For those of you out there interested in Tudor gunnery, I've recently been making some carved linstocks, based on those found in the wreck of the Mary Rose.

They would have held a burning slow match in their 'mouth', which would have been used at arm's length by the gunner to set off the priming charge and thus (hopefully) the gun's main charge.

They are around 75-80cm long, carved (not turned) from quartersawn English oak, with an octagonal shaft. The Boar has a stylized acorn for its 'pommel' and the Eagle has a ball-and-claw 'pommel'.

This kind of gunnery essential would most likely have been whittled by the gun captains themselves in a quiet moment whilst on campaign.

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Beautiful work! I especially like the boar (I've got a pictish boar tatoo on one arm). What kind of finish did you give the oak? It looks like oil...? Wax? I wonder what finish the originals would have had, if any. Hmmm, what would have been available on shipboard....?

Again, beautiful work!

Marc

Those are really very interesting and quite beautiful. Good work!