For more than a century, distinctive English flintlock muskets were used around the globe as the primary firearms of the sprawling British Empire. From about 1720s through the 1830s, the various “Brown Bess” muskets or “King’s muskets” are historically significant arms of the making of their "empire on which the sun never sets."

Smoothbore muzzleloading firearms date back centuries to the 15th century and evolved over time as technology progressed. Relatively little, however, changed with the 18th century muskets of Europe and the Americas. Most countries’ militaries wielded large caliber smoothbore flintlock muskets with socket bayonets that fitted over the muzzle.

The the Brown Bess was a muzzleloading smoothbore musket that served as the British infantry standard for more than a century.

Brown Bess muskets are very important and historic firearms for Americans because they were the arms used across multiple nation-defining conflicts. During the French & Indian War, American soldiers fought the French and their native allies on the frontier with the Brown Bess imported by the thousands from England, and the British regulars were also naturally armed with the Brown Bess.

The initials “BH” are carved into the stock of this 1743-dated British Brown Bess musket that is identified as being owned by Revolutionary War soldier Beriah Holcomb of Stephentown, N.Y., who served in the New York Second Regiment. The unit fought at Saratoga, Monmouth and Yorktown, all key battles in the War for Independence.

In the American Revolution, the Brown Bess continued to be the primary arm of the British and colonial loyalists and a staple firearm for the American Patriots. During the War of 1812, the Americans again faced off against British and Canadian troops armed with the Brown Bess, and down in the southwest in the 1830s, the Mexican army at the Alamo was largely armed with the iconic British muskets. Rock Island Auction Company’s Aug. 23-25 Premier Auction has several Brown Bess muskets on offer in a number of variations.

A solider loaded the Brown Bess with paper cartridges containing the black powder for the main charge and primed the lock and an undersized round ball (.68-.70 caliber) to allow for faster loading. While soldiers occasionally drilled for accurate fire, that wasn’t as large of a concern as the soldier’s ability to reload rapidly for sustained volleys of coordinated fire which could devastate the enemy formations. The Brown Bess’s front sight doubled as the lug for securing a socket bayonet which slid over the muzzle and was then rotated to lock it in place. After firing volleys, the infantry could affix their bayonets and drive their adversaries from the field. Bayoneted muskets also served as pikes for defense and for controlling prisoners and crowds.

This British Brown Bess with a button head ramrod is a Short Land Pattern that was manufactured about 1777-1782 during the Revolutionary War and has Tower proofs.

The Origin of the Term “Brown Bess”

“Brown Bess: A soldier’s firelock. To hug Brown Bess: to carry a firelock, or serve as a private soldier.”

- Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1785.

There have been many claims and theories regarding the origin of the nickname “Brown Bess” for British muskets. Some have presumed the “Brown” referred to the color of the muskets, and others thought “Bess” was a corruption of the Dutch term “busse” for a firelock. However, the best explanation backed by period sources is explored extensively by Jonathan Ferguson of the U.K. Royal Armouries in his article “‘Trusty Bess’: the Definitive Origins and History of the term 'Brown Bess'”where he demonstrates that the name “Bess” historically referred to a  common lower class woman, while “brown” meant “drab” or “common”. It was adopted as a nickname for muskets in the 18th century but also continued to refer to lower class women through the 18th century as well as the names of racehorses in the 19th century.

A British Short Land Pattern Brown Bess for sale with a button head ramrod and a socket bayonet. The Short Land Pattern Brown Bess is one of the variations that will be discussed below.

Brown Bess Variations

Naturally, there were a wide variety of British muskets across their more than century-long period of use, and you will find examples noted as a particular pattern only made for a few years based on minor features such as a change in the cock or other smaller details. However, the three major variations typically found are the Long Land Pattern, the Short Land Pattern and the India Pattern.

The Long Land Pattern

The Long Land Pattern muskets were the most widely used in the French & Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. Variations of the Long Land Pattern served as the primary infantry arms of the British Empire in the 18th century and had the longest period of use. They trace their origins back to earlier muskets prior to the standardization of British arms and were introduced in the 1720s.

This 18th century musket’s side plate, trigger guard and butt are all in the style of the Brown Bess musket with a 45-inch barrel. The gun has non-martial marks including “DUBLIN/CASTLE.”

The classic Long Land Pattern has a .75 caliber 46-inch barrel with a bayonet stud for securing a socket bayonet. The stud also served as the front sight. The barrel is secured to the stock by the screw in the tang at the breech and metal pins that pass through the stock and loops on the underside of the barrel. The mounts were brass and included a distinctive serpentine-like side plate that was raised and rounded. The stock had a bulbous swell at the ramrod entry point and a rather heavy butt.

Over time, minor changes were implemented including changes to the shape of the lock, mounts, and stock, but the basic form remained the same. Earlier examples prior to 1764 will generally be found with the date and a contractor’s name on the tail of the lock. Later examples do not have either and instead were simply marked “TOWER” for the Tower of London.

This Long Land Pattern Brown Bess musket has the Georgian cipher and is marked “EDGE/1762.”

