AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: E.vonAschwege on March 03, 2015, 02:35:29 AM
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Hey Folks,
A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a coin dealer in Vermont asking about having some restoration work done on a Thomas Earl fowler. His friend had picked it up from someone who discovered it in the attic of a house that was being renovated in Montpelier two years ago. After talking about values and my price of restoration, the dealer decided he didn't want to put any money into it and instead sell it outright. I drove 4 hours to Burlington to have a look last Saturday, made an offer, and bought it from the dealer.
I was happy to find that the gun has not been messed with except for some brass polishing at some point. The fowler has its original length 54" 20ga barrel, with a sighting rib on top that stops about 3" from the muzzle. The lock is signed "THOMAS EARLL", and saw a decent amount of service as a percussion gun based on the wear around the hammer. The flats on either side of the barrel extend about 14" from the breech. The "fullness" of the stock on either side of the comb was slightly spokeshaved early on in its life, presumably to make it easier to get your face on the comb. The stock appears to be cherry, but I've never seen a piece of cherry with such tight growth rings - I wondered if it could possibly be apple? The growth rings are 1/32" apart! My favorite part is the bold triggerguard - several Worcester-Sutton gunsmiths used similar French style guards, but Earl really exaggerated the front finial into a defining feature. The wrist escutcheon has the same style font as Earl's signature, including the flourish on the "R", and is signed "THOMAS BAIRD". I haven't been able to find much about Baird, except that he was a landowner in Leicester, MA, died in 1782, and is buried in Auburn, MA.
There are a couple condition issues, mostly that the last 12" of forestock are shattered with several small bits missing, and the last 1" of the buttplate return is missing. I intend to restore the stock and the brass, and then decide whether to reconvert the lock or leave it in its percussion form. The rest of the gun will be left entirely alone. Nord & Hurricane, I'd be happy to have this in the ALR library as it is, and then in a few months when I'm finished with restoration I'll take some updated photos.
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Great score, Eric!!
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Eric
You better run out and buy a lottery ticket while your luck holds!!Wonderful Fowler, Earles one of my favorites.Hope to get to visit with it at some point!!!
Mitch
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Eric:
Excellent photos. Color of the stock is very nice. You mention the trigger guard being French in style. The angles of the photos of the stock (2, 3 &4) also appear to have a French look to it.
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Awesome gun, just awesome.
Thanks for sharing.
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Beautiful. Love the provenance. I am glad it has been rescued.
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I have been a fan of Thomas Earl ever since seeing his work in Wilson's book "Steel Canvas" . Wilson mentions that Earl once made a fine fowler for George Washington. Eric, you have found a keeper! ;)
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If I recall correctly, the fowler made for George Washington hasn't been seen since the 1850s.... it may yet be lurking in someone's attic or basement! I do wish I could trace the provenance beyond the attic in Montpelier, but the elderly woman who owned the place passed away and no info was found on the fowler.
I'll definitely have it with me at upcoming shows this summer - Mitch you are welcome to visit with it and study the piece.
-Eric
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If you can get the address of the house where it was found and it is an old house, some research into the history of owner's of the house may be in order. A friend of mine was in the same situation and ultimately was able to determine who the probable first owner was and found a picture of him. Not hard to trace previous owners. In addition you could trace back the ancestors of the lady who owned the house. Once again not difficult but you never know. You have a couple leads that most of us never have. My 2 cents on reconversion. If it was mine (don't I wish) I would leave it as is. It is what it is and what it is is very nice. Best Regards, Jack
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Wonderful.
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Great find Eric. I can think of no more important gun than a Rev War identified piece.
Al
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I know! I keep going back and looking at it. A stunner. How many early fowling pieces are signed and have another name on them, possibly the owner? Plus this quality? Very few can match this one.
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Eric, I'll bet your experience in finding this fine piece has put you in the clouds of wonder! Your journey into research will add much to this exhilarating feeling and it will drive you even higher! This truly is the ultimate in collecting! Just reeks with OUR HISTORY! A real piece of our American Glory! Again, congratulations to you and the coffee is on me! ;D
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What an exciting find!!! I hope you document its journey back to restoration for us lost souls who have no experience in that field. Not my call, but I'd put her back to flint, and I think you are the man that could do it properly.
