I was recently fortunate to view and study a pair of very interesting and ornate small bronze cannon made by Berenger de Falize at Douay, France, in 1704. They are nearly identical in form to a drawing of a 24 pdr. from the 1707 edition of St. Remy’s work Memoires d’artillerie.
One of the pair is a 1/2 pdr. with a bore of 1.6 inches and weighs 97 lbs. The other is a 3/4 pdr. with a bore of 1.8 inches and weighs 118 lbs. The overall lengths of the two pieces are identical at 35.5 inches.
Both are extensively marked in Latin (except for the name of each piece which is in French) and decorated in relief much like their larger brothers made during the same time period. Unless otherwise stated, the following description applies to both pieces.
The muzzle has two rings or bands on the outer diameter and a front sight cast in place, while the swell is decorated with foliage all the way around. On the forward chase is the name of the piece, LE MAGNANIME (one of courageous spirit) on the 1/2 pdr. and LE TRIOMPHANT (one who triumphs) on the 3/4 pdr.
RATIO VLTIMA REGVM (the last resort of kings) appears on a riband below the name of the piece. Within a pear-shaped device towards the rear of the chase is found the inscription MORS NIHIL DVM RESURGVM (death means nothing as I shall rise again). Above this inscription, but still within the pear-shaped device, is an icon featuring the sun in splendor shining down on a dove with spread wings. This emblem is thought to mean that the worship of God and Christ (the dove) through Catholicism is under the protection of King Louis XIV (the sun king) in his kingdom.
The whole device is within foliate decoration. The chase girdle is decorated with foliage around the upper 180 degrees of its circumference. The second reinforce has handles in the shape of Wyverns (2-legged winged dragons with barbed tails). The first reinforce carries the coat of arms of the family Gigault surmounted by the crown of a Marquis and enclosed in more foliage.
The vent is surrounded by still more foliage sweeping up to the rear and forming a rear sight on top of the base ring. The base ring is inscribed BERENGER DE FALIZE FECIT DVACI 1704 (Berenger from Falize, maker, Douay 1704). The cascabel of the 1/2 pdr. bears the face of Medusa with serpent tongues that protrude from the mouth to form the cascabel button while the 3/4 pdr. features Bacchus with a stalk growing from the mouth.
The trunnions are cast on the centerline of the bottom of the bore and are drilled in and threaded from the outer ends for bolts or some other attaching hardware. One of these bolts is broken off in each gun. Both guns show evidence of heavy usage as the bores are scored down their length and the vents show considerable erosion from firing.
The vent of the 1/2 pdr. had a spike of semi-triangular cross-section driven into it at one time, though it is now clear. As they were cast hollow, both pieces required the use of an iron “crown” to stabilize the core during the casting process. The tips of this crown are visible at three points around the base ring. The improved method of casting a gun solid and then drilling out the bore did not become standard practice until well after these guns were made.
The foundry at Douay, France, where these guns were produced, was established in 1667 by King Louis XIV specifically for the production of cannon. Claude Berenger de Falize was appointed Commissaire des fonts de France (Commissioner of foundries of France) in 1696. He and his descendants produced cannon for France until 1819.
Several features of these pieces, beyond their small size, point to their original use as swivel guns. The bore lengths are shorter in relation to their caliber than was standard at that time. Both front and rear sights are present and the cascabel button seems most useful as an aiming handle since it is a little longer than seems appropriate and gets smaller in diameter towards the rear.
While swivel guns are generally associated with naval use, these appear to have been used in support of cavalry. The coat of arms on the first reinforce is that of the family Gigault with the title of Marquis de Bellefonds. The title of Marquis was so closely associated with cavalry as to be synonymous. The Marquis De Lafayette, who played such a prominent role in our revolutionary war, was a captain in a French cavalry regiment at age 16.
In 1704 the title of Marquis De Bellefonds belonged to Louis Charles Bernardin Gigault (1685-1710), who was Mestre de camp (colonel) of a cavalry regiment bearing his name, and beyond doubt the man who commissioned the manufacture of these two cannon.
The family Gigault had a close association with the army and cavalry for at least a century. The subject’s grandfather, Bernardin Gigault, Marquis de Bellefonds (1639-1694), was named Marshal of France in 1668, the equivalent of a member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. At least three members of the family were awarded the title Chevalier in the prestigious Royal and Military Order of Saint-Louis before 1740 and their early careers were in cavalry regiments.
In 1704 France was involved in the “War of the Spanish Succession” (1701-1714) in which she was allied with Spain, Bavaria, Portugal and Savoy against England, Austria, Holland and most of the German states. These two guns undoubtedly saw service in that conflict.
I have found that information on the use of swivel guns by ground forces, particularly cavalry, is very scarce. However, it is easy to picture one of these guns mounted on a tripod or some other framework and secured in a light, horse-drawn wagon for use while on the move.
If anyone has information that relates to the mounting or use of this type gun by cavalry or other ground forces, please contact me through The Artilleryman or email at bbsoda@yahoo.com. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps some knowledgeable person would write an article on this subject for publication in The Artilleryman.
About the Author: William H. Johnson has been collecting guns in one form or another for about 35 years and has written articles about antique firearms and the book Bailey and Columbian Air Rifles.