1853 Enfield Proof Mark on Lockplate

John V

Private
Joined
Aug 27, 2017
Hello Gents (& Ladies?),

I have an 1853 Enfield that among other marks appears to have an inspection stamp on the lockplate in front of the Makers name and adjacent to the first screw. It is the letter "B" below a crown. I assume it is an inspection stamp for the lockplate but I have not seen this on in this location/style before.

Does anyone have information on this? I have a number of reference books but I have not seen this identified or discussed.

Please advise,
John

Enfield Lockplate.jpg
 
Interesting mark with the crown over the B. Could you post photos of the rest of the lockplate and the barrel markings as well. Thanks. Paging @Lanyard Puller and @Craig L Barry
 
You might want to contact the Horse Soldier Shop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They are experts in anything militaria. David.
 
It is a Confederate Enfield -JS Anchor marked, Barnett is London so it has London proof marks on the barrel. Also has marks opposite the lockplate which I assume are the stock makers mark.
 
It is a Confederate Enfield -JS Anchor marked, Barnett is London so it has London proof marks on the barrel.
Sounds like a great Enfield, looking forward to see the photos.
 
It is a Confederate Enfield -JS Anchor marked, Barnett is London so it has London proof marks on the barrel. Also has marks opposite the lockplate which I assume are the stock makers mark.
I should preface by saying I'm no Enfield expert and will look forward to what Craig and LanyardPuller have to say. In the meantime, is the mark in question a "crown over B" ? If so, isn't that the British govt examiner's mark for Birmingham contractors? Looks like it could be something else instead of a crown - like maybe a bee or other flying insect?
 
I should preface by saying I'm no Enfield expert and will look forward to what Craig and LanyardPuller have to say. In the meantime, is the mark in question a "crown over B" ? If so, isn't that the British govt examiner's mark for Birmingham contractors? Looks like it could be something else instead of a crown - like maybe a bee or other flying insect?
It is a crown, just a little hard to see. Barnetts are London guns, not Birmingham. I suspect the "B" is the initial for the inspector (if that is what it is). From all of the books that I have and what I have seen are proof marks on the INSIDE of the lockplate, not on the face side.
 
The "crown / B" is Barnetts' stamp. His shop made the lock. the same stamp can sometimes be found on the barrel, and wood.
Thanks. I have another 1853 Barnett that is virtually identical sans any of these markings. I guess it was an internal inspection stamp that was selectively applied. The stock has a "WW" cartouche from I believe the stock maker. I could not find the crown/B in my reference books.
 
In Ian Skennerton's book "The Broad Arrow" he has a list of Inspection Markings (on p.69) which includes a Crown over B over a numeral 5. He states these marks originate from the factories where the firearms, edged weapons etc were manufactured. The mark he shows (Crown over B over 5) is from the manufacturer BSA in Birmingham from 1861 to 1960's.

Having said that, this does not seem to tie in with John V's Enfield so I think Lanyard Puller is correct when he says this is Barnett's stamp.

I have a few P53 Enfields in my collection but none of them have this stamp. I also have some Colt London 1851 Navies and the military ones do have stamps with a crown over a single digit so these are obviously military inspection marks.
 
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