Gunsmith
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L’Armurier | The Gunsmith
The armour-maker ("Historical Profession", 1568 drawing by Jost Amman, Wikimedia Commons).
Traditionally, the armurier, or gunsmith, was a person who made or sold weapons.
Because of its complex firing mechanism, the fabrication of a firearm required the cooperation of different trades. To shape the pieces of the weapon, many craftsmen united their knowledge and their efforts. Often, one craftsman practiced two trades. In Europe, for example, the gunsmith could also be a blacksmith. For ceremonial weapons, the embellishments could require the work of an artisan sculptor, a goldsmith and even a jeweller.
In New France, however, the manufacture of firearms was practically non-existent. Those who practiced gunsmithing here did not have the same job as their counterparts in Europe. These craftsmen simply repaired and cleaned firearms. Repairing entailed the manufacture of parts and excluded the manufacture of whole firearms. It is possible that some of our gunsmiths attempted to do so, but such practices were very limited. In a nutshell, the gunsmiths of New France used a range of small instruments to manufacture and repair the different parts of the firearm.
Here, three categories of craftsmen were involved in gunsmithing - locksmiths, toolmakers and the gunsmiths themselves. In addition, each one of them was almost always backed up by a blacksmith.
In New France in 1663, only 3 men were gunsmiths and 4 were master gunsmiths. In the 1744 Québec census, only 3 men were recorded as gunsmiths. One possible reason why there were so few gunsmiths was the long period of apprenticeship required—usually 5 years of learning alongside a master, which was much longer than that of a blacksmith or shoemaker, for example.
"A gunsmith at work, 1613" (painting by artist unknown, Wikimedia Commons).
Eventually, some gunsmiths became merchants. They were the main importers of guns and gun parts, which they put together and sold. Others became voyageurs. In several forts and trading posts along fur trade routes, gunsmiths practiced their trade, repairing guns in exchange for furs, which they sold once they returned home. They also became specialists in all matters of iron works in the absence of an edge-tool maker or locksmith.
In the 17th century, the gunsmith was sometimes called an arquebusier, probably because he was the one in charge of repairing this type of firearm.
The "king's gunsmith" was the one in charge of weapons in the king’s stores in Québec, Trois-Rivières, Montréal or in other posts.
The gunsmith was one of 7 main occupations in New France relating to metalwork, the others being the locksmith, the blacksmith, the tinsmith, the coppersmith, the edge-tool maker, and the arquebusier.
Known persons who had this occupation : Augustin Balard, René Barsalou, Jean Barthe dit Larivière, Théophile Barthe dit Bardet, John Barnsley, Théophile Barthe, Charles (Claude) Beaudry, Guillaume Beaudry dit Desbuttes, Jean Baptiste Beaudry dit Desbuttes, René Beaudry dit Desbuttes, René Beaudry dit Soulard, Jean-Baptiste Beaudry dit Saint-Martin, Henri Belisle, Sion Belisle, Jean Benoît, Barthélemy Bertault, Louis Bourbeau, Joseph Bousseau, William Boyd, Jean Bréhier, Philippe Brown, Louis Brunet dit Bourbonnais, Charles Cadieu, Gilles Cahouet, Vital Caron, Guillaume (Le) Cavelier, Jacques (Le) Cavelier, Robert Cavelier dit Deslauriers, Jean-Baptiste Cazellar, Jean Césire, Barthelémy Chasteau, Charles Chauvin, Joseph Chevalier, Simon Chèvrefils dit Bellisle, Jean Baptiste Cochois, Louis Coton dit Fleurdépée, William Cross, Claude David, Jean de Lespinasse, Charles Vital Derainville, Louis Deschamps, Jean Desnoyers, Nicolas Doyon, François Dupont dit LeBlond, Jérome Dupuis, Jean Dutasta dit Liborne, Denis Fayet, René Fezeray, Joseph Fût/Hu/Lehus dit Laforge, Jean Baptiste Gadois, Jean Baptiste Gadois (fils), Pierre Gadois, Félix Gausselin, Nicolas Gauvreau, Pierre Gauvreau, Pierre Goüette dit Lalime, Simon Guillory, Denis Guion, François Haley, Georges Héroux, Barthélémy Hervieux, Georges Hove, Mathieu Hubou dit Deslongchamps, Louis Jegadeau, Jacques Joyal dit Bergerat, André Lagroix, Jean Lamaison, Augustin Latour, François Lamoureux dit Saint-Germain, Antoine Lebohême dit Lalime, Jacques Lebou, Guillaume Lecavelier, Antoine Lemire, Joseph Lemire, Paul Martin, Jean-Baptiste Montauban, François Morneau, Jean Morneau, Abraham Mussy, Charles Nolin, Mathurin Orin, Nicolas Panis, Jacques Paradis, Joseph Parent, François Patoile dit Desrosiers, Louis Joseph Payan, François Pépin, Jean Baptiste Petit, Yves Pinet, Michel Poirier dit Langevin, Jean Baptiste Poitras, Nicolas Pré, Pierre Prudhomme, Joseph Quesnel, Olivier Quesnel, Pierre Quesnel, Michel Quintal, Joseph Rainville, Geoffroy Robert, Étienne Saintes, André Soulard, Jean Baptiste Soulard, Paschal Soulard, Jean Tavernier dit Laforest, Jacques Thibierge, George Trevoux, Laurent Truteau, Jean Valiquet dit Laverdure.
Sources:
Russel Bouchard, Les Armuriers de la Nouvelle-France, Série Arts et métiers, Ministère des Affaires culturelles (Québec, Québec, Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, 1978), 7-20.
Jeanne Pomerleau, Arts et métiers de nos ancêtres: 1650-1950 (Montréal, Québec: Guérin, 1994), 31-35.