I recently purchased a reproduction Scottish powderhorn from Donnie Shearer. I have seen photos of several originals, and the maker did a nice job with the horn and the celtic scrimshaw work that adorns it.

I started wondering how a Highland noble would have carried the musketballs and tools needed to fire his musket. I am certain that some involved in the Jacobite uprisings actually carried cartridge boxes to service their muskets, but that would not have required the use of a powderhorn at all.

I have not been able to locate any 18th century artwork that depicts a Highlander wearing a powderhorn. Does anyone have any such artwork they can post for me? Short of that, any ideas on how/where the musketballs and tools were carried? The sporran comes to mind, but that solution just doesn't sit right with me for some reason.

Chris

Chris,

There are numerous images of powderhorns in the book "Culloden,
The Swords and the Sorrows", but I'm not finding any artwork either.
Best I can find is a leather powder flask.

Check out this image of Lord Atholl, circa 1780, by David Allan. Looks
mostly like some type of rope to me.

http://hometown.aol.com/macdonaldimages/images/athollbonnet22.jpg

Also, note attached image of James Morray, from the 1740s. The powder
container has a similar treatment to Atholl's.

Alex

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Chris,

One more thing. Here's an image of a powder horn, circa 1780, used
by an officer of the 81st Aberdeenshire Highlanders, stationed in
Ireland. Almost certainly the owner was in the Light Infantry company
of this regiment. The powderhorn has rings, rather than buckles,
which indicates to me that some sort of rope, or braided cord,
was used to carry it. I think you'd be safe using a double-braided
linen, or silk cord to carry your new horn. Roy Najecki sells various
types of cords, as does Burnley and Trowbridge.

Alex

http://hometown.aol.com/macdonaldimages/images/81stpowderhorn.jpg

Alex,

Thank you for a very nice picture of the horn.

Do you have any idea of nozzle construction? To me it looks very much like a springed dispenser of Paterson type, but I was sure those came in use only in the second quarter of 19th century.

Konstantin.

Maybe they used cartridges for the musket (since it, as the primary arm, must be reloaded quickly) and the horn for a pistol (which, as a secondary or last-ditch weapon, need not be reloaded quickly). Maybe also used the horn for musket when speedy reloading was not called for. Or maybe one always carried cartridges but also a horn, balls and paper for making more as needed. Just speculating.

Hi Sean!

The use of pistols was rather varied anyway.
Militia riders could carry some five of them and so have 5 shots.
The gun had a far longer reach and I guess that is why this arm could and would be reloaded and the realy quite close quarter pistol better rapidly replaced by a loaded one.

A hunter on foot would likely carry only óne if at all.
A hunting rider would carry two and a rifle and even then the two pistols in their pommel holsters may have been an inheritance of cavalry withou much practical reason.
The pistol served a completely different role in hunting.
Aelbert Cuyp paints a lot of riding scenes of which quite a few are hunting scenes. It is an open question how acurate the scenes are. The depicted ´props´: saddles, arms, clothing are known to be véry accurate but shooting accessories are ... not prominent in their presence :lol: and also known is that the landscapes are just as surely imaginative.
The same will apply to most other illustrations of the time. We know that most paintings were produced to please the customer and not neccessarily depict reality in the field.

peter