Footnotes

Provenance:
Sotheby's London, Modern Sporting Guns, Antique Firearms and Edged Weapons and Militaria, 15 February 1977, lot 153
Sotheby's Billingshurst 15 July 1996, from the collection formed by the British Rail Pension Fund, lot 214 (£34,500 including premium)
Peter Finer catalogue 2005, no. 30

Exhibited:
The Royal Armouries, H.M. Tower of London, October 1978-March 1996

Robert Rowland (d. 1721) was first recorded in 1704 and obtained his freedom of the London Gunmakers' Company by redemption in April 1715. He probably set up in business on his own account in 1717, and specialised in breech-loading firearms

This gun belongs to a group of shoulder arms made by Rowland for John Tournay and inscribed with the latter's name and address, an identification very seldom found on any firearms. A break-action breech-loading rifle of 1719 in the Royal Collection at Windsor (inv. no. L247) bears the same address as the present gun, but a pair of blunderbusses also dated 1719, one formerly in the collection of Mark Dineley and the other formerly in the collection at Hever Castle, are inscribed 'att Sandy Chappell near Kingston in Surrey or att ye Old Swan Stares near London Bridge', Two further Tournay blunderbusses have also survived, but no inventory of his firearms is known

Anthony Tournay, John Tournay's father, was a London merchant, a member of both the Ironmongers' Company and the Skinners' Company, but made a living as an 'Iron Merchant'. In 1702 he was elected a Comman councillor of Dowgate Ward in the City of London, and was a Deputy from 1703 until his death in 1726. He was also a Churchwarden of the church of St. Mary Abchurch between 1703 and 1705. His son John worked in the same business, married in 1706, and died without issue in 1736, aged 53. His will of 1732 leaves his estate to his collateral relations on condition that they should all reside at Sandown House in Esher, which he had contracted to buy from George, Earl of Halifax, although the purchase was never completed

The London addresses on the firearms refer to Old Swan Stairs to the west of London Bridge and Fishmongers' Hall, at the southern end of Ebbgate Lane and immediately to the east of Old Swan Lane. The Surrey addresses are more difficult to understand. Tournay's house in Esher appears to have been called Sandown House (demolished in about 1930), and the neighbouring 'Manor of Sandon alias Sandon Chaple alias Burwood' is mentioned in papers relating to the uncompleted purchase. John Tournay's will describes as part of his estate his 'plate, pictures, gunns, pistolls, pewter, goods, Instruments, Tools etc.' No pistols are so far recorded

The present gun was granted an export licence in 2006