18th Century British Brown Bess Butt Plate and Colonial Copper

[Kirk PA]

It was a Colonial kind of weekend for me. KKC got out in the fields yesterday and today. On Saturday, we hit the field that gave me my 1700s Dutch copper pipe. The farmer harvested the corn at the bottom of the ridge. The iron was intense, but I still got some relics. The find of the day was the 1700s Brown Bess butt plate (or in 2 pieces). I found them within 5-10 feet of one another. As you will notice from the pictures, the 2 parts connect perfectly. The butt plate measures at a 5 3/4" in length and 2 1/4" in width. I took a picture of a page from "Archaeological Investigation of Fort Ligonier 1960-1965" by Jacob L. Grimm to show you the one(s) he excavated. The butt plate I excavated looks very similar to the one in the book, which is from an early Brown Bess. I got the 1700s Dutch copper pipe and now this 1700s Brown Bess butt plate from this field. Wow, what a site!

I also dug the small lock plate. I believe it could have been from a Colonial pistol. It measures 2 1/4" in length. To top the day off, I dug 3 buttons.

Today, we got out to a new field in hopes of locating a site that Kyle had researched. We did not find the exact location, but I did get a badly corroded Colonial copper. It is very thin, so it is most likely a counterfeit King George III. I also found what looks like a 1600s nipple button and a couple musketballs.

Keep the passion high!

Kirk

 

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[Kirk PA]

Thank you to all that replied. This relic is going to make a great conversational piece once it is displayed properly.

Kirk

 

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[allen]

You are the king of colonial relics !!

 

[HISPAN]

interesting finds.... congrats!

 

[Steve in PA]

Kirk, I am not sure I'm seeing the British Broad Arrow on that butt plate. I see part of what would be an arrow, but I don't see the upper angled line going back. The first picture you showed, I thought I saw 1 over XX (1/XX), but on second picture I'm not sure about that either.

There are a couple trigger guards in this picture from known French & Indian War sites with two different types of British Broad Arrows (middle & far right in the pic)

Also, here are two examples of how I understand those Saddle Strap Guides looked (with both pieces).

 

[{Sentinel}]

Congratulations Kirk on a very nice Relic Find!! I don't know if you remember but about 3 years ago I found a complete Lockplate with guts to a Brown Bess! That was one of the biggest Muskets produced back then and lobbed a HUGE bullet. Many of the .69 Minies during the Civil War were fired by Brown Bess's. They took many of those 1700s muskets and retooled them to accept nipples for percussion caps.
That little lock plate is awesome! Don't see those little guys much at all; very cool. Looks like Kirk is stepping it up to finish the year out strong up there in PA Thats a very nice outing!

 

[SC Keith]

Here is the side plate to a Brown Bess (short land pattern) with a similar style arrow as yours. This one appears to be hand etched, as yours does too. I love that butt!! (piece)
Keith

 

[MaineRelic]

Hey Kirk , I like the Bess butt plate and would be thrilled to dig one up. So Congrads ! Considering the number and the quality of the Colonial hunters that post on this site. It always seems to me that there are fewer firearm parts of that period found than one would think would be in the ground ! Or is it just me ?? MaineRelic

 

[Don in SJ]

Kirk, glad to see your relic finds have been great this year, I would not know a brown bess butt plate from a hole in the ground, speaking of which, I did find a butt plate also this past week. Found it at the same site I found the other gun part and the ship cufflink and design cufflinks, so I know this is most likely 18th century also but whether it is a match for the other gun part I found at the site I have no idea.

Don

 

[Steve in PA]

Kirk, glad to see your relic finds have been great this year, I would not know a brown bess butt plate from a hole in the ground, speaking of which, I did find a butt plate also this past week. Found it at the same site I found the other gun part and the ship cufflink and design cufflinks, so I know this is most likely 18th century also but whether it is a match for the other gun part I found at the site I have no idea.

Don

Don, I would bet they are from the same gun and it appears to be French. See trigger guard #9 on page 210 of Neumann & Kravics "Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution".