Newly discovered Mecklenburg School Rifle with captured lid Distelfink patchbox

[mbriggs]

When I finished writing my Mecklenburg School book [Reviewed by Dennis Glazner]  and sent it to be printed in September I was only aware of 19 known Mecklenburg School Longrifles.  I was able to include color photos of each in the book.

Two weeks ago I purchased a Longrifle over the internet from an estate sale in Lincoln County.  It took a week for me to be able to pick up the rifle and be able to study it.  I am proud to tell you it is an early Mecklenburg School Rifle.  It is unlike anything else Bill Ivey, Kenneth Orr, or I have seen.

I would date this new rifle between 1790 and 1800.  The stock architecture and fore-stock molding are both Mecklenburg School. The butt is 1 1/2" wide.  What is unusual about this rifle is it has a captured lid patchbox with a distelfink finial.  Captured lid patchboxes in North Carolina are very rare.  I know of only five rifles with them, all from the Kennedy and Harper gunsmiths in the Bear Creek School.  Distelfink finials are found on a few rifles from the Salem and Davidson Schools, but not seen from the other schools.

The rifle has a nice early Thomas Ketland lock still in original flint condition and a full 48 inch barrel that has never been cut. I estimate the bore at .50 caliber. The rifle has the typical North Carolina incised carved line along the comb from the butt-plate to the wrist. Best of all the rifle survives in wonderful condition with no sign of having ever been altered or restored. 

The barrel on this rifle is signed by Lancaster, PA. barrel maker A. Henry.  The Mecklenburg School imported or re-used barrels from outside the area.  Two Mecklenburg rifles have barrels signed by John Graeff, also from Lancaster. Two Mecklenburg rifles have barrels signed by Thaddeus Gardner and William Lamb of Jamestown, N.C. and another used a barrel signed by David Grose of Guilford County.

I do not know who stocked this rifle, but believe it was probably one of the early Mecklenburg School gunsmiths trained by Isaac Price.

Here are some photos.  Enjoy





3/4 view



Early Distelfink Patchbox with captured lid



Thomas Ketland Lock - still original flint



Mecklenburg School raised bead fore-stock molding





Barrel Tang



side plates



Cheek rest with hunter's star inlay



Trigger guard 



Toe plate



Bore



Michael

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks for sharing the photos Michael. Great looking patchbox. I don't believe I have ever seen one quite like it.
Dennis

[PPatch]

That is one heck of a find Michael, and in such good condition, it has obviously been well cared for 230+ years. Congratulations on acquiring it. Do you know anything more about its past?

Beautiful rifle! And thank you for sharing.

dave

[Eric Kettenburg]

That is absolutely fantastic!  I love that box.

[Seth Isaacson]

Definitely a stunner! I really like the rifle. I'm a big fan of long rifles with animal or human designs as part of their patch boxes. What makes you confident the lock has never been converted? There look to be some replacement parts (top jaw and the frizzen spring). These of course could have been replaced without the lock being converted.

[Majorjoel]

That is one very fine longrifle Mike!  Perhaps a link to other NC schools or builders??  I really appreciate you sharing it with us here on the ALR!

[Shreckmeister]

Great rifle.  Thanks for sharing it.  I like how he incorporated the Lancaster Daisy with the bird on the finial.  Wonderful patchbox.

[Tim Crosby]

 Wonderful Rifle, Thanks for posting all.

   Tim C.

[Arcturus]

Very nice.  Thanks so much for sharing this here with us.  Posts like this are one of the many things that make ALR great.

[BOB HILL]

Michael,
What a wonderful rifle. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Bob

[VP]

Michael,

Nice find, will make a great addition to your collection. Looking forward to seeing it at a show. You just keep expanding our knowledge of those great North Carolina gunsmith. Keep up the good work.

VP

[WElliott]

Well done, Michael. You have turned up some great finds.

[jdm]

WOW! Neat box real folk arty. Thanks for your research and sharp eye.
Jim

[Buck]

Mike,

Great gun.

Buck

[Nordnecker]

Yep. Thanks for sharing.

[mbriggs]

I want to thank everyone for their kind comments.  It is still a thrill to find something new that is this good, even after all of these years.  I still receive a lot of leads, always follow up on them, and 90% of the time find something I have no interest in buying. Every now and then you get rewarded for your time and effort.

I was working with the local newspaper in Lincoln County who wanted to write a article on the Mecklenburg Longrifle School program I was scheduled to give at the Charlotte Museum of History.  I read a notice of an estate auction scheduled that weekend in Lincolnton for a local doctor.  The ad for the auction mentioned a Flintlock Longrifle.  I looked for photos and only found one.  I could see the incised carved line along the comb and the unusual patchbox.  The carved line alone told me it was probably from North Carolina. I was out of the state at the time of the auction and made arrangements to bid over the telephone and won the bid.  I had no idea what I had purchased until I pick it up a few days later.   

Michael