This is a really outstanding condition example of a commercial British Pattern 1853 Type III Enfield Rifle Musketby the famous English gunmaker William Greener (1806-1869). Greener was born in Felling, near Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. He would become a leading English gunmaker and inventor during his lifetime and was the father of William Wellington Greener who would go on to develop an advanced breechloading shotgun action and would become one of the best-known English gunmakers of his time.

William Greener’s inventions were not limited just to improvements in firearms but included an electric lamp which he patented in 1846, receiving British patent 11076/1864. This invention predated a similar invention by Thomas Edison by more than three decades. Greener also improved the design of miner’s safety lamps, invented a system for simultaneously opening and closing four railway gates at railway crossings and received a Gold Medal at the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition for the invention of an advanced harpoon gun and also displayed a self-righting lifeboat of his design.

However, it was his firearms inventions and the quality of his gun making that pertain here. In 1835 Greener invented an expanding base conical firearms projectile for use in muzzleloading rifled arms. This was a direct predecessor of the well-known Minié pattern projectile and also established the early diameter versus length ratio of such projectiles of the diameter being two-thirds of the length. This ratio provided significant improvements in the long-term stability of the projectile in flight, particularly when compared to a round ball. Greener also invented a percussion ignition system for cannons. In addition to inventing, improving, and manufacturing firearms, Greener wrote on the subject as well. He authored The Gun in 1835, The Science of Gunnery in 1841, Gunnery in 1858 in that year and a number of smaller pamphlets about firearms and the gunmaking trade. One in particular that had a direct effect on English law was his 1845 tract The Proof House, the Band of the Gun Trade. His work to reform the proof laws and the quality of the work done at the Birmingham proof house directly impacted the writing and passage of the British Gun Barrel Proof Act of 1855.

Greener had originally worked in his home region of Newcastle-upon-Tyne at 29 Collingwood Street from 1829-1834. He then moved to 60 Pilgrim Street and eventually relocated to the thriving gunmaking center of Birmingham in 1844. There he took premises at Aston New Town. While many contemporary authors have concluded that Greener was violently opposed to the concept of breechloading firearms, this is somewhat disingenuous. Greener had established his understanding of the physical and mechanical principles that were essential to the production of effective, powerful, and accurate rifled arms in his 1841 book The Science of Gunnery. His opposition to the breechloading concept was based more upon the inherent limitations that were placed upon the efficiency of the available mid-19^th century designs, rather than upon the benefits that such a firearm would have, were it able to be as mechanically solid and efficient as a muzzleloading design. In Gunnery in 1858 Being a Treatise on Rifles, Cannon and Sporting Arms Greener says the following about breechloading arms:

“The production of a perfect breech-loading small is as difficult as the production of a perfect breech-loading cannon, and that is so problematic as to amount, in my humble opinion, to nearly an impossibility. All experience taches that a perfectly sound base of projection is the gun is indispensable, if good direction and velocity are required; without which there can be no good shooting. If this be a law, how can it be obtained where soundness is absent? Joints, slides, and their attendants, are all incompatible with soundness: the two cannot exist together; and hence no breech-loader can give the same results as a solid constructed gun barrel, unsoundness and absorption of power being always found to go hand in hand together. 

I have had considerable experience in breech-loading guns, having obtained one or two patents; and very careful attention to the subject has satisfied me the question was sufficiently ventilated soon after the adoption of gunnery, and that it was exhausted by many hundreds of inventors as ingenious as those of the present day; the result being in all cases a total failure.” (pp. 404-405)

Greener was one of the rare Birmingham based gun makers who put his name on the lock plates of his rifles and rifle muskets, like the London makers did. Typically, Birmingham produces arms were simply marked “Tower”. Greener marked Enfields with Civil War association, markings or provenance are not commonly encountered today, but clearly a number of his guns were imported by the Confederacy. Every example of a Greener Enfield that I have seen that bore Confederate inspection marks was marked by Sinclair, Hamilton & Company. When encountered, the Greener arms are typically very well made and high-quality guns. I have seen Greener made short rifle with Confederate markings, in particular high grade “Volunteer” style Pattern 1860 “short rifles”. However, I have only ever seen a couple of Confederate marked Greener Pattern 1853 “long Enfields”. The dearth of extant examples in no way suggests that Greener made Enfields were not imported in some quantity by the south. In fact, they were numerous enough for Confederate Lt. J Wilcox Brown to note in a June 1, 1863, letter, after a visit to the Richmond Arsenal, that: 

“The .577 Rifle Muskets examined were of the En­field pattern, marked Tower, Windsor, Bond, Carr, Barnett & Greener that had been repaired at the Artillery Workshop in Richmond and were ready for issue.”

