The inside of the lockplate has a crown above a 2 which I believe indicates 1802.

The barrel is engraved HMS Africa which has an interesting history:

HMS Africa during the battle of Trafalgar (1805):

"Nelson ordered his signal officer, Lieutenant Pasco to make this final signal of the day. On the night of the 20th October, HMS Africa, the smallest capital ship in the fleet, under the command of Capt Henry Digby, had drifted away from the rest of Nelson's fleet. As dawn broke on the morning of the battle, she found herself unsupported to the north of the Franco-Spanish fleet. Nelson signalled the Africa to increase speed and rejoin the fleet so she was signalled to make more sail with care for her masts and rigging and rejoin the rest of the fleet. Digby apparently decided to ignore the signal, and take on the whole enemy fleet single-handedly.

While Nelson and Collingwood sailed their two columns of vessels in from the East towards the northward-sailing enemy line of battle, Africa attacked alone from the North, sailing straight along the enemy's line of battle, swapping broadsides with one vessel after another (all of which had much heavier armament). Africa passed abeam of around a dozen enemy vessels before attempting to grapple with, and board, the Santissima Trinidad, a Spanish 130-gun ship, thought to be the largest warship in the world at the time.

This boarding manoeuvre was unsuccessful, with the Spanish captain politely refusing to surrender and ordering the British sailors off his ship, and the Africa continued southwards. She was eventually so heavily damaged that nine days later she was towed into Gibraltar for a minimum of repairs before sailing back to England, not getting home until early December."

HMS Africa during the War of 1812:

HMS Africa was one of only two Ships of the Line stationed near the US during the early part of the war.

With the outbreak of the War of 1812 HMS Africa under the command of Captain John Bastard was sent to join Captain Philip Broke's squadron in July 1812, and was present at the capture of the 14-gun USS Nautilus on 15 July. The British squadron, consisting of Africa, Broke's 38-gun HMS Shannon, the 38-gun HMS Guerriere under Captain James Richard Dacres, the 36-gun HMS Belvidera under Captain Richard Byron and the 32-gun HMS Aeolus under Captain Lord James Townshend, had arrived off New York in search of USS President, then under Commodore John Rodgers, but she had already sailed. Instead they found the USS Nautilus, under William M. Crane, which failed to outrun the British squadron and surrendered, becoming the first warship either side lost during the war. Shortly afterwards the squadron fell in with USS Constitution and chased her for three days, with the American ship resorting to throwing her water and stores overboard, and having the ship towed and kedged, before she finally managed to escape:

"War was declared on 18 June and USS Constitution put to sea on 12 July, attempting to join the five ships of a squadron under the command of Rodgers in President. Hull sighted five ships off Egg Harbor, New Jersey, on 17 July and at first believed them to be Rodgers' squadron, but by the following morning the lookouts determined that they were a British squadron out of Halifax: HMS Aeolus, Africa, Belvidera, Guerriere, and Shannon. They had sighted Constitution and were giving chase.

Finding himself becalmed, Hull acted on a suggestion given by Charles Morris, ordering the crew to put boats over the side to tow the ship out of range, using kedge anchors to draw the ship forward, and wetting the sails down to take advantage of every breath of wind. The British ships soon imitated the tactic of kedging and remained in pursuit. The resulting 57 hour chase in the July heat saw the crew of Constitution employ myriad methods to outrun the squadron, finally pumping overboard 2,300 US gal (8.7 kl) of drinking water. Cannon fire was exchanged several times, though the British attempts fell short or over their mark, including an attempted broadside from Belvidera. On 19 July Constitution pulled far enough ahead of the British that they abandoned the pursuit.

On July 15th 1812 HMS Africa along with two smaller frigates (HMS Shannon and HMS Aeolus) captured the brigantine USS Nautilus. Africa also captured two other (non US Navy) ships, the Minerva and the Eastern Star.

HMS Africa was also the location in October 1812 of the court-martial of James Dacres, Captain of HMS Guerriere who lost his ship in a battle with USS Constitution.


I plan on hanging it above the fireplace or in my office, not sure which.