British Belly Box - Cartridge Box of French & Indian War and Revolutionary War

Description

British Belly Box
The British Belly Box was the most common form of cartridge box used by the British during the Georgian period. It was very simple and rugged in design. It consisted of a curved wooden block with holes designed to hold musket or carbine cartridges. A leather flap covered the rounds and held them in place. Simple belt loops were nailed to the box through which passed a belt. The box was worn, as its name indicates, in front of the soldier on his belly. The belly box originally came into use very early in the 1700's and remained in service almost unchanged for nearly a century.
Each stand of arms issued to new recruits during this period included - in addition to the recruit's musket - a belly box along with a belt, scabbard, bayonet, and musket sling. These boxes were sometimes stamped with a royal cypher. During the American Revolution the boxes were sometimes modified to add a shoulder carriage. They continued to be produced until they began to be phased out starting in the middle 1780's.
Our reproduction is true to the original in form and function. The wooden block is covered by a high quality leather flap nailed to the box just as on the originals and closed with a leather toggle. They can be modified as was done during the Revolution or may be appropriate for other military impressions of the 18th and early 19th century.