Pistol, pocket pistol

The maker of this flintlock pocket pistol, Edward Hill, worked in the Small Gun Office at the Tower of London. The Board of Ordnance which procured arms for the British armed forces had workshops and a proof house at the Tower. Furbishers repaired or assembled firearms from components manufactured in the system of workshops around the Tower. There were two main categories of maker: 'Piecemen' and 'Daymen'. The former were paid for each piece produced, the latter on a daily rate. 'Round Table Men' were elite gunmakers employed on a permanent basis receiving sick pay and pensions.

Hill, a 'Dayman', manufactured this pistol for a private client. It was proofed (test-fired with an overweight charge) in the Tower Proof House. The Tower offered this private service to London gunmakers, much to the displeasure of the London Gunmakers' Company which wished to maintain a monopoly on proofing. Pocket pistols were carried for personal protection because they could be secreted easily in a person's clothing.