Robby
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so, as one learning... I have ponderations.
in picture 9 and can be seen again in the last picture, it looks like there is a dent in the butt plate, and the missing portions of the butt plate makes me wonder - just how thin was the material these parts were made of?
also am I correct in that the lock plate looks to be the original. I think I see where the pan was cut away to make way for the drum.
It is a beautiful piece, I can't imagine even holding a piece of that quality and time period, let alone owning one.
You are a very fortunate man.
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Great find Eric, glad you found it, I know you will do it justice.
I have never seen anything like this (metal extension on rammer? below)
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It appears to maybe be original with the tow screw on other end and this wooden rammer(?) on the other. What is the purpose of the metal between the rr and the rammer(?). Hand hold?
Dennis
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Could it be some of the rammer was broken off when the forend was damaged and this was the "repair"?
Just a thought. Enjoy, J.D.
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When I first heard from the coin dealer asking me to do restoration, I was excited just to be able to get my hands on it and study the piece - I certainly didn't think I'd become its new caretaker. I've been able to research Thomas Baird more and have found some documents online with his name and a little bit about his life - I will compile the information and share it later on. Tim Boone shared a link with a high quality image of a portrait of Thomas Earle ca 1800 by his cousin, Ralph Earl:
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi3.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy98%2FHelmsDown%2FMassachusetts%2520Fowler%2FThomas%2520Earle%2520Portrait.jpg&hash=d03607385ed1bb8c23bff55b79ad201c6e287b37) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/HelmsDown/media/Massachusetts%20Fowler/Thomas%20Earle%20Portrait.jpg.html)
Clicking the image should allow you to blow it up fullscreen at photobucket (ignore the photobucket pop-up ads!). It is exciting not only to study an original fowler of this quality and history, but to be able to see the face of the man who made it. One of the buildings in the back is said to be his gun shop. I'd like to have it printed on canvas and display it with the fowler.
Huntinguy - Good observations on the buttplate. I have some original pistols here with swaged buttcaps about 50 thousands thick. I haven't had the buttplate off to do the work on the tang yet, but it is roughly 100 thousands thick. When I have it off I'll be able to tell whether it was hammered out or cast. Given its shape, it wouldn't be difficult to pound one out using maple blocks as forms. The lockplate is original, and is 5 1/2" long by just over 1" tall. The breech of the barrel is 1 3/16" across, but the gun doesn't really feel that big. Even with the 54" barrel, it still balances a few inches behind the entry pipe.
The restoration process will be thoroughly documented with photographs - I have some paying projects that must take priority right now ::). I need to talk with some other restoration experts and find some 200 year old scraps of cherry (broken furniture) and some proper leaded brass sheet.
Dennis - I believe the ramrod is original to the gun - it has shadow marks from the ramrod pipes and the nice worm on the thin end. The extension is made of brass, and I don't know whether it is original to the gun or not. It allows the ramrod to go from 5/16" at the shaft to about 1/2" at the end. I can't imagine the front 2" of the original ramrod breaking, and the stock looks to me like it was broken from age and stress, not from a direct impact. Whatever it is, it was very neatly installed and is about .05" thick. I intend to leave it as it is. I haven't found any evidence on the stock to indicate whether it was originally shaped to accept that extension or not.
-Eric
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You will look like him in 20 more years....grey and with round glasses.
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You will look like him in 20 more years....grey and with round glasses.
He was 63 when that was painted... you're saying I'm going to be 50 and look like I'm 60? eh?? ;D - I've already got plenty of grey hair, just wait a few more years.
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you're saying I'm going to be 50 and look like I'm 60? eh??
Yes, from hanging out with us old dogs.
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Eric
My wife did an article on Thomas Earle for Man at Arms magazine and used that photo, As I recall it was in December of 96, but I can't swear to that.. At the time I owned he only known Kentucky style rifle by Earle. It was a very elegant rifle. The silver side plate had a family crest and serpent. We could never tie the crest to anyone. On my rifle he spelled his name Earle. Yours is Earll and he also spelled it Earl.. Earl it the top of the line, congratulations !! Louie
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Louie - Do you have an electronic copy of that article? I found a way to order old copies of the magazine, but it's pretty pricy. I had no idea Earle had built a rifle, I'd love to see photos if they are available. Until I found this fowler I'd only heard of him spelling his name Earl and Earle, but never with two Ls - have you heard of other pieces spelled this way? Thanks,
-Eric
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Congrats Eric, That's awesome !!!
