Contemporary Makers: Morphy Auction: JOHN BURRIDGE'S 1774 ENGRAVED REVOLUTIONARY WAR POWDER HORN from the Louie Parker Collection

According to an online search, there are several possible candidates. There is a John Burridge from Braintree, Massachusetts; records show that he was enlisted in Captain Newcomb's Company of Colonel Thayer's Massachusetts Regiment. However, there is another John Burridge listed as being from Athol listed and his pension record shows that he was in Captain Blanchard's Company of Colonel Wesson's Regiment. Yet another possibility is John Burrage, born about 1723 in Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts; he registered for military service in 1777 and died on 20 May 1778, at the age of 55. The horn itself measures about 11 - 1/2" across the bow. On the front, there is a cartouche "IOHN BVRIDGE : HIS HORN: 1774". Below this is a large "IIB". Depictions on the horn include 5 ships, a buck, a doe, a fish or whale, a chicken, a fox, and a couple indistinct animals. There is also a flintlock musket. The spout section is conical, and below it there are 2 scalloped rings. The flat wooden plug has some initials carved into it and an iron staple is mounted near the base of the horn for strap attachment.

CONDITION: Pleasing honey patina with some minor chipping around base and a couple hairline cracks at spout. A horn worthy of further research.

From the Louie Parker Collection.