Cased London Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver –with interesting provenance.

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drm3m

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Cased London Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver –with interesting provenance.

Serial number 3222, manufactured in 1854 by Colt in London.
Supposedly approx. 3,000 of these ’49 Colts were cased.
The lining colours varied but red and blue were the most common in the mahogany boxes, green has been seen in the oak boxes usually reserved for highly finished or engraved arms.









All of the components that were supposed to be serial numbered on these Colts show 3222, with the barrel wedge showing 222.







Proof Marks on London Colts.
They consisted of a crowned GP (Gunmakers’ Company Proof) and a crowned V (viewed)



The owner was a sea captain who sailed between Antigua and Liverpool and Bristol on his father’s ships.
Family estate issues in Antigua following the death of his wealthy father in 1871 caused him to be concerned for his life which resulted in him arming himself with this pistol.

The provenance of this Colt is still being researched in Antigua and England.
I am hoping to find more photos of the fellow whose name appears on the case plate.

I have one photo but I am not sure if this is James Samuel Winter the original owner of the Colt.



This cased Colt came to a family member in Canada in 1992 from England where it had been in the same family following the death of the original owner in 1929.

When I got the Colt it came with a 16 page family history (Winter Tale) which makes reference to the Colt.

David
 
Here are a few more photos I've hosted for David:

8679860938_fa60a33b9d_z.jpg


8678751111_7b140a00fd_z.jpg


8679861138_5a92524f08_z.jpg


8678751049_7181d7a65e_c.jpg


This is a beautiful revolver. I've held the box in my hands and it's filled with character. I'm personally looking very forward to seeing what the ongoing research reveals.

-Steve
 
Thanks for your comments Road King.

This is my first London Colt and my first cased Colt.



Thanks to Steve1987 for posting some photos for me ….I have been having frustrating problems with Photo Bucket uploading new photos.

My quest at this point is to try and find photos of James Samuel Winter the fellow whose
name is on the case plate of the Colt box.



He was born in Antigua in 1843 and died in England in 1929.

I am sure that photos of him exist somewhere.

The fellow that wrote the “Winter Tale” shown above, James William Winter died in 2008 in Ottawa. He owned the Colt before he died…he got it from a relative in England in 1992.

I have communicated with his son in Ottawa as well as the daughter in Antigua of one of the fellows who was involved in writing the family history.
Only time will tell what that turns up?????

I also connected with the curator at the Naval Museum in Antigua…..he is looking but doubts that he has anything.

The ships owned by the father (John Winter) –Irish Rover-The Dove-and Lady Georgina plus two others, sailed between Antigua and Bristol and Liverpool.
James Samuel Winter was the captain on one of these ships.

The father John Winter was the manager of Barbuda –part of Antigua until 1846 and is mentioned in the Codrinton’s papers.

The whole island was leased to the Codrington family in England for almost 200 years. They used it as a provisioning ground for their sugar estates throughout the Caribbean.

The contacts that I had in England have not panned out as yet….people keep changing their email addresses.

I guess this is part of the challenge.

David

Up to now I have a U.S. manufacturered Model 1849 Colt Pocket revolver which was manufactured in 1855.





 
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Thanks NorthCoastBigBore,

I had good new today.....I heard back from the great grandson who lives in England, he was on vacation in Australia.
Hopfully I can now start to make some progress in finding some photos of James Samuel Winter whose name is on the caseplate.

David

My first effort posting photos from Flickr....before that it was Photobucket for many years until I got fed up. I am still learning about Flickr???

Cylinder serial number 3222


Cylinder serial number 3222 by drm2m, on Flickr

London proof on the cylinder.


London proof on the cylinder by drm2m, on Flickr

Cylinder scene and London crowned GP proof mark.


Cylinder scene and London crowned GP proof mark by drm2m, on Flickr

David

NOTE;

Proof Marks on London Colts.
These were required by law and were normally stamped on the left side of the barrel lug.
They consisted of a crowned GP (Gunmaker’s Company Proof) and a crowned V (viewed)
On some early models these appear on the lug in one line, but later it became customary to stamp them one above the other.
Both marks were also stamped on the cylinder, alternating on the metal between the nipple housings. (Ref. Joseph Rosa.)
 
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Just awesome. Really nice to have that provenance to go with the gun. Good luck with getting a photo of the original owner. Thanks for sharing.

Mat
 
Mat,

From your mouth to God's ears.
I am waiting for feedback from England and Antigua.

David

FROM MY NOTES FROM THE WINTER TALE;

JAMES SAMUEL WINTER AND THE COLT PISTOL.

When James Samuel Winter’s father, John Winter, died in Antigua in 1871, he was at sea or in England. He was unable to claim any part of the vast holdings belonging to his father, nor were his siblings. It is assumed that there was no will and the children had no legal claim.

It is further assumed that the wife/mistress Ellen Horsford, in concert with her lawyer brother and local officials had re-located all moveable assets to the island of St Kitts.

During the period that James Samuel Winter was attempting to obtain satisfaction in the West Indies , he considered that his life was in danger and subsequently armed himself with a Colt pistol.

During William James Winter’s (the author of Winter Tale) trip to Antigua in 1991 the story was told of some sea captain arriving in Antigua after John Winter’s death in 1871 armed with a pistol and demanding his share of the estate. The unknown sea captain of course had to be James Samuel Winter, and the Colt pistol is the one obtained by William James Winter from his cousin Norman V.W. Griffiths in 1992.

David
 
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I recently received James Samuel Winters' marriage and death certificate from the great
grandson in England.

Now with a little luck ....the next step will be to find some photos.

David





 
Those photos are a pleasure to behold. That is a beautiful piece of history you have there. Thanks for sharing.
 
drm3m said:
Cased London Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver –with interesting provenance.

Serial number 3222, manufactured in 1854 by Colt in London.
Supposedly approx. 3,000 of these ’49 Colts were cased.
The lining colours varied but red and blue were the most common in the mahogany boxes, green has been seen in the oak boxes usually reserved for highly finished or engraved arms.









All of the components that were supposed to be serial numbered on these Colts show 3222, with the barrel wedge showing 222.







Proof Marks on London Colts.
They consisted of a crowned GP (Gunmakers’ Company Proof) and a crowned V (viewed)



The owner was a sea captain who sailed between Antigua and Liverpool and Bristol on his father’s ships.
Family estate issues in Antigua following the death of his wealthy father in 1871 caused him to be concerned for his life which resulted in him arming himself with this pistol.

The provenance of this Colt is still being researched in Antigua and England.
I am hoping to find more photos of the fellow whose name appears on the case plate.

I have one photo but I am not sure if this is James Samuel Winter the original owner of the Colt.



This cased Colt came to a family member in Canada in 1992 from England where it had been in the same family following the death of the original owner in 1929.

When I got the Colt it came with a 16 page family history (Winter Tale) which makes reference to the Colt.

David
Click to expand...
 
drm3m said:
Thanks for your comments Road King.

This is my first London Colt and my first cased Colt.



Thanks to Steve1987 for posting some photos for me ….I have been having frustrating problems with Photo Bucket uploading new photos.

My quest at this point is to try and find photos of James Samuel Winter the fellow whose
name is on the case plate of the Colt box.



He was born in Antigua in 1843 and died in England in 1929.

I am sure that photos of him exist somewhere.

The fellow that wrote the “Winter Tale” shown above, James William Winter died in 2008 in Ottawa. He owned the Colt before he died…he got it from a relative in England in 1992.

I have communicated with his son in Ottawa as well as the daughter in Antigua of one of the fellows who was involved in writing the family history.
Only time will tell what that turns up?????

I also connected with the curator at the Naval Museum in Antigua…..he is looking but doubts that he has anything.

The ships owned by the father (John Winter) –Irish Rover-The Dove-and Lady Georgina plus two others, sailed between Antigua and Bristol and Liverpool.
James Samuel Winter was the captain on one of these ships.

The father John Winter was the manager of Barbuda –part of Antigua until 1846 and is mentioned in the Codrinton’s papers.

The whole island was leased to the Codrington family in England for almost 200 years. They used it as a provisioning ground for their sugar estates throughout the Caribbean.

The contacts that I had in England have not panned out as yet….people keep changing their email addresses.

I guess this is part of the challenge.

David

Up to now I have a U.S. manufacturered Model 1849 Colt Pocket revolver which was manufactured in 1855.





David,
Click to expand...
Hello David,

I saw your post several years ago and thought it was very interesting. I was recently going through some of my great-grandfather’s genealogy work and everything in this post corresponded is a match!
I found an older brother of James and family living in the Caribbean and eventually in New York; he was a jack of all trades (a gun maker, mechanic, coach builder, upholsterer, etc).

Do you have a the original photo of the couple seated?

Thanks Nathy
 
Great Colt and an even better story. I wonder if the mistresses lawyer had that very pistol pointed at his face? It must have been brandished about to be mentioned in the story.
 
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