Description

These Seventeenth century powder boxes (Called ‘charges’ in the C17th) and a primer bottle (referred to in military manuals just before the war as ‘touch box’) are displayed on a bandolier (often known in the period as a ‘collar of charges’ with a bullet bag. All the boxes are turned on a period treadle lathe and the leather is all hand sewn. They are copies of those contained at the Royal Armouries collection which is now held in Leeds in Yorkshire, UK. I have video footage of my visits to the collection when I took the measurements: find the playlist here . There are several types in the vaults (not on public display) and I can reproduce any of them faithfully. These powder boxes hold around nine drams of black powder because they have been ‘turned’ as specified during the English Civil War, and not simply bored, so that the capacity is greatly increased. The Discovery Channel’s weapons expert bought some from me in 2011 ad he was considering using them in a programme because they demonstrate the increased capacity required for the more ‘claggy’ C17th powder, used before improved C18th refining methods. They have an added benefit for modern use as most reenactors use only three drams which is less than a third of the box capacity. The empty space provides an expansion chamber to lessen the impact should the powder ignite by accident. Since filling the boxes, even with the worst imaginable period powder would use up far more than the issue of half a pound of powder to one pound of shot, it’s likely they were aware of the importance of an expansion chamber in the C17th and the boxes were around half filled.

I can make to order. The touch box is the size of the original, with the little ‘nipple’ styling on the lid and comes with a ‘stopper’, again as seen at the Leeds Armouries. The belts were around 51″ and, like a strap, not sewn to a ‘V’. You will notice the holes are punched in pairs which keeps the strings close together, which I think might reduce the strain on the outer edge of the lids where the guide holes are. The bullet pouch has a flap through which a leather toggle protrudes. There were many types of bullet bags used but the most common one is shown in the close up and that is the one; that is the type I send out with this belt. I stuff some paper in the pouch to make it look as though it contains bullets. The primers had replaced the outmoded flasks by the time of the English Civil War and authenticity conscious re-enactors should be able to use them on the battlefield as the ‘stopper’ will prevent stray sparks from reaching the contents. I am willing to turn to specifications and with different types of wood, but the price may well need to be adjusted for this.

All the bandoliers I have examined have been dark brown and not the Vegetable tanned colour of period buff coats and baldricks, so we  dye the straps to the colour of those in the Royal Armouries collection.

Some bandoliers had iron rings around the strings, the collars around the box and the lid were roughly filed and the touch box had an elongated spout with no stopper. I reproduce that type here and include pictures of an original from the Royal Armouries. The stopper (copied from that in the Armouries on other bandoliers) is included for safety reasons and because it is highly likely there would have been something to prevent stray sparks igniting the powder.

I have a Facebook page I hope musketeers around the world will use to say where they will be Going BANG around the world.

I finish these beech wood boxes in accordance with a specification of the day. These are blue painted for those who wish to depict the New Model Army ones that were pained blue as per the following reference and as a copy of that shown in the Royal Armouries collection. ‘Bandoliers to bee of wood with whole bottomes to bee turned within and not boared, ye heads to be of wood & to be laid in Oyle, (vist) three times on & to be coloured blow & white strings with strong thread twist & with good Belts at XXd. Peece…’. Order for 1,500 to the bandolier makers Thomas Bostock, Henry Thrall and Richard Rumsey in June 1646. PRO 30/37.. The stopper is tapered so that it jams in to the hole and is attached to the cord for security. The shoulder rest is a direct copy of one in the Tower of London collection as is the rest of the bandolier. You can see the originals in the You Tube link I have given above; they are faithful reproductions. Please remember this set will accommodate much larger amounts of powder than needed on a re-enactment battlefield so care should be taken when filling them.

It should be noted however that 1,500 blue bandoliers is in no way a full army supply and I have no reference for which regiments might have received these, if they were indeed issued to specific regiments. Since we have no reference to colour amongst the other bandolier orders, we can only guess if they were coloured or not.

I have referred to ‘apostles’ in the website key words because they are often referred to as such in modern times. It is not a term I can find in the period and appears to date back to a C19th historian whose foot note was taken for a direct quote from the C17th. Though these belts are made to the original size, I can make them longer if required; a good measure is that the collar of charges should fit easily between the hand and elbow of one arm so it can be put on with that arm; the bullet bag should be at elbow height, to conform with contemporary engravings.

I make these to order and my lead time is around three months.

You can see me making bandolier boxes at some shows and English Civil War musters around the UK. I make them on my C17 reproduction lathe which has been built to Joseph Moxon’s specifications. You can see my YT videos of the lathe at the Master Webbe channel.

WARNING It is the responsibility of the user to check the charge your musket is proofed for when using these bandoliers.

Instruction. Measure the correct amount of powder in to the boxes.

Guarantee.
Wood can sometimes be unpredictable. If you have a natural breakage or crack within the first year of use, re-enacting can sometimes take its toll, simply send me a picture of the damaged item and I will replace it free of charge