Deciphering the History of an Early Lexington Rifle ©
Foreword: An unsigned Lexington School rifle from Kentucky recently sold at auction with an early form of the iconic Lexington patchbox. It had the large “Q” finial indicating a pre-War of 1812 rifle, but its side leaves lacked the usual two small “crowns” on the outer edges and rear “wings” that run up to the butt plate return and down to the toe plate. The patchbox was an early example of a cast brass box with surface hinge, made before the iconic Lexington box was fully developed with its more elaborate side leaves and cast tabs on the inside for a hidden hinge. The rifle appeared to be one of the earliest known Lexington guns with an identifiable Lexington patchbox.
Figure No.1: This long-barreled Lexington School rifle has a Lexington style patchbox with large “Q” finial that indicates a pre-War of 1812 rifle. The patchbox is cast brass like later Lexington School patchboxes, but its simplicity and use of a surface hinge suggest it is an early form of the cast box, probably dating to about 1795. The rifle’s original flintlock has survived intact. Barrel: 47-1/2 inches long, .36 caliber bore. Author’s collection.
The Rifle: The newly discovered Lexington rifle in Figure No.1 above has a slender forestock, triangular butt, Lexington style patchbox, and double line forestock and lower butt moldings, trademarks of a Lexington gun. Lexington rifles can show either subtle Virginia or North Carolina influences, depending on the gunsmith’s background, since both states contributed early gunmakers to the Lexington area. Several details suggest the study rifle’s gunmaker had Virginia roots: 1) guard with rounded bow instead of sloped bow with heavy front post, 2) three ramrod pipes rather than four, and 3) three flats on the guard’s outer surface rather than two flats, 4) double-line lower butt molding terminated with a single arc cut. The Virginia-influenced guard is shown in Figure No.2 along with a more common North Carolina influenced guard in Figure No.3 for comparison purposes.
Figure No.2: The new rifle has a rounded Virginia style guard that lacks the flatter and more typical forward sloping bow with heavy front post on North Carolina influenced guards by the Bryan family and others.
Figure No.3: This guard is typical of the more common Lexington guards with Bryan family influences from North Carolina. It has a forward sloping bow with heavy front post and two flats on its outer surface.
The early rifle varies significantly from the traditional Lexington rifle in its patchbox and side plate. The simplified “captured lid” patchbox is important due to its undeveloped side leaves that lack the traditional small “crowns” along their outer edges. Its smooth edges expand slightly toward the rear rather than abruptly running up to the butt plate and down to the toe plate as on later rifles. The patchbox’s simple shape, three screw attachment, and use of a surface hinge [damaged when newer lid was installed] are early details that differ from Lexington’s traditional cast brass box with hidden hinge. The original lid was flat [or slightly curved to match surround], probably had a silver overlay for the owner’s name, and may have been made from sheet brass due to its more standard surface hinge. There are no signs of cast tabs for a “hidden hinge” inside the box cavity, which is old and worn. The original lid has been replaced by an incorrect raised/domed lid as seen in Figure No.4. However, it is the author’s opinion the small, rounded piece of brass with the upper hinge knuckles may be original to the gun, riveted into place to attach the original lid. The cut-out in the patchbox surround is a smooth rectangle with no evidence of any type of hinge on its finial end, strongly suggesting the original lid and upper hinge section were attached to its surface. A fascinating possibility… the remaining small, rounded brass piece containing the upper hinge knuckles may be the precursor to the consistently engraved arch pattern appearing above the later hidden hinges on most Lexington patchboxes.
Figure No.4: The early Lexington patchbox lacks small crowns on its side leaves, and its original lid was flat instead of raised. The small, rounded plate with the top hinge knuckles is likely original to the gun and may have been the precursor of similar engraved arches on later patchboxes.
Figure No.5: The back of the early Lexington rifle has a militia style lock bolt plate that is original to the gun. The gun’s short cheekpiece and thin butt plate are early details, and the butt’s double-line molding does not cut through the brass butt plate’s toe.
A second variation from the traditional Lexington rifle is the military style lock bolt plate seen in Figure No.5, suggesting the gun may have been made with militia service in mind. Knowledgeable collectors have stated the side plate was salvaged from an earlier English officer’s pistol and reused on this rifle [perhaps to spite the British]. Along with the English side plate, the lock appears to be an English Ketland lock probably salvaged from the same English pistol, which would ensure bolt hole alignment between lock and side plate. The lock is a little larger than the typical Lexington gun lock, suggesting an earlier rifle. The military style side plate with English engraving is shown in Figure No.6 and the English flintlock in Figure No.7.
Figure No.6: This side plate is unique for a Lexington rifle and was probably taken off an earlier English officer’s military pistol along with the pistol’s lock. Note the fine English rose engraving on the plate.
Figure No.7: The rifle’s lock is rusted but appears to be a Ketland lock based on its shape and engraved pattern on its tail. It probably came from the same English officer’s military pistol as the military style side plate.