Short Land Pattern

The Short Land Pattern Brown Bess was introduced in 1769 following the Seven Years War (French & Indian War in America). Still .75 caliber, its most notable difference was the shorter 42-inch barrel. One of the changes also seen on the Short Land Pattern is the flat, flush sideplate. There were also less noticeable improvements such as the trumpet shaped ramrod ferrules. Some Long Land Pattern muskets were also shortened in the period to Short Land Pattern length.

India Pattern

The India Pattern Brown Bess takes its name from the fact that this pattern is based on muskets manufactured for the East India Company. The Board of Ordnance began purchasing muskets of this pattern out of necessity in the early 1790s and officially adopted them in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars. This pattern was widely used during the Napoleonic Wars and War of 1812. The most notable differences in the India Pattern are a shorter 39-inch barrel and simpler mounts. The India Pattern sideplate is very similar to French sideplates of the era but remained brass rather than the usual iron seen on French muskets. In 1809, the India Pattern’s lock was improved by introducing a reinforced “French” cock. Thanks to their simpler furniture and short length, these muskets have a much different appearance than the prior patterns.

A Brown Bess for sale, this 1779 East India Company Brown Bess has 1786 stock carving and bayonet. It bears the East India Company marking “4/V/EI/C” heart logo on the tail and “TWIGG” signed at the center as well as other British proofs.

Other Brown Bess Patterns

In addition to these three major patterns used by the British Infantry, there were also the simpler Militia & Marine muskets which featured flat side plates commonly found on the Short Land Pattern but were less expensive by not featuring a forend cap, rear ramrod piper or wrist escutcheon. Gunmakers also produced a variety of muskets and fusils patterned after the official Brown Bess for the commercial market. They were not sold directly to the Board of Ordnance and can be identified in part by their commercial proofs. Lot 1237 in the Aug. 23-25 Premier Auction is a nice example of this. It is essentially a commercial India Pattern musket sold by T. Ketland & Co. during the Napoleonic Wars. Some of these would have been purchased for militia, volunteers, and by officers.

This India Pattern Brown Bess was sold during the Napoleonic Wars by T. Ketland & Co., a Birmingham gunmaker. The gun bears the Georgian cipher and the gunmaker’s marks.

French & American Muskets

No discussion of the Brown Bess would be complete without at least mentioning its French counterpart the “Charleville” musket. Its nickname is more obvious; the Charleville musket received its name from the arsenal in Charleville. However, these muskets were also produced at other arsenals such as those in Tulle and St. Etienne. Numerous variations of the Charleville musket were used from 1717 to well after the fall of Napoleon in 1816.

The French muskets are notably different than the Brown Bess. Their smaller .69 caliber barrels were generally secured by iron or brass barrel bands. The bands also secured the ramrod and many examples have a front sight as part of the upper band. Like the Brown Bess, the Charleville utilized a socket bayonet, typically with a locking ring that secures on a lug on the barrel.

This distinctive French Mle. 1777 flintlock musket was manufactured at the arsenal in Mutzig in 1811 during the Napoleonic Wars. French firearm designs were influential in Europe and the United States.

Prior to the American Revolution and in its early years, American soldiers primarily used the Brown Bess, but after the French began supplying the Americans with muskets and parts and then formally allied themselves with the Americans, the Charleville became the dominant musket. The first U.S. martial musket was the Model 1795 which is essentially a duplicate of the French Model 1763/66 design. Subsequent muskets featured minor improvements but were largely of the same design until the adoption of percussion ignition in the 1840s. Early U.S. martial pistols were also influenced by French designs, particularly the first model, the North & Cheney Model 1799 which was closely patterned on the French Mle 1777 pistols.

The Successor: The Rifle-Musket

In the 1830s and 1840s, new percussion muskets and converted flintlocks were in use in Europe and the U.S. By that period, there were also military rifles and even breech-loading rifles of various designs in use, but the musket remained the primary firearm until the mid-19th century and the invention of the Minie ball. The Minie ball is an elongated bullet with a hollowed base. When the rifle is fired, the pressure causes the skirt at the base to expand outwards which causes the bullet to engage the rifling. This allows for much more rapid loading than with a tight fitting patched round ball which had been used for previous rifles.

Improvements in firearms technology quickly made percussion rifle-muskets obsolete, making their military lives much shorter-lived than flintlock muskets.  Breech-loading rifles that fired metallic cartridges began to replace them in the 1860s and bolt and lever action rifles became prominent in the late 19th century.

The brief successor to the Brown Bess is the Pattern 1853 “Enfield” rifle-musket that was reportedly the second-most used rifle in the American Civil War. This long gun is marked with “1863/TOWER” and St. Edward’s Crown without “VR” denoting it as a commercial arm.

Brown Bess for Sale and More

Whether you are interested in flintlock muskets from the colonial era and early national period, percussion rifle-muskets from the American Civil War, the early breechloaders of the American West, or the various firearms of World War I and World War II, you will find a ton of variety available at Rock Island Auction Company.

Find the Brown Bess for sale at Rock Island Auction Company.