Ezekiel Baker
Ezekiel Baker (1758-1836) was one of the finest gun makers of his age
Apprenticed to Henry Nock and later worked for him.
1794 Baker became gun contractor to the Board of Ordnance
Baker had government contracts for smooth bore muskets and pistols and also supplied the Honourable East India Company.
The Prince Regent, later George IV (1762-1830), was his most famous customer.
1800 January: Colonel Coote Manningham received a letter, from the Adjutant General of the Army, which informed him that the Duke of York intended to give him command of a Corps of detachments from 14th Regiment of the Line. This was for the express purpose of "its being instructed in the use of the Rifle and in the System of Exercise adopted by soldiers so armed"[1], as a "Corps of Experiment and Instruction".[2].
Manningham provided Baker with a German Jaeger rifle with the recommendation that he copy it.
1800 A series of rifle experiments were conducted at Woolwich. The trials of the many submissions resulted in Ezekiel Baker's barrel being adopted as the first British rifle issued to the Army.
In Baker's own words[3]: "In the year 1800 the principal gun makers in England were directed by the Honourable Board of Ordnance to procure the best rifle possible, for the use of a rifle corps (the 95th Regiment) raised by the government. Among those who were selected on this occasion, I was desired to attend: and a committee of field officers was appointed for the purpose of examining, and reporting according to their judgement. There were also many rifles from America and various parts of the continent produced at the same time. These were all tried at Woolwich; when my barrel, having only an quarter of a turn in the rifle, was approved by the committee."
The initial design was not innovative but reflected the better features of continental examples. Baker's first two submissions were rejected because they were of musket size and bore and believed too cumbersome, but the third model was approved and this eventually became the first rifle pattern adopted by the British army. In Baker's words: "When the 95th Regiment was first raised, I made some rifles of equal dimensions of the muskets, in order that they might be supplied with ammunition, if necessarily supplied, from any infantry regiment that might be near them. They were, however, strongly objected to by the Commanding Officer, Colonel Manningham, as well as all the officers of the Regiment, as requiring too much exertion, and harassing the men from their excessive weight. They were consequently immediately relinquished, and twenty to the pound substituted."
1800 March: the Board of Ordnance provided Baker with a request for his pattern barrels and rifles. This first batch was for 800, especially for the 95th Regiment of Foot, and were ordered from gunsmiths in London and Birmingham. This Board of Ordnance manufacturing system established a network of contracts for barrels and locks from gun-makers Egg, Nock, Baker, Pritchett, Brander, Wilkes, Bennett, Harrison and Thompson.
The rifle resembled the German Jaeger model, as well as other continental rifles, but the real innovation was Baker's quarter turn rifling which was claimed to give greater accuracy. Selection of Ezekiel Baker's third rifle pattern to be the weapon of choice for the new Rifle Corps was a process that eventually took two years.
1803 Dissolution of the Partnership existing between Ezekiel Baker, of Little Alle-Street, Goodman's-Fields, in the County of Middlesex , and James Negus, of Newgate-Street, in the City of London, Gun-Makers. All Debts due to and owing by the said Partnership received and paid by Ezekiel Baker[4]
1805 Baker established his own production facilities at 24 Whitechapel Road, London. With the encouragement of the Prince of Wales, Baker established his own proof house.
Ezekiel Baker was also responsible for improvements in firearms that included bayonet design and fitting, pistol grips, special locks, barrel rammers. The Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Manufactures gave him three silver medals for his developments in safety locks and his bullet moulds.