Manufactured circa 1690. John (1) Sibley was apprenticed to Godfrey Tailor and turned over to Richard Channell in 1675. He was made Free of the Gunmakers’ Company in in 1685, elected Assistant to the Company in 1700 and Master in 1705. Sibley’s place of business was "at the Three Flower de Luces," Minories, London. He is also recorded as a Contractor to the Ordnance 1686-1714, to the Hudson’s Bay Company, 1692-1714, and both Contractor and Viewer to the Royal African Company, 1702-11; he died in 1714. The round iron barrel is of two stages flaring towards the muzzle and is struck with London proof marks and maker’s stamp on the breech section. It has a plain iron tang. The rounded iron lock has a downturned tail, “I. SIBLEY” signed at center, and border lines and scrolls engraved around the signature. The molded, highly figured root wood stock has a raised apron around the barrel tang and is fitted with brass mounts including a pierced serpentine sideplate. Iron ramrod. Bore estimated.

Good. The barrel has a speckled, once cleaned, applied grey patina. The lock displays a darker, almost blue, patina and a clear signature. The brass furniture is good with very pleasing detailing to the sideplate. The re-oiled stock is also good with some age related storage and handling marks throughout, minor cracks, and repaired setting cracks in the wrist and forearm which is common with root wood stocks. Mechanically excellent. While 17th century blunderbuss in general are rare, iron barrelled blunderbuss from this period are far scarcer than those with brass barrels.