Pistol, holster pistol

This flintlock holster pistol was manufactured by John Taylor, a contractor to the Board of Ordnance. The Ordnance was based at the Tower of London which was surrounded by a network of gunmaking workshops supplying arms and components for military and corporate clients. Taylor's workshop was located in the parish of St Botolph Aldgate not far from the Tower.

Guns had to be proofed (test-fired with an overweight charge) to guarantee their safety. The Tower offered a private proofing service to government contractors like Taylor, which infuriated the London Gunmakers' Company as it wished to retain a monopoly. The Tower offered this service from the mid 18th century until a gunmaking factory was established at the Tower in 1804. This pistol was privately proofed at the Tower for one of Taylor's private sector clients.