The Jacob rifle

Designed by the distinguished soldier and Indian administrator General John Jacob, this innovative double rifle was notable for its impressive range, says Mark Murray-Flutter

- Murray-Flutter

THE 19TH century was a time of huge technical and social transformation, and the world of firearms was not immune from being touched by this change. Indeed, the Great Exhibition of 1851 would amply demonstrate that innovation was not only happening but happening at pace. One of the weapons developed that exemplifies this shift was designed by the famous soldier and Indian administrator General John Jacob, and it bears his name.

John Jacob entered the Honourable East India Company's (HEIC) military seminary at Addiscombe, near modern-day Croydon, as a cadet at the tender age of 14. The HEIC needed trained soldiers because it maintained three private armies in India: the Bombay, Madras and Bengal. These were composed of both Indian regiments officered by the British and regiments comprising entirely Europeans, each supported by a number of regular British Army regiments often stationed in India for up to 12 years. By 1844 the combined strength of the three armies was about 250,000 personnel.