Pistol, pocket pistol

The maker of this flintlock pocket pistol, John Fox Twigg, came to London from Grantham and established a gunmaking business in Charing Cross around 1755. He worked as a contractor for the East India Company between 1772 and 1789.

Twigg manufactured this pistol for a private client. It was 'proofed' (test-fired with an overweight charge) in the Tower Proof House to guarantee its safety. The Tower offered this private service to London gunmakers in the latter half of the 18th century. This displeased the London Gunmakers' Company which wished to maintain a monopoly on proofing. Pocket pistols were typically carried by travellers for protection against highwaymen and footpads.