TEN pistols dating from 300 years ago have returned to their place of origin in a Scottish village in an “extraordinary homecoming”.
The eighteenth-century pistols were part of a private collection but are now on permanent public display at the community’s Information and Heritage Centre in Doune.
The collection has been gifted to the Kilmadock Development Trust (KDT) by collector Andrew Yool in an act which the trust has described as remarkably generous.
Crafted by six different Doune hammermen in the 1700s, the pistols will form the centrepiece of the new heritage exhibition at the centre.
Each pistol features elaborate decoration, often Celtic-inspired, applied through fine engraving and silver wire inlay.
Collector Yool (below) said the historic artefacts are outstanding examples of the artistry that made the village a renowned centre of gunsmithing.
He said: “The fact that a representative selection by the most well-known local hammermen has finally found a permanent home on display at the Doune for all to see and admire is undoubtedly an occasion for celebration.
“These flintlock firearms are of unique design, construction and decoration, instantly recognised and appreciated worldwide as iconic examples of Scottish ingenuity, craftsmanship and enterprise, as a result of which they have earned international fame for the village of Doune where they were made 300 years ago.”
Doune’s pistol-making roots can be traced back to 1646, when Thomas Caddell brought the gunsmith trade to the village.
With iron scarce, Caddell made use of old horseshoe nails and, through dedication to his craft, developed a level of refinement that defined the Doune style, which was much sought-after around Europe.
According to the trust, his legacy passed down through generations of apprentices, helping to establish Doune as the heart of Scotland’s pistol-making industry.
After the Jacobites’ defeat at Culloden, Scottish mercenaries fled abroad, taking their arms with them, and it is said that the American War of Independence was started by a shot from a Doune-made pistol at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.
It was later described as being the “shot heard round the world”.
Only a few hundred examples of genuine Doune Pistols are known to remain in museums and private collections around the world today, the trust has said.
Karen Ross, chair of KDT, said: “We are thrilled that such a unique part of Doune’s history is now on display in the village where they were made, and are grateful to Mr Yool for his generosity.
“While having a practical function, the pistols really are fine works of art and would have taken countless hours of craftsmanship by candlelight to bring to fruition.”
