This is a FINE condition example of the English Webley Wedge Frame double-action percussion revolver, as produced in the late-1850s through about the mid-1860s. These guns provided less expensive alternatives to the Adams and Tranter patent revolvers of the day. The primary cost savings was in the use of a 2-piece frame and barrel design, similar to that of Colt revolvers, with the two parts held together via a “wedge”. Adams and Tranter revolvers utilized one-piece frame and barrel assemblies that were forged from a single piece of iron and were much stronger and less prone to breakage and wear with age. The “wedge” frame design is attributed to Birmingham gun maker Philip Webley, although Webley himself seemed to have manufactured very few of the guns. The simplified double-action lock mechanism typically encountered in these revolvers is usually of the Joseph Bentley design, and these guns are often referred to as “Webley-Bentley” revolvers, even though they were produced by many Birmingham gun makers and are often unmarked. 

This Webley wedge frame is very well made and has an action more similar to the Beaumont-Adams than the typical Bentley style double-action only mechanism. The gun has a top strap over the cylinder to reinforce the frame, a feature missing from most Webley-Bentley guns. The gun is typical of medium to large bore English double-action revolvers in that it features a five chambered cylinder. While many Webley style guns have numbered cylinder chambers this one does not. The revolver has a 4 3/8” long barrel octagon barrel and is chambered in the popular 80-bore caliber (which is about .387). This was the British equivalent to the American “Navy” sized revolvers that were nominally .36 caliber. 

As previously noted, the action is more akin to the Beaumont-Adams lockwork of the era, and the gun is a “conventional” double action revolver. It operates as a standard double action by pulling the trigger, which rotates the cylinder, cocks the hammer and releases it, all with one long, heavy trigger pull. The action also allows for more precise shooting. By thumb cocking the hammer and firing the gun in single action mode, a lighter trigger pull is available. In typical English revolver style, the cylinder only “locks up” when the trigger is pulled completely back (in double action mode) or when the hammer is locked in the fully cocked position (single action mode). This eliminates the need for a spring actuated cylinder bolt stop in the bottom of the frame, a feature typical of American guns of the era like those of Colt and Remington. Webley Wedge Frame revolvers appear with both a Colt style toggle link ramrod under the barrel and an English style ramrod, akin to the Kerr’s patent ramrod, attached to the side of the frame and stored in the locked position along the left side of the barrel. This one has the English, Kerr type ramrod. 

The gun bears no retailer markings on the top strap, which is not uncommon. Many Birmingham makers produced guns without any maker markings, allowing the retailer who sold the gun to mark it as they desired. Extant examples of this pattern of Webley Wedge Frame revolvers are known with no markings on the top strap like this one, with simply the word “LONDON”, and sometimes with the names of makers like “P WEBLEY & SON”, “D. BENTLEY PATENT” and “J ADAMS,” with and without the additional word, “LONDON”. A handful of examples of similar English double action revolvers are known with Antebellum Southern retailer marks, usually from New Orleans. New Orleans seems to have been a major source for imported English revolvers prior to the Civil War. Extant examples include guns retailer marked by Thomas Bailey of New Orleans. At least three variations of Bailey’s mark are known on Wedge Frame revolvers. 

The lower portion of the left side of the frame of this revolver is marked simply PATENT No 22914, below the cylinder. While these numbers did serve as serial numbers, they were really more likely to have been patent tracking numbers, keeping count of how many guns of a particular patent pattern were made to insure correct payment of royalties for the use of the design. In some cases, makers were assigned specific serial number ranges to work in, Robert Adams was known to do this, so that serial numbers were not duplicated, and the range of the serial number indicated which licensed maker had produced the revolver.

