As you may or may not know, the Brown Bess was developed and issued to the British Army as the Long Land Pattern of 1722. I was curious to know what, if anything, was issued prior to then.
Problem is that there is no real information on the Internet, and since I don't have a reference text, I'm kind of stymied. What did British infantry use before 1722?
Reason I'm wondering is because I'm watching Pirates of the Caribbean, and the British soldiers in the movie carry the Brown Bess. I'm not sure exactly what year the first movie would supposedly take place. The Golden Age of Piracy is fairly well-defined, spanning 1692-1725. I think the movie supposedly takes place towards the end of that era, but I don't think the Brown Bess would have been issued to Garrison units stationed in the Caribbean that soon after development.
Obviously Hollywood used the Brown Bess in the movie for the looks and availability of reproductions, but what would the British troops have *really* used before the issue of that musket?
Problem is that there is no real information on the Internet, and since I don't have a reference text, I'm kind of stymied. What did British infantry use before 1722?
Reason I'm wondering is because I'm watching Pirates of the Caribbean, and the British soldiers in the movie carry the Brown Bess. I'm not sure exactly what year the first movie would supposedly take place. The Golden Age of Piracy is fairly well-defined, spanning 1692-1725. I think the movie supposedly takes place towards the end of that era, but I don't think the Brown Bess would have been issued to Garrison units stationed in the Caribbean that soon after development.
Obviously Hollywood used the Brown Bess in the movie for the looks and availability of reproductions, but what would the British troops have *really* used before the issue of that musket?