Louis & James Barbar of London

[Tatume]

Hello Folks,

I'm searching for information on London gunmakers Louis and James Barbar. Can anybody help with information, references or photos of guns?

Thanks, Tom

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Louis was a Huguenot or French Protestant refugee. Henri III had wriggled his way through a maze of religious wars and assassinations by at least two political changes of religion, and issued the Edict of Nantes, guaranteeing various religious freedoms. Louis probably emigrated, as part of a great wave of valuable Huguenot craftsmen, soon after Louis XIV revoked the Edict in 1685. He took to spelling his name Lewis, and was succeeded by his son James. It is possible that James is the same James Barber (a common English name) who like Louis/Lewis with George I and II was appointed a Gentleman Armourer to King George III.

http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/england/englishness-London-gunmakers.html

A man does get tired of having to spell his name all the time, and if he is the same Barb__ it would be especially interesting, as he could easily have made or supervised the making of a blunderbuss like this, which nearly figured in a curious incident of British coaching history:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/rowleys-fine-art-auctioneers-and-valuers/catalogue-id-srrow10004/lot-f6b10ad5-c1c3-4e37-bf7f-a43600ae423c

https://postalheritage.wordpress.com/tag/exeter-mail-coach/

Personally I think the lioness was just bored. Tiny dogs fling their arms around my Irish terrier's neck all the time.

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Thank you.