British First Model Brown Bess Socket Bayonet

Description

British First Model Brown Bess Socket Bayonet

 

An original British First Model Brown Bess .75 caliber socket bayonet, dating to the latter half of the 18th century and representative of the type carried by British regulars throughout the American Revolutionary War. As one of the earliest standardized British military bayonet patterns, First Model Brown Bess bayonets remain highly sought after by collectors of Revolutionary War arms and British martial equipment.

 

The three-sided blade measures approximately 15½ inches in length and has developed an attractive, even dark brown patina that reflects its age and authenticity. The blade exhibits two small areas of old edge damage with minor chips approximately six inches from the base. No visible maker’s or inspection marks are present on the blade flat.

 

The socket retains the desirable early closed-end locking slot, a defining characteristic of the First Model Brown Bess pattern. A small hole has been drilled through the socket at some point in its history; however, it exhibits the same undisturbed patina as the remainder of the bayonet, indicating the alteration is of considerable age.

 

Despite the minor blade damage and old socket modification, this bayonet remains a fine representative example of the iconic British Brown Bess, the standard infantry bayonet carried by Crown forces during the American Revolution. Examples of the First Model pattern are increasingly difficult to acquire and remain an important component of advanced Revolutionary War collections.

A desirable early British military artifact that would make an excellent addition to any collection of Revolutionary War weapons, Brown Bess muskets and accessories, or 18th-century edged arms.

 

Inventory Number: BAY 368