Hampshire County Long Rifle: October 2015

Saturday, October 24, 2015

George W Glaze Part II

Here is another high relief carved rifle by Glaze in attic condition with minimal conservancy.

Click Picture for Larger View.

Glaze signed in silver inlay on top of barrel.

Seven pierced patchbox, with different panel designs and completely different engraving of the Glaze rifle in part I.

39.5 inch barrel. .44 caliber.

Superb high relief carving.

Engraved eagle in silver oval in cheek-piece. The eagle represents freedom.

Engraved brass side plate.

Brass vent pick holder & hash marks on molding of cheek piece.

Silver fore stock inlay. Incised carving is placed in panels between inlays.

Ketland & Adams flintlock converted to percussion using Bedford hammer.

Fore-stock molding.

Carved termination of fore stock molding.

Nicely done engraving on the brass toe plate.

Below is yet another high relief Glaze rifle.

Artistic wonderful engraved silver inlays, with over the top high relief carving.

Unmolested as found.

"Rare" nine piercings in yet another beautifully engraved patchbox by Glaze.

Altered during period of use to half-stock.

Signed Glaze.

The following rifle is one of his earlier guns. You can also see it on page 33 in " Long Rifles of Virginia" by Butler & Whisker. The barrel is 41 " long, but no doubt cut sometime. The flintlock is a reconversion.

Engraved brass patch box. Push button release.

Incised molding.

Very low relief carving. You can see the influence of the Lauck shop in Winchester Virginia.

Early style side plate with counter sunk bolt holes.

Single Trigger.

Remnants of carving.

The last rifle in this group of Glaze rifles is one of his later rifles. While some in the past may have thought this a late Maryland rifle, we believe that it is an Indiana Rifle. This rifle was made during a period when many if not most rifles were more utilitarian , he still produced a refined product.

G W Glaze

He changed his signature a little from earlier guns.

George was not afraid to do different styles, this expanded panel patch box is unlike any we have seen on other rifles by him.

This box has a friction release, while others he made may have a hidden release, or a push button through the toe plate. Again, he did not cast his rifles in a mold.

Incised carving near the entry pipe.

A very long slender rifle, sporting a 45" barrel.

Incised carved molding.

Nicely engraved side plate.

Double set trigger.

More of the Midwestern style or contour.

Double spur brass trigger guard.

.31 caliber, rifling still sharp

Deep incised carving.

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GLAZE KENTUCKY PISTOL

As many of you know a genuine antique Kentucky pistol is very hard to find. Discovering a signed Virginia/WV specimen would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. I would think one in original condition , with the original W. Ketland & Co. flintlock, is a gift from Divine Providence.

The following George W Glaze pistol was made about 1810, at Glazes gun shop along the South Branch of the Potomac 3 miles from Springfield WV.

W. Ketland & Co. Flintlock

8.5" barrel 48 caliber.

G W Glaze

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the wonderful work of George W Glaze. Thanks to the collectors who shared them with us.
Please do not reproduce pictures.
JDM BMS

GEORGE W GLAZE Part I

George W Glaze was born in 1779 in Hampshire County, son of George Glaze. He grew up on the South Branch of the Potomac near Springfield, WV. While he learned to make guns from his father, there is evidence that in the early 1800s, he worked in Winchester, Virginia, for a short period. Speculation is with one of the Lauck Gunsmiths. Records indicate that he was in Hampshire County, WV & Oldtown, Maryland, until 1827, when he went to Pickaway County, Ohio, just after his father's death, George, who moved there in 1808. We do not know precisely how long he stayed in Ohio. The 1840 Census puts him in Hendricks, IN. George remained there until he died in 1862.

The following rifle by George W Glaze is exquisite and in pristine condition. As you will see with this rifle and subsequent photos, his rifles are works of art. They are as good as any masters working in the Golden Age period, and Glaze doesn't take a back seat for anyone. Take special note of this particular piece, which you will see in the following photos. The lock is one of a kind. The carving is not a cookie-cutter design. In fact, all of his carvings vary to some degree on his rifles to express himself to the best of his ability. No major restoration has been done on this rifle you are about to see. It is in its unaltered state, with only minimal work done to conserve it. This is the first time any photos of this rifle have been shared publicly.

Signed in Silver Inlay on Barrel

Click Picture for larger Image, then scroll to advance to next image.

Barrel 35" long.

This is for everyone interested in schools of long rifles and is a student of them. Here are some elements that we think you will enjoy. The architecture is early Hampshire County's "Golden Age" at its best. The relief carving blends the Cumberland, Maryland School and the Winchester, Virginia School. The butt plate return is definitely Winchester School, as is the silver hunter star and wire inlay. The brass under cheekpiece inlay using silver-headed round nails is found in the Cumberland School. The heart inlay at the wrist is held in place with a silver rectangular-headed nail and is found in the Winchester and Hampshire County Schools. The wrist carving is of the Winchester and Hampshire Schools. The blending of the schools results in a superb presentation piece.

This lock made & signed by Glaze is one of a kind we have not seen before. We have no idea why he built this lock. Could it be to see a vision come to fruition, or was it made to strengthen the area where the lock mortise, trigger & guard are usually found? If indeed he made it for these reasons, he saw his vision come to reality. With all the internals now externals on the lock, the area is now stronger than any normal rifle. Take a few moments to study this lock.

G W G

Termination of stock molding only adds to the artistic merit of this rifle.

The only non embellished area on this rifle. Actually this lets your eyes fixate on the fantastic relief carving on the cheek side of rifle.

This seven-pierced patch box is one of our favorite designs. It is also found on rifles by the great masters of this area, Frederick Sheetz and William Britton.

A hidden lid release is found on the bottom panel of the patchbox. Pushing below the lower left-hand screw releases the lid.

Note the line in the lower butt-stock region in the above picture. This is found on a few early Hampshire County rifles. The wood was added during construction as not to waste a premium piece of maple.