Stanhope Walker Marston immigrated from England in 1835 and settled in New York City. He was active around the 1840s-1860s in New York City. He and his son William Walker Marston (c. 1822-1872) both held various patents including firearms improvements. The rifle is similar to English sporting rifles from the period, but the bald eagle and shield accents leave no doubt as to which country this rifle was made to honor. It has a dovetailed blade front sight, notch rear sight with ornate finial and a pair of inlaid platinum bands on either end on the barrel, "S- -Marston N-Y" in script and a flourish of scrollwork engraved on the top flat between the breech and rear sight, and a set of four inlaid bands in alternating gold and platinum on the breech plug and a platinum plug on the bolster. The upper tang also has two platinum bands. The English bar style lock has attractive scroll engraving and is marked "S-Marston" in script at the front. The hammer has matching scrollwork, a bird on the neck, and a fish head design on the top. The furniture is mostly engraved German silver with a mixture of scrollwork and animal motifs, including patriotic bald eagle and shield motifs on the patch box finial and cheekpiece, an arrow on the comb, and two snakes on the left stock flat. The thumb plate is a small unknown symbol. The only sections not engraved are the nose cap, grip section of the trigger guard, and back of the buttplate. The stock is bird's eye maple with a dark stain and checkering at the wrist.

Very good. The barrel has a gray-brown blend patina mixed with some artificial brown overall, protective varnish, along with various light dings and nicks, some light tool marks, and some mild pitting. The lock and breech have a mottled gray patina. The German silver is lightly aged, and some of the pieces are bent or standing out but are stable. The stock has attractive figure, some minor scratches throughout, and light edge wear. The lock and triggers are mechanically fine, but the latter could use some minor adjustments. This is a very attractive New York rifle with highly desirable patriotic accents including rarely seen snake motifs which are more commonly associated with the Revolutionary War era and early republic.