A John Cookson Fowling Piece

[Jim Kibler]

A Fowling Piece by John Cookson

The lock plate of the gun being presented bears the name “Cookson” engraved in front of the cock.  This undoubtedly refers to the maker, John Cookson.  Three other guns of similar quality are known to have been built by John Cookson.  All of these other firearms are multi-shot guns built on the Lorenzoni System.  One of these Lorenzoni system guns is signed “John Cookson” and the remaining two are signed “John Cookson Fecit”.  Stylistically the fowling piece in question compares very favorably to these guns.  From this stylistic perspective, London seems the likely origin of each.  In addition, this fowling piece bears London proof marks on the barrel.  Although John Cookson is believed to have worked in London during the late seventeenth century, virtually nothing is known of him.  The previously mentioned firearms are the only evidence which tie him to London.  Interestingly enough, a John Cookson was present in Boston, Massachusetts by 1700 or 1701 and is listed as a whitesmith or gunsmith.  Period sources indicate this man died in 1762 at the age of 89 years in Boston.  A birth date of around 1673 can be therefore concluded.   Many have suggested this John Cookson, in Boston, to be a relative of the London Gunsmith.  This is certainly a possibility, however the John Cookson in Boston, may have been the same man who is supposed to have worked in London.

The fowling piece in question is strongly baroque in style.  It is mounted in heavily chiseled iron and stocked in burl maple.  Stylistically, most of the gun conforms to the last two decades of the 17th century; however, a few features suggest a slightly later construction date.  The first is the method the guard is attached to the stock. The guard on the Cookson fowling piece is inlet rather sitting on the stock surface.  There was a transition, in London, from surface mounted to inlet guards, which seems to have occurred sometime during the first decade of the 18th century.  In addition, the carved lock moldings are beginning to develop elongation at the forward and rear areas.  Again, these changes in lock molding form began to develop during the very end of the 17th century and continued well into the 18th century.  With this being the case a likely construction date would be 1700-1710; however it is not inconceivable that this gun could date from the very end of the 17th century.  From a decorative standpoint, the most notable feature of this fowling piece is the iron work and chiseling.  In general, the scale and form of this work is exceptionally bold and strong.  The chiseling is of extremely high quality.  Relief chisel work consisting of vines, scrolls, serpents and grotesques is present on the barrel, lock, butpiece, guard, thumbpiece and sideplate.  The stock is made from high quality burl maple and is carved with relief moldings and panels in a manner typical of the period.

An extraordinary aspect of this gun is its military connection.  Originally stocked as a sporting gun, at some point after initial construction, it was retrofitted for military service.  This consisted of additions of a bayonet, sling swivels and an iron rammer.  In order to accommodate a bayonet, the stock was shortened, the barrel loop nearest the muzzle was moved and a lug was added to the barrel.   Features of this bayonet retrofit point to it being American and likely of Rev. War era.  It is significant that a fowling piece of such high quality was pressed into military service.

The rarity, extraordinary quality and American connections surrounding this fowling piece make it exceptional.  For those interested in English, continental as well as American firearms, it is especially significant.  Few pieces with these credentials are ever encountered.





















Photos by Mark Elliot

[Avlrc]

WOW!  Thanks for sharing.

[rich pierce]

Thanks, really vool.  At first glance there appear to be architectural similarities to early Hudson Valley fowlers.

[rich pierce]

Thanks, really cool.  At first glance there appear to be architectural similarities to early Hudson Valley fowlers.

[Dphariss]

Nice!
Very nice.
Figure in the stock is just astounding.

Dan

[alyce-james]

Sir; What a great Fowler.  I will need a few days to look and locate all the standout features. Thanks for sharing with the ALF. AJ

[mr. no gold]

Wow, Jim!!! This is a real screamer of a fowler; never saw a finer one. Wood, metal work, artistry, age, history: how can you beat that? Thank you for posting the photos. Hope that it hangs up on  your wall. Thanks again.
Dick

[DaveM]

Beautiful - a great example of a gun as a work of art and this time period was the peak in my opinion.  Love the buttplate tang and sideplate detail.  Thanks for posting pictures.  The aspect of this Cookson moving to America is interesting and worthy of research.

[Jim Kibler]

Thanks everybody.  Here's a bit more information...

As mentioned, three other guns signed by Cookson, of similar quality, exist.  These are multi shot repeaters based on the Lorenzoni system.  Here is a link to one that is in the Victoria and Albert Museum:  http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O77720/flint-lock-magazine-cookson-john/

Another of these guns resides in the Milwaukee Museum.  The final one was once part of the Locke collection in Cincinnatti and sold at a Christies sale in 1993.  This particular gun is supposed to have solid provenance of being here in the states prior to the Civil War.  As I understand it, the fowling piece presented showed up at a small sale in the Boston area within the last few years. 

In 1756, John Cookson advertised the following in the Boston Gazette:

     "Made by John Cookson and to be sold at his house in Boston a handy gun of nine pound and a half weight having a place convenient to hold nine bullets and powder for nine charges and nine primings;  the said gun will fire nine times distinctly, as quick or as slow as you please, with one turn of the handle of the said gun, it doth charge the gun with powder and bullet and doth both prime and shut the pan and cock the gun.  All these motions are performed immediately at once, by one turn with the said handle.  Note there is nothing put into the muzzle of the gun, as we charge other guns."

In 1722 another Boston gunmaker, named John Pim, showed a repeating gun that was reported to discharge eleven times after a single loading in the space of two minutes.

The NRA museum has a Lorenzoni system gun,  by John Shaw who is also reported to have lived in Boston. 

So, the point is that there is a tradition of these repeating guns that showed up in Boston, likely from Cookson.  Whether the Cookson in Boston made the signed Lorenzoni system guns and the fowling piece presented isn't known.  He could have been a relative of the supposed London gunmaker or they could be the same person. 

Cookson arriving in Boston in 1700 comes from a 1919 source titled "New England Families Genealogical and Memorial"

So, specific to this fowling piece, all this background information helps support the idea that it was here in this country during the 18th century and available for the military retrofit during the Rev. war period.

From a broader perspective, it's interesting that so many guns by Cookson of first class English styling ended up in this country.   Lots of questions....

[Topknot]

Thats one extremely be-ute-ti-ful masterpiece! You dont run across them kind too often. I also like the wood very much.
A true gem. Thanks for posting Jim.

[Jim Kibler]

With regards to the wood, burl maple became fashionable in Paris and the areas of influence during the 1660's and continued to be in use through about 1710.  After this time, it became less favorable, being replaced with more conservative walnut.  It's interesting that this burl maple has been severely misrepresented over time.  You will find it refered to as burr walnut, rootwood, root walnut, thuya, etc.  When it's burl and looks like this gun, it's most definetly maple.  Wallace gusler wrote about this subject in Decorated Firearms.  I believe some wood analysis has been done in the past by some English collectors as well.  This stock was originally formed from two pieces of wood joined in a truncated cone and corresponding socket part way up the forestock.  This is typical when burl maple is encountered since stock size is often a limiting factor.  With all this said, I agree that it's certainly striking.

[boman]

Jim, i remember a recent post from you inquiring about the Cookston doglock that the rifle shop has molds for.  Did you find out anything about that fowler? 

Steve



 

[Jim Kibler]

Steve,

I do not know a great deal about the dog lock gun.  I do know that it has been the subject of some skepticism and debate.  Just looking at photos, the stocking appears to be from a later date than the hardware.  All these things aside, I've not included it in this discussion since it certainly falls within a different class of gun as compared those being discussed and is outside the scope of the information presented.

Jim