This is a interesting and very rare musket of which only a few are known to exist.  Four of the known examples are in museums. One’s in the Smithsonian, one’s in the Springfield Armory museum, and two are in the Maine State museum. (Maine was part of Massachusetts during the Rev.War) . The Smithsonian believes that these early East India Co. Brown Bess muskets exhibiting to MS  were  American Privateer captured muskets given to Massachusetts. This musket just surfaced in Massachusetts. All the known muskets have surfaced in either Massachusetts or Maine. The known muskets are of different British makers but with the same date of 1779.  This does imply that they all came from the capture of one British ship on it’s way to India. The reason these captured muskets went to Massachusetts is because of the long standing annimosity that existed between it and the East India Co. which dated back to the Intolerable Acts.  It was East India Co. tea that was dumped in Boston Harbor at what became known as the Boston Tea Party. This is a well marked musket in fine condition. The lock is stamped with the makers name  Henshaw under the pan and East India Co. 1779 behind the cock. The barrel has his initals WH between two British proofs. The top of the barrel exhibits the East India Co heart shaped merchants mark and Henshaw to MS . The right butt stock is stamped MASS over a East India Tea Co. merchants mark . The stock flat opposite the lock exhibits a MS.  In the file that will come with this musket I’ve included some  examples of the East India Co.’s oppression of the citizens of Boston . In the photo’s I’ve included an example of the Springfield Armory museum musket and another example of one that Rock Island auction offered for sale a few years ago. 

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