Musket

PeriodCirca 1760 - 1770

Place MadeLondon, England

MediumWalnut, steel, brass, iron

Dimensions58 in. (147.3 cm)

ClassificationsMilitary Artifacts

Credit LineGift of Gregory L. Strobel in Memory of his Mother, Evelyn L. Strobel and her quest of our family ancestry in Monmouth County, 2023

Object number2023.11.1

DescriptionA British-made Short Land musket, with a walnut stock, brass butt plate, steel smooth bore barrel, brass trigger and trigger guard, and original steel ramrod with original brass ramrod brackets. The musket has been converted to a percussion cap firing mechanism, with the original steel plate fitted with a large steel percussion hammer with foliate engraving on the side. The original screw holes for the frizzen, flash pan, and cock assembly can be seen on either side of the percussion hammer. The number "550" is engraved on the top of the wrap panel portion of the butt plate, and "LONDON" can be seen faintly on the top of the barrel near the firing mechanism, both appearing as original markings.
Curatorial RemarksThis firearm was made by one of the gunsmith workshops producing weapons for the British Army, and appears to be the 1769 Short Land style. It was originally had a flintlock firing mechanism, later replaced and modified to be a percussion cap mechanism. The original screw holes for the flintlock assembly can easily be seen on other side of the percussion hammer. The modification appears to have been done by a professional and skilled gunsmith, with an attractive foliate engraving motif along the side of the hammer. Other than the percussion modification the weapon retains virtually all of its original fittings. Great Britian discouraged the American colonies from developing its industries, including that of gunmaking. As early as 1768 British forces in the colonies began to seize weapons. By 1774-1775, Great Britain banned the importation of weapons and gunpowders into the colonies and seized weapons in raids on towns and households whenever possible. As a result, the Continental Army and supporting local militia units carried a wide variety of weapons, including those made at British armory gun shops, French muskets, and American-made guns. It is unknown where original owner Kenneth Hankinson procured his musket. Many Continental soldiers carried weapons purchased prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, picked up on the battlefield, or captured from raids.NotesThis Short Land British-made musket was owned and used by Captain Kenneth Hankinson. Hankinson was born on January 24, 1731 to Helena Anderson (1706-1747) and Thomas Hankinson (1707-1783). Kenneth married Freehold resident Eleanor Conover in 1754. The couple had ten children, six sons including Thomas K., Kenneth Jr., James, Peter, Joseph, and John and four daughters including Helen, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Lydia. According to several Monmouth County histories, Eleanor Hankinson was a large woman, and the door to the family's pew at Old Tennent Church had to be enlarged to accomodate her girth. Hankinson was successful, and owned a large farm in Manalapan in addition to distilling, blacksmithing, and lumber. His "Hankinson cider apple" was recognized as a high-quality cider apple. When the American Revolution broke out, Hankinson was a strong patriot, serving in various military roles throughout the war. Among much else, Hankinson was a Captain in Colonel Forman's battalion, Heard's brigade in 1776 and Captain in the first Regiment, Monmouth Militia in 1777. Kenneth Hankinson died in 1807 and was buried in Old Tennent Church. His will reveals the extent of the family wealth, and mentioned to his son John "remainder of silver and plate; also my barrel gun and bed and bedding." The Hankinson household included an unusually high number of enslaved persons, including Abraham, Cyro, Humphrey, Tone, Dick, Hester, Sussex, Judah, and Nanny. In 1802, Hankinson placed a For Sale advertisement in the Trenton Sunday Times-Advertiser, which read "For Sale - Two negro women that can be recommended to do any kind of hoiusework, also four Negro children, sold for no other reason than the owner has not sufficient employ." Hankinson's son and namesake, Kenneth Junior, purchased a fine house from William Covenhoven, son of Elizabeth and William Covenhoven, for 311 pounds in 1793, selling it 36 years later in 1829 to William Forman. For a time, the house was known locally as the "Hankinson House." The donor is a direct descendant of Captain Kenneth Hankinson.

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