The city of Saint-Étienne in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of the Loire department has an old tradition of firearms manufacture going as far back as 1535. Up to the beginning of the 18th century, the government of the time would simply purchase firearms from all the different workshops. However, this practice later gave way to the sourcing of entire orders from one manufacturer, who would be granted the title of ‘manufacture royale’ by edict of the King. Pierre Girard was the first to be given the licence to manufacture military firearms. He would in turn appoint sub-contractors to provide him with components.

During the reign of Louis XV, there was an initiative to standardise the French army’s weapons. The pistolet modèle 1733-34 in 17.5mm calibre, based on an earlier modèle 1731 used by the Garde du Corps, was adopted as the army’s standard cavalry pistol. Girard et Compagnie was one of the main suppliers of this pistol.

On 18 July 1759, an agreement was signed between the Order of St. John in Malta and Michele Gaudin, representing Frères Girard, Robert, Caress et Compagnie for the supply of 20,000 ‘Fusil des Troupes’ (infantry muskets) at the rate of 1,500 pieces per year, 1,400 ‘Pistolets d’Arcon - longs’ (long cavalry pistols) at the rate of 200 pieces per year, 1,400 ‘Pistolets d’Abordage – cours’ (short boarding pistols) at the rate of 200 pieces per year. Additionally, the agreement included ‘Gros trombons a’ fourchette’ (large mounted blunderbuss muskets) and ‘Sabres’ (swords).

The pistols destined for the Order would be almost identical to the modèle 1733, except for some minor differences that appear to have been specified in the order.

Four consignments are recorded with their respective dates of arrival in Malta:

• May 1761 - 1,500 Fusil des Troupes, 200 Pistolets d’Abordage (cours) and some Gros trombons a’ fourchette.

• February 1762 - 1,500 Fusil des Troupes, 200 Pistolets d’Abordage (cours) and 13 Gros trombons a’ fourchette.

• March 1762 - 1,500 Fusil des Troupes, 200 Pistolets d’Abordage (cours) and (?) Gros trombons a’ fourchette.

• September 1763 - 2,500 Fusil des Troupes, 200 Pistolets d’Arcon (longs) and (?) Gros trombons a’ fourchette

No further records have been traced. Does this mean that the above figures represent the total number of weapons received by the Order? This would tally with the records kept at Saint-Étienne, which states that only 200 long cavalry pistols had been manufactured. If this hypothesis is correct, then the Order received just 600 short naval boarding pistols and 200 long cavalry pistols. 

Information gleaned from the Order’s inventory indicates that most of the short naval pistols were distributed to its vessels while the rest was put into storage on land. One report, written after an inventory inspection some years later, cites the poor condition of these pistols because of the damp conditions in the stores. The long cavalry pistols may have fared better as the small quantity may have been issued and carried.

On 19 May 1798, a French fleet sailed from Toulon, escorting an expeditionary force of over 30,000 men under General Napoleon Bonaparte which was destined for Egypt. The fleet arrived off Valletta at 5:30am on 9 June 1798. Grandmaster Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim refused Bonaparte's demand that his entire convoy be allowed to enter Grand Harbour to take on supplies. Bonaparte immediately ordered his fleet to bombard Valletta and, on 11 June, General Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers directed an amphibious operation in which several thousand soldiers landed at seven strategic sites around the island. The Order, which had many French Knights in its ranks, hardly put up any resistance. The Maltese Militia of approximately 2,000 men resisted for 24 hours but retreated to Valletta once the city of Mdina fell to General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois. Bonaparte negotiated a surrender with Hompesch, who agreed to turn Malta and all its resources over to the French in exchange for estates and pensions in France for himself and his knights. Bonaparte then established a French garrison on the islands, leaving 4,000 men under Vaubois while he and the rest of the expeditionary force sailed eastwards for Alexandria on 19 June 1798.

Before the main French force left Malta, the troops requisitioned all the Girard muskets and pistols that were in good condition. They were familiar with these models and they would use them to augment their inventory. Most of these flintlock firearms would end up on the bottom of Aboukir Bay during the Battle of the Nile, when between the 1st to the 3rd of August 1798, many French vessels succumbed to the Royal Navy’s attack off the Nile Delta of Egypt.

The few pistols which were left behind are likely to have fallen into the hands of the Maltese rebels after the start of the rebellion against the French on 2 September 1798, which ended with the capitulation of the French, who were blockaded in Valletta, on 5 September 1800. 

As one says, the rest is history. Otherwise, we would be writing this post in French.

The rarity of these Girard pistols of the Order is conspicuous by their virtual absence on the market. Today we are proud to present one of the short naval boarding pistols, which has survived in remarkably good condition. It bears the acceptance mark of the Order, a Maltese eight-pointed cross, on both the barrel and the stock. Its various components bear the names of the sub-contractors.

You may wish to follow Ian McCollum discussing these Girard pistols on this Forgotton Weapons YouTube video. We take great pleasure in bringing you these daily snippets of firearms history and we hope that you enjoy reading them. 

Today’s featured firearm is NOT for sale.