The Kalthoffs were a prominent Danish family of
gunsmiths during the 17th century, best known for the
Kalthoff repeater — a rapid fire
flintlock
Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also know ...
repeating rifle that could reach a
rate of fire of 20–30 rounds/minute. Signed specimens of their guns can be found kept in the
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original c ...
, the
Danish War Museum, the
Swedish Royal Armoury and the
Kremlin Armoury
The Kremlin Armoury,Officially called the "Armou/ory Chamber" but also known as the cannon yard, the "Armou/ory Palace", the "Moscow Armou/ory", the "Armou/ory Museum", and the "Moscow Armou/ory Museum" but different from the Kremlin Arsenal. ( ...
collections.
The family was founded by
Herman Kolthoff from Kultenhof Estate in the Danish
Duchy of Schleswig (now
Kaltenhof, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany), who had several sons that went on to fame across Europe.
*
Peder Hermansen Kalthoff — Served
Frederik III of Denmark
Frederick III ( da, Frederik; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bi ...
as Head of Armory, 1600–1672
*
Matthias Hermansen Kalthoff — Gunsmith Denmark, 1608–1681
*
Caspar Hermansen Kalthoff Elder — Served
Charles I of England
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...
, 1606–1664
**
Caspar Kalthoff Younger — Served
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Alexis of Russia
Aleksey Mikhaylovich ( rus, Алексе́й Миха́йлович, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ; – ) was the Tsar of Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676. While finding success in foreign affairs, his reign saw several wars ...
and
Charles II of England
*
Henrick Hermansen Kolthoff — Founded Foundries in Sweden and Norway, 1610–1661
*
William Hermansen Kalthoff — Patented repeating gun in France
Descendants
The Kalthoff name is a single
family name, and spelling name was recorded as Kaldtoft, Kalthof, Kaltof, Kaltoft, Koldtoft according to local pronunciation and spelling habits. All of the families with these names in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
are descendants. The original seed Kalthoff in each country shared the "Hermansen" name indicating a common father, was famous for advanced metallurgic skills (iron manufacturing, advanced steel formula for repeating rifles, etc.), and were born within a decade of each other.
References
*
Harold L. Peterson ''The Book of the Gun'' Paul Hamlyn Publishing Group (1962)
* Robert M. Lee & R. L. Wilson, ''Art of the Gun'' Yellowstone Press (2002)
* Guy M Wilson ''The Vauxhall Operatory. A century of inventions before the Scientific Revolution'', Basiliscoe Press (2010)
* S.E. Ellacott, ''Guns'', Methuen (1960)
* Gordon Campbell, The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts, Oxford University Press, (2006)
* Arne Hoff,Ældre dansk bøssemageri, Tøjhusmuseet, 1951
External links
Bibliography of the Kalthoff family in SwedenHerman Kolthoff Family Tree
* Raadvad Mill
* Gut Kaltenhof
Gunsmiths
{{firearms-stub