Images(4)

Land Pattern Bayonet

Dateca. 1755

Maker Board of Ordnance

OriginEngland, Birmingham

MediumIron and steel

DimensionsOverall: 21 3/4"; Blade: 17 13/16" x 1 3/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2025-125

DescriptionStandard Land Pattern bayonet of the 1750s, made with a wide blade and a smooth transition where the shank meets the socket.Label TextThough a common "Brown Bess" bayonet of the mid-1750s, this example survives with impeccable provenance. It was originally issued by the Board of Ordnance to the newly formed 2nd Battalion, 23rd Regiment, also known as the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, as per a Royal Warrant dated September 22, 1756. This bayonet and its companion musket were both numbered for the 73rd Private of the 13th Company of the Regiment before leaving the Tower of London. Musket "13 / 73," a very fine Pattern 1748, has been in Colonial Williamsburg's collection since 1951.

From the late 1750s until the mid-20th century, this bayonet, and musket 1951-329, formed part of the arms display at Flixton Hall, Suffolk, the seat of the Adair family. They were originally acquired by William Adair (1700-1783), the 23rd Regiment's "agent" who acted like their business manager. Separated immediately after they left Flixton in late 1950, they were finally reunited in 2025.Inscription(s)Socket engraved "13 / 73" between the mortise and the ring at the rear of the socket.Mark(s)Wide face of blade struck with a "7" over "W•L" over a "Crown 5."ProvenanceAdair of Flixton Hall (Suffolk, England); W. Keith Neal; Tom Grinslade (Indianapolis, IN); 2025, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)