cannon lock was introduced in the Royal Navy in 1755.
a much more effective way to fire artillery, there was a learning
curve to perfecting the technology.
There were numerous
patterns but all functioned in the same way: a flintlock attached
to the vent area of the cannon that fired a blast of flame at the
Most used a cord system to trigger the lock's firing
By the 1790s a
pattern was developed by Henry Nock that could be used on most
artillery being used by both the Royal Navy and the Royal
Artillery for siege artillery and the cannons of
Because Nock was
unable to meet supply demands, many of locks actually made for the
British military (of a similar pattern) by SHERWOOD &
The lock offered here is a Sherwood lock.
The lock picture here
is for 12 to 32 pounder cannons (Bloomfield pattern).
similar lock was used for Carronades
but with a pointed bottom.
There were two smaller locks for
This item is very
complex to manufacture and is of beautiful construction.
This item is a must for anyone telling the story of artillery at
this time period.