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Located in the historic village of Doune 'The Pistol Factory' is strategically situated in Central Scotland 8 miles from Stirling, which was the capital of the country during the reign of the Stewart Kings and Queens. In the 17th century Doune was an intersection of the routes used for the droving of highland cattle from the Highlands to the markets in Stirling and beyond. In those days, its streets were packed with swaggering Highlanders eager to buy shoes, sporrans and firearms, drink their fill and then return to their homes in the North.
Scottish firearms, during the early 17th Century, were reasonably turned out by Continental gunsmiths. This was to change after 1646 when a certain Thomas Caddell, perhaps a refugee Fleming, arrived in Doune from Muthill and set up business as a gunsmith.
He developed his own method of manufacture, similar to that used by Vikings 700 years before. The end result was a uniquely Scottish, all-steel pistol some 14 inches long that flowed in perfect symmetry from a Ramshorn butt to the slight, subtle flaring of the muzzle. |
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The profuse embellishments chiselled into the metal are a curious mixture of Celtic and Oriental design, and have a poetic power of expression. Caddell designed the pistols initially for the quick tempered Highlanders and for this reason they had no trigger guard or safety catch. The weapons fired a half inch lead ball with deadly accuracy and were sold in pairs fashioned for left and right hand use. They were made for rough conditions and the centre knob of the butt could be unscrewed to act as a pricker for the touch hole, the latter being able to hold the varying sizes of flint that might be picked up in a Highland burn. The cost was £4 a pair, a fortune to the average Highlander but a price paid willingly. |
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Five generations of Cadell's family followed him into the business as did a number of other families, probably his apprentices. At one time there were five Pistol Factories reported to be actively manufacturing pistols for the flourishing Highland trade in Doune.
Doune pistols became renowned and more expensive models, costing fifty guineas, were ordered by the nobility. Hundreds of pistols returned to their birthplace in 1745 when the Highland army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart passed through Doune on its way south. The subsequent crushing of the ‘45 Uprising and the passing of the Disarmament Act signalled the end of the traditional market. |
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