It would appear from the conspicuous absence of such well known Confederate arms suppliers as Parker, Field & Son and R.T. Pritchett from the above list, arms that are much more frequently encountered today than those by Greener, that a significant number of Greener’s guns did make it to the Confederacy, but apparently failed to survive to appear on today’s collector market.

The Greener Made Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket here is in VERY FINE condition. The lock of the gun is clearly marked GREENER in a single horizontal line, forward of the hammer with the typical British {CROWN} to the rear of the hammer, without a “VR” underneath as is correct for commercial Birmingham-made Enfields. The lock plate has the usual Birmingham style “double line” boarder engraving and the “feathered” hammer. The lock has a mottled pewter gray patina with freckled oxidation and discoloration scattered over its surface. The interior of the lock retains much of the original color casehardening and is marked by the lock’s maker R&W ASTON in an arc around the mainspring boss stud. The upper edge of the lock plate is marked with the file slash mating mark \ / | |. This same mark is found on the necks of both lock screws, on the neck of the tang screw, under the barrel and in the ramrod channel of the stock. The lock is mechanically excellent and functions perfectly on all positions. 

The barrel of the gun retains about 90% of its original rich, deep rust-blued finish. The barrel shows some thinning and minor loss, most notably a thumb print sized area of thing loss at the breech. The areas of thinning are toning towards plum and blend seamlessly with the blued finish. There are also a handful of minor surface finish scratches on the barrel as well. The barrel is almost entirely smooth, showing only some lightly freckled oxidation scattered along its length, with some light to moderate pinpricking around the breech and bolster area. This is the result of the caustic flash of the mercuric percussion caps of the era. The barrel is marked at the breech with the typical Birmingham commercial Proof, View, and Definitive Proof marks, which are separated by a pair of 25 gauge marks, indicating the gun is .577 caliber. The barrel is also marked along the nocksform and top of the breech, behind the rear sight, W. GREENER IMPROVED 1861. It is not immediately clear to me what “improvement” this specifically refers to. The bottom of the barrel is marked J TURNER, the mark of Birmingham gun barrel makers Joseph & James Turner who worked circa 1847-1868. The barrel also has the matching mating mark \ / | | as found on other major components of the gun, as the initials TT and JA, likely the marks of workers who were involved in the production of the gun. As most people in the Birmingham gun trade worked on the piece work system, they would typically mark their work to make sure they were appropriately paid. These could be the initials of barrel polishers, rough finishers, the “setter up”, etc. As would be expected of a commercial gun and possible Civil War import, the gun is devoid of any British military or government markings. The bore of the gun rates FINE. It is mostly bright with very good rifling that is a little weak near the muzzle but is crisp and deep further down, typical of the “progressive rifling” used on these guns. The bore is lightly frosted and does show some scattered oxidation and pinpricking as well.

The original long-range ladder rear sight is in place forward of the breech and shows the early pattern 900-yard graduation, which was later upgrade to 1,000 yards with the improvement in English powder efficiency. The original dual function musket front sight and socket bayonet lug is in place on top of the barrel near the muzzle as well. The barrel bands have toned to a medium pewter color, similar to the color of the lock and show the same freckled oxidation and discoloration as found on the lock. The barrel band tension screws all retain their original round screw protectors, which kept the screws from being removed from the bands and getting lost in the field. Both original sling swivels are in place as well. The brass furniture has a lovely mellow bronze patina that is very attractive. The stock of the gun rates VERY FINE as well and is extremely crisp. All of the edges remain sharp, and the stock shows no indications of having been sanded. The stock does show some scattered bump, dings and mars from handling and use, but shows no abuse or damage.

Overall, this is an extremely attractive and very high condition example of a commercial British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket by one of the more famous English gunmakers of the period. Greener arms are highly desirable and collectible in and of themselves and he is rightfully one of the most famous 19^th century English arms makers. This would be a fine addition to any collection of Civil War era import arms or a fine collection of 19^th century English muskets. This is a great looking gun in great condition that would likely please even the pickiest of collectors.