Siege of Derry sword pistol among £1m firearms collection

Mr Bennett says the sword pistol has an estimate of between £45,000 and £50,000

A collection of guns - including a 370-year-old sword pistol reportedly fired during the siege of Derry - is to go under the hammer on Tuesday.

The items belonged to Leslie Martin, a collector from County Antrim, who died in 2018.

As well as the flintlock sword pistol from the siege, the collection includes a percussion musket with links to the 1916 Easter Rising.

The items are expected to fetch about £1m.

"When you touch these pieces you feel like you are touching history," Karl Bennett of Bloomfield Auctions told BBC Radio Foyle's The Mark Patterson Show.

"What we are handling is one of the finest collections of Irish firearms, Irish collected firearms.

"We have seen a lot of interest in the collection from right across the globe," he said.

Manufactured in 1650, the flintlock sword pistol belonged to the Hart family who lived in counties Derry and Donegal, before becoming part of Mr Martin's collection.

The Siege of Derry lasted 105 days

Colonel Henry Hart, who died in 1712, is believed to have commanded the Fort of Culmore during the siege.

"Because it is a one off piece - we certainly haven't seen another one on the market - we have put an estimate of £45,000 and £50,000 on the piece," Mr Bennet said.

The Siege of Derry in 1689 is seen as a pivotal moment in the history of Ireland, Britain and Europe.

It took place against the background of the deposed Catholic King James II's attempt to regain his crown from his Protestant son-in-law, King William III.

As well as the siege-era gun, the 302-lot collection features a percussion musket inscribed with the name of Captain Alan Campbell who died during the 1916 Easter Rising and a rare seven-shot revolving carbine manufactured in 1838.

Mr Bennet said Leslie Martin's collection was testament to an "absolute passion" for firearms and to the "meticulous research" of each and every item he owned.

Mr Martin has started collecting in his early teens, he said, and had built up a "lifetime collection, an eclectic mix of firearms that are just in great condition".

He has been working with the Martin family to catalogue the collection, he added.