Musketry Arms

At the far eastern end of Pembroke Street, on its northern corner with George Lane, stood the Musketry Arms. When built this was as far as east as civilian development went in this part of Devonport, the surrounding area dominated by or set aside for service establishments and the defensive lines of the town.

The name is not a surprising one in an area where the gun was a basic tool of the trade for so many of the soldiers and sailors living or stationed in Devonport, what is perhaps surprising is that the term musket used in the context of a handgun was part of a more general, sixteenth/seventeenth century, practice of naming weaponry after birds of prey, as in falcon and falconet (small/light cannon) and a saker (both a type of falcon and a small piece of seventeenth century artillery). The original musket is a small kind of sparrowhawk. Meanwhile the Musketry Arms was compulsorily purchased at the end of January 1929 and closed on 4 February.

Licensees

1867 - Samuel King
1880 - C Hunt
1885 - Thomas Watty
1888 - James Jeffs
1893 - John McGillicuddy
1898 - F Richards
1899 - Walter Reddicliffe
1901 - Nicholas Grant
1902 - J Osmonde
1903 - W Coombes
1905 - William Mallett
1907 - AG Ford
1912 - G Seamen
1914 - C Sercombe
1920 - Charlotte Boraker
1924 - William Popham
1928 - Henry Billing