These reliable and reasonably priced double-action revolvers were popular export items and were available for sale around the world. Confederate purchasing agents purchased these revolvers, as they were much less expensive than the competing Adams, Tranter & Kerr patterns. The Pratt Roll, which is an inventory list of revolvers that details the fifteen revolvers in the possession of Company H of the 18th Virginia Cavalry in July of 1864 lists three Webley and/or Bentley revolvers, as well as four guns of “unknown” pattern. The balance of the revolvers on the list are seven Kerr revolvers & two Tranters. The Bentley numbers on the list are 3111, and 3221, while the Webley  revolver is number 5054. This indicates that even in this small sample of CS used revolvers, at least 20% of the guns were of the Webley and/or Bentley patterns. The average company grade officer on either side would probably not be familiar the names and patterns of English revolver manufactures of the era, other than possibly Adams, Tranter and Kerr. As a result, I have a feeling that the guns were identified by the maker and/or retailer name on the topstrap of the revolvers. This suggests that #3111 and #3221 were likely “D Bentley” marked Wedge frame revolvers, and #5054 was a Webley marked wedge frame. The “unknown” revolver with serial number 3563 was almost certainly a wedge frame revolver as well,  but with no retailer mark on the top strap. The  “unknown” revolvers with serial numbers 33609 and 36604 were almost certainly Adams’ patent revolves, also with blank top straps. While there are no direct Confederate Central Government contracts known for this pattern of revolver, some Confederate correspondence exists that suggest the more reasonably priced double action revolvers, in both 80 bore and 54 bore, were purchased primarily by speculators for importation to the Confederacy. It appears that most of these guns were imported through Mexican or Texas ports and many saw use in the Western Theater and the Trans-Mississippi Theater. It is believed that the revolvers delivered by Nelson Clements, who had a contract to deliver 5,000 revolvers to the Houston Quartermaster, were of the wedge frame pattern. A handful of guns that appear to have been part of his deliveries are known, and they are in the same low 2,XXX serial number range. Additionally, examples of Webley Wedge Frame double action revolvers exist with Confederate provenance. These include a number of well-documented Webley Wedge Frame revolvers in museum collections. The gun of Colonel John Smith of the 20th Alabama Infantry (ex-Bond collection) is one example, as is one reported to be engraved to General William Mahone. Both of these pistols are in the former Museum of the Confederacy collection, which is now the American Civil War Museum at Tredegar. Another Webley Wedge Frame revolver, formerly in the famous Richard Steuart Collection, resides at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. The Webley Wedge Frame revolver (#5553) is identified to Captain George Russell, the quartermaster of the 47th TN Infantry Regiment.

This double action Webley Wedge Frame is a classic “export” revolver, and is totally unmarked except for the Birmingham proofs and the serial number on the left side of the frame. It is unclear if the gun remains unmarked to keep it “sterile” so that its source could not be easily determined, or if it left blank to be marked by the retailer after export. The gun rates about FINE to VERY FINE and retains about 60%+ of its original blued finish overall. The the barrel and top strap retain about 85%+ of their blue, with the cylinder retaining slightly less. The frame retains only traces of the blue and has a mottled plum brown patina mixed with flecks of finish in the protected areas and some lightly oxidized freckling. The difference in the way the finish wears on these guns is very consistent. Even high condition examples usually retain almost no frame finish, while the barrels and top straps usually retain lovely blue. The cylinders often retain a substantial amount of finish as well. I believe this may indicate that the iron/steel alloy used in the frames and barrels were different, resulting in the finish adhering, wearing and surviving very differently. The grip frame retains very little original finish and has a mostly mottled grayish-brown patina, with some mottled age discoloration and minor surface oxidation. The hammer is finished in the white, as originally manufactured and retains some of its original bright polish, with some dulling from age and freckled oxidized discoloration. The English Kerr style ramrod was finished in the white as well and is mostly bright with some freckled surface oxidation and age discoloration. The metal is mostly smooth with only some light scattered patches of minor peppering and pinpricking and some areas of light surface freckling and minor roughness. The revolver is fully functional and mechanically excellent. The pistol functions perfectly in both single action and double action modes. It times and indexes as it should and has very tight lock up. The Kerr style loading lever functions smoothly and locks into place securely. The bore of the revolver rates about FINE. It is mostly bright and retains fairly crisp multi-groove rifling along its entire length. The bore does show some scattered oxidation, discoloration and some very lightly scattered pitting. The two-piece checkered wood grips are in about FINE condition as well, with only some light to moderate age wear and flattening from carry and use. The grips are in solid condition, with no breaks, cracks or repairs noted.

Overall, this is a very attractive and crisp example of a less common mid-19^th century English percussion revolver. Even though the Confederacy probably imported several thousand of these pistols, they appear for sale only rarely. These guns did not have the name recognition or cache of similar pistols by Adams and Tranter and were probably more likely to have been used in the post war era than saved as mementos of the “late unpleasantness”. These sturdy, workingman’s revolvers certainly saw use during the war, and this one certainly could have seen such service. This prevovler is 100% correct and complete, and functions exactly as it should. It would be a great addition to any collection of Civil War era revolvers and would be equally at home in a collection of typical Confederate used handguns. It is a very fine, medium bore revolver that displays well and is rarely seen on the market for sale.