So after much detective work this is what I found out:
On the surface rifle is typical of its time. It was produced by a number of manufacturers, hence the Tower mark on the lock. Produced in 1856 this would have been in time for the end of the Crimean war...If rifles like this did not see service there they may have been in India for the Indian Mutiny.
So what's this rifle?
The barrel:Under the barrel are the following stamps- Wm (William) Tranter, Baker, 'Rs' & Ezra Millward on the top are the inspectors marks (Crown over G over a number) on the top of the barrel, at the base of the breech, under the tang are stamped '21' and 'JM' and finally a series scratch marks, in this case '^xx'. It is often confusing as to who did what to produce this rifle, so as far as we can tell:
Wm Tranter - Main Contractor. He was a founder and shareholder of BSA and as such may have been involved on the contracts to set up these rifles in conjunction with the Ordnance and the East India Company.
Baker - This may be Benjamin Baker, a gunstocker but the mark should not be on the barrel...so this is a bit of a quandary.
Rs - Unknown stamp
Ezra Millward -Barrel maker, Birmingham.
Crown over G over a number - This was possibly an inspection mark from the EIC (East India Company). Research so far has drawn a blank, though this seems quite likely.
'21' and 'JM' - Barrel Fitter.
^xx - Fit marks matching the barrel to the stock.
The Stock: Under the stock are 2 stamps - W Tranter (behind the trigger) and J.D. Goodman (further down the underside of the stock), In the barrel channel is stamped '21' and 'JM' and in the ramrod channel is scratched '^xx':
W Tranter - As above.
J.D. Goodman - Goodman of Cooper & Goodman, regular contractor mark.
'21' and 'JM' - As Above.
^xx - As above.
Two reversed R's - The Mark on the wrist is very like, but more ornate, the 'reversed Rs' of the 'Rejected Unserviceable' stamp used by the Ordnance and, more to the point, stamped just where the Ordnance used that mark, so it would seem that this rifle was rejected prior to service for some unknown reason.
This rifle does not have a sold out of service stamp or a roundel
The Lock: On the outside -'Tower 1856', on the inside 'R&W' and the government inspectors stamp:
Tower 1856 - Indicating that the rifle was produced from a wide variety of contractors.
R&W A - Robert & William Aston, In addition to being makers of a whole variety of small parts, rammers, combinations tools, barrel bands, etc., they were also lock makers.
The lock does not have an acceptance mark on in.
So in summary....
From all of the above this would indicate that this rifle has some fault causing it to fail inspection, presumably before it would have been shipped off to India, given it's condition and evident little usage. The style of the reversed 'R's on the wrist of the stock suggests the stamp was an EIC one. This might also be an explanation of the absence of the acceptance Mark on the lock and the missing stock stamp (which would not have been a roundel at this date) in that it never was accepted by the Ordinance.
.....This rifle has possibly never been out of the Midlands - yet alone been to India...however I bought it off a shooter and it apparently performs well enough smile2, so what the hell - I wonder how many other rifles there are out there like this one...Not many I shouldn't think..
For Photos please see the following http://www.enfield-snider.com/Enfield%2 ... Photos.htm
My thanks must go to Bill Curtis for his assistance identifying some of the features and marks on this rifle.
