An early 19th Century flintlock alarm gun

An early 19th Century flintlock alarm gun, barrel 13 in. with flaring muzzle, enclosed in a wooden case and fitted with a musket size lock with swan-necked cock, trigger actuated by a sliding bar with two loose rings, the whole mounted on a swivel pintle with thumb screw to fix the elevation.

Such devices were used as a deterrent to poachers or grave robbers. Two trip wires could be attached to the trigger via the rings on the bar, and when tripped, would cause the gun to swivel towards the target before discharging at the source of the disturbance.