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Eric,
Look in RCA, Vol 2 for a great description and pictures of the Earl rifle.
Al
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Eric
I do not have the article digitally stored. Where did you find it ? It can be obtained from Man at Arms magazine for $4.50 . It was in the Nov Dec 1997 issue. I was off a bit.
I was aware of the Earll spelling. I had heard of a gun that was signed that way. But had never seen one. Thomas had three brothers that spelled their name Earll.
During the revolutionary war Earle made a fusil for Col. Henshaw..( pictured in the article) When it was completed he hand carried it to Henshaw's encampment where it was inspected by General Washington...Washington was quite taken with the workmanship and ask Earl to make one for him..But because of Washington's size the gun was to be made bigger. If this gun has ever surfaced I have never heard about it...A few years back a silver mounted Fowler was found.. There was some speculation that it might be the Washington gun.. But it was a fowler and had no family crest.. I believe the Washington gun will be a fusil and have the Washington crest..
Earl did a lot more than make guns, He made clocks and instruments to mention a couple...A few years after the article, Faye was contacted by a fellow who had a set of instruments by Thomas Earle and so signed,, As I recall they were surveyors instruments. They were really outstanding workmanship...
We got an 8x10 colored transparency of the Earl painting.. Had it enlarged to about 24 x ? and applied to canvas then brush strokes added to make it look like an oil painting, It looked great and was used to display with the gun...In the panting background you can see three buildings. Two are the Earl family dwellings and the smaller building to the left front is thought to be his shop.
Al mentioned where the rifle is pictured. That is a very poor image of that rifle. You need to see in color. Believe me it don't do the rifle justice,,Also a bit of restoration was done after that photo.
I hope you are able to get the magazine. Someone on this site might have an extra copy....Louie
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Louie
In Merrill Lindsay's " The New England Gun the first two hundred Years " on page 38 Lindsay states that General George Washington
suggested that Earl spell his name with an E, ( Earle ). He stated Earl without an e was a title of nobility, and not a name, and therefore offensive in a democracy. Great gun Eric has acquired !!!!
4Th La.
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4th La
Yes that's correct. It's in my wife's article. LP
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Since Washington habitually addressed General William Alexander, who claimed to be the rightful Earl of Stirling, as "Your Lordship" I think its very unlikely he would have made an issue about the spelling of Thomas Earl's name. The fact is, orthography (i.e. uniform spelling) was not an issue in the 18th century and while many people always spelled their name the same way, members of the same family often spelled it differently.
I think this fowler is absolutely correct... but based on the quality of the workmanship rather than the signature (having handled two or three of them). Thomas Earl was a name known to Kimball & Teft who were responsible for a number of falsely signed original guns in the 30s and 40s. As to the Lindsey book, just about everything in it has to be taken with a large grain of salt. Personally, I regard it as a disaster because it spoiled the market for a really good book on the subject for a good 25 years. Where Earl is concerned, it was purposely vague regarding the signature because several of the collectors who were advising ML (who probably wouldn't have been able to tell an Earl fowler from a doorpost) didn't want the spelling/spellings that Earl consistently used to be more widely known. They were protecting their little knowledge niche.
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This is where provenance can be helpful. If a chain of ownership can be established it can mitigate such concerns. I like that it is largely unrestored. That to me argues against much funny business.
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Rich had asked me for some dimensions on the piece, so here are some of the basics:
Some quick dimensions:
Barrel: 54" long, 20gauge, with about 1/32" barrel wall at the muzzle. 1 3/16" breech.
Lock: 5 1/2" long x 1 1/32" tall. The hammer screw is 5/8" diameter.
Sideplate: 5 1/2" long x 7/8" tall, 3 1/32" screw spacing
Triggerguard: 10 7/8" long. Bow inside dimensions are 2" x 7/8". About 7/8" wide bow.
Buttplate: about 5" tall x 4 9/16" finial, 2 1/16" wide.
LOP: 14"
Ramrod pipes: 1 13/16" x slightly less than 5/16" inside diameter (1/4" ramrod). About .35" thick material, sheet brass.
Rear pipe: 2 5/8" long total, 1 1/4" round section.
Width at tail of lock panel: 1 3/4"
Wrist: 1 5/16" wide at the narrowist, by 1 1/2" tall at narrowest (including triggerguard).
If you want any other dimensions or specific photos I'd be happy to take them. Back to work!
-Eric