Alterations: The gun has survived reasonably intact with its full-length original barrel, but the patchbox lid has been replaced, several inlays appear added, and the gun was heavily cleaned/refinished. The original patchbox lid was flat and likely had a silver overlay riveted to its surface for the owner’s name. A silver lozenge-shaped inlay on the wrist’s backside may be the salvaged lid inlay with a “refreshed” engraved name as seen in Figure No.8. A matching inlay was then added on the wrist’s opposite side to “balance” the gun’s appearance. Small diamond-shaped silver forestock inlays are original work, but multiple silver “teardrop” shaped inlays and a large crescent moon inlay may be later additions, perhaps done to show the owner’s growing wealth. The barrel tang’s tip is missing and filled in with cast pewter. However, the shape of the original tang and finial remains; it has the expected straight sides with a small, rounded finial. A forestock break/crack in the grip area has also been repaired in recent years, but in general, the stock is solid. Wood screws attaching the guard appear modern, but the lack of anchor pin marks in the stock above the guard indicate it was originally attached with screws instead of pins.
Figure No.8: This silver wrist inlay may be the original inlay on the patchbox lid for the owner’s name. If so, it was salvaged from the original lid but did not fit on the new raised/domed lid. In order to keep it on the gun, it was inlaid into the wrist, with a new companion inlay added on the opposite side. The engraving looks “refreshed” and may, or may not, resemble the original name on the lid.
Dating: Dating early rifles from Kentucky is always a bit subjective, but the large “Q” finial on the patchbox pre-dates the War of 1812, and the first Lexington advertisement for commercially cast brass gun mountings appeared in 1796 in the Kentucky Gazette. The thin butt plate and simple patchbox design with three mounting screws [rather than the normal 7 or 8] suggest an early rifle, as does the larger flintlock plate. A pinned barrel and guard attached with screws seem later but could also indicate an earlier piece in Kentucky. The patchbox is probably the most reliable indicator of age with its less evolved shape, surface hinge, and three mounting screws. The author dates the rifle to circa 1795, about when the first commercially cast brass gun mountings appeared in Lexington, but it could be a few years one way or the other, especially if made outside of the Lexington area.
Attribution: The gun is unsigned. Virginia influences appear in its guard shape with rounded bow and three flats on its outer surface, use of three pipes instead of four, lower butt molding lines that do not cut through the butt plate toe, and a butt plate without the expected raised ridge on the top extension. Those details suggest the gunsmith had Virginia roots or training. While speculative, the number of known gunsmiths in the Lexington School area with Virginia backgrounds in the 1795-1798 period are limited: Fayette County - Edward West Jr. 1785-1827 in Lexington, John McQuiddy 1788; Bourbon County - Conrad Humble 1777-1791, Levi Cross 1795-1805, Joseph Duncan 1794; Scott County - Edward West Sr. 1784-1791 and Lynn West 1796-1836, both at Georgetown; Woodford County - John McQuiddy 1790-1841 at Versailles; Jessamine County - Robert Shanklin 1799-1820; Clark County [later Montgomery County] - William Smith 1790-1816 at Mt. Sterling. Virginia details in the new rifle tend to rule out John Clinkenbeard and Emanuel Wyatt of Bourbon County, both with surviving pre-war of 1812 rifles with more conventional Lexington patchboxes. Only a few of the early gunsmiths with Virginia roots were known to make Lexington style rifles. Edward West Jr. worked in Lexington at the center of the Lexington School, so he must have worked in the early Lexington style. The only other above gunmakers known to work in the Lexington style were Lynn West of Scott County and William Smith of Clark County [based on rifles by his son Enoch M. Smith].
Figure No.9: The reverse of the early Lexington rifle has numerous small silver inlays along the butt and forestock, with a crescent shaped inlay in the forestock grip area and a lozenge shaped wrist inlay probably added later. The rifle differs from Lexington guns made by North Carolina influenced gunsmiths with its rounded guard, no Lexington “bump” on the rear ramrod pipe, and no raised ridge at the end of the butt plate extension.
No vetted/verified rifle by Edward West Jr. is known, but an early Lynn West [cousin to Edward West] rifle is available for study. It has several small differences in stocking: longer cheek with more closely spaced double molding lines, less abrupt drop in comb at wrist, side-facings with stronger step-down halfway out on nose. Its triggers and tang also differ significantly. Those small differences tend to rule out the West family gunsmiths. However, when comparing the rifle to the only known, signed Enoch Smith rifle from Lexington, those differences melt away. The Smith rifle has the smaller cheek with more widely spaced molding lines, a more abrupt drop in comb at wrist, and a more subtle step-down in the side-facing nose, much like the unsigned rifle in Figure No.9. In addition, triggers [particularly front trigger] and longer tang are more similar. But the new rifle may be a bit too early for the work of Enoch Smith; he completed his training in 1793 and his only known rifle has a fully developed Lexington patchbox. That leaves Enoch’s father and trainer, early Kentucky gunsmith William Smith Sr., as the most likely maker of the new rifle. No signed William Smith rifle is known, but if one is found, it will probably look a lot like the unsigned rifle.
Conclusion: The author attributes the newly discovered Lexington rifle to Lexington School gunsmith William Smith of Mount Sterling in early Clark County [later Montgomery County] on Fayette County’s east side, probably around 1795. If so, it is his only known [attributed] rifle, despite substantial information available about the man himself.