Post Colonial English Artefact

Baribal

Baribal

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Anyone have an idea of what this could be? possibly a blazon or a regimental ornament?

This was found burried on a St-Lawrence river island (around Montreal) find a 32 Gauge (or, 0.50" caliber 1/2 ounce) lead ball and a WWI expeditionary force button.

It's of course of British origin, with geographical references... so I guess it's military...

Sorry, strangely the pic won't show when moved vertically... :)

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There are thousand of islands there :)
This one is a natural island and there was a ferry nearby.
 
Agreed about the reference to the provinces, but the lion (or is it a very bad Buffalo image?) does not fit Canada... that's why I lean toward something service related, like, maybe RCMP...
 
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If it's a Buffalo, then, it must be of 1870 - with the heralidic crown of Queen Victoria.... but still, the two at the bottom puzzle me...

Could it be to celebrate the entrance of Manitoba in the Confedaration of Canada? Or to commemorate some service in Manitoba?
The eagle within bay leaves is a mark of triumph... the two trees, I donno...
 
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eos said:
Pre 1921, post confederation Arms of Canada.
Click to expand...

To put it even closer, pre-1921 but post-1901 Arms of Canada - the crown on top is the King's Crown, which puts it after Queen Victoria died. So it and the WW1 expeditionary button probably belonged together.

The lead ball -- can't help you there. Except it's probably not ammunition for any kind of weapon that would be carried even by Home Guard types around WW1 so probably doesn't fit with the other two. The only thing it might have gone with would have been a shotgun like some military guards carried - but .50 is too big for any kind of buckshot and too small for a slug.

But it's not an older military musket ball - they usually ranged from .69 to .75 calibre. And not a later ball for rifled muskets like the Enfield - they were around .58 calibre and shot conical hollow-based Minie 'ball' rather than spherical ones.

Best guess: a pistol ball for a flintlock or percussion pistol. The medium-sized ones known as "traveller's" or "overcoat" pistols had relatively short barrels of 4 to 6 inches (to be easy to carry in a large coat pocket) with a fairly large bore (to increase both the 'stopping power' and the intimidation factor for highwaymen looking into the muzzle). They generally used lead balls between .50" and .65" in diameter. At the time, makers often referred to them as "manstoppers".
 
Sounds to get even closer....
I thought the Edward VII heraldic crown did not carry the blue globe... that's why I thought of Queen Victoria...

Regarding the ball, that's what I figured, too. I've seen old french bullets and they were 0.69" and as you pointed the Brown Bess used 0.75" balls..

These islands are interesting as the first bridge to cross the river at that point crosses it - prior that, there was a ferry. Also, around there, there was a Seigneurie on an island and there is still french regime house remains standing there (no bridge to cross). Some early fighting with the Mohawks also took place there... and in 1760 the English troops went on Montreal island using these islands...
 
The balls in some Shrapnel shells were mixed, iron and lead. If you check the specs, some were half-inch.

Handbook of Service Ammunition - 1924 includes all the WWI types.

MIGHT help.

Baribal, you are a Lucky Guy!

The Shield itself is a good example of REAL enamel ware. Shield was likely die-stamped (although originals were handmade) and the spaces between the raised parts were filled-in with glass dust in a paste form, the thing baked in an oven; the glass melted together and it came out real pretty. It is still being done, but really good enamelware is almost a lost art these days. Plastic is NO substitute.

Most interesting find!
 
Smellie,
Thanks for that.
I am aware of baked enamel and really like that kind of stuff. I'll look deeper at the ball thing as there seemed to have smaller balls that looked different together with the large one. They also found what looks like a dipstick and is about 4 inches long... :)
BTW, the thing is not mine.
 
"...are those provincial coat of arms?..." Nope. The chances of it being anything official are slim. Possibly just a jeweller's project or other civilian made brooch.
"...buried on a St-Lawrence river island..." Anywhere near Valcartier? Sam Hughes was screwing things up there during W.W. I.
 
No, Montreal is about 250 km from Quebec city and Valcartier is about 30 km north from the river. The closest islands from there, apart the Orleans Island are still a bit further east (i'd say about 25 km) from Quebec city.
 
There always been a farmer on this island, so it would be very unlikely that there would be any bombs blown there.

But, there is a place, in Nicolet, in the St-Pierre Lake (fronting Three-Rivers) where the D of Defence had a Test and Experimentation Center for large ammo (from 20 to 155mm). They used to shoot in the river and from 1952 to 2000, they shot 300 000 bombshells in the river, 8 000 did not explode, 2000 are still fused and are being receovered.
There is a restricted area of 160 square km in the Lake St-Pierre (the river enlargement) but every year someone finds a shell here and there around the lake...
 
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