very similar to the Westley Richards octagonally rifled barrel (as used on Westley Richards Monkey Tail carbines). The rifle has a long heavy barrel (83cm – 32 5/8 inches), yet slender, making the rifle very slim and elegant. The rifle has a dark wood half stock with engraved steel decoration and small panels of inlay that form a 4 pointed star. Its look and decoration are a combination of Dutch, French and American features. The barrel is stamped I (?) BRANTFORD UC making the maker John Woods of Brantford, Upper Canada, meaning that the factory existed before 1840. The calibre of the gun is about a 11.5mm (0.45 cal), which is near identical to the Westley Richards octagonally rifled barrel. The metal has a brown patina of age and has a fair amount of oxide spotting. However, it remains a very attractive looking gun. There appears to be the remnants of a targeting sight on top of the barrel and the ramrod is possibly a replacement. The mechanism is nice and crisp with half and full #### positions on the hammer. The gun is not proof marked anywhere, that we can see. It is part of a group of weapons that were recovered from a farmhouse clearance in Ireland, years ago, and have links to the Irish troubles in the 19th century, going from the period of the Napoleonic War to the Fenian Rebellion in 1867. It is possible that it was imported from North America to help in the struggle for independence. Please see our other Irish items also listed.
The Whitworth rifle was an English-made percussion rifle used in the latter half of the 19th century. A single-shot muzzleloader had a revolutionary hexagonal shaped inside of the barrel which gave it an excellent long-range accuracy for its era, especially when used with a telescopic sight. The Whitworth rifle is widely regarded as the world's first sniper rifle and saw extensive use with the Confederate sharpshooters in the American Civil War.
Whitworth perfected his invention with the help of his friend Westley Richards, who then produced his own version of 8 sided polygonal rifling.
The Fenian Rising of 1867 (Éirí Amach na bhFíníní) was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland, organised by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). After the suppression of the Irish People newspaper in September 1865, disaffection among Irish radical nationalists continued to smoulder, and during the latter part of 1866, IRB leader James Stephens endeavoured to raise funds in the United States for a fresh rising planned for the following year. It was easily quashed by British forces.
Size: 121cm (47 5/8 inches)
Weight: 2748 g
