POWDER FLASK

A complete cast, and possibly soldered, lead powder flask nozzle (or funnel) of Seventeenth century dating (AD 1600 - AD 1700). The nozzle has suffered damage and is now slightly squashed from its original shape.

The nozzle measures 27.98mm in length, 26.49mm wide at the upper part (container), 9.11mm wide at the lower part (nozzle) and is 13.63mm thick. It weighs 16.7 grams.

The powder flask nozzle can be described in two parts, the upper part or container and the lower part or nozzle.The container is sub rectangular in plan and section, it would have originally been circular in shape, but has been flattened. The container has a depth of 14.16mm and is 2.14mm thick. Soldered seams are present both around the join between container and nozzle and along the height of the container. The upper part of the container has parallel circumferential striations which may have been created during the manufacturing process. The nozzle is sub triangular in plan and rectangular in section. When viewed from below, the nozzle is still circular in shape. The nozzle has a depth of 12.83mm and is 1.84mm thick.

The powder flask nozzle is an even dull white / light grey colour all over, with an even patina.

Twelve powder flask nozzles have been recorded to date on the PAS database, this is the first example recorded from Shropshire. According to Courtney (1988), powder flask nozzles and caps are among the most common remains encountered on Civil War sites. A musketter was armed with twelve powder flasks, each attached to his bandolier by a cord. Each powder flask would contain enough gunpowder for a single charge.

Reference:
Courtney, P. (1988) Small Arms Accessories of the Mid-Seventeenth Century. Finds Research Group 700-1700 Datasheet 11.