General Pitt Rivers collected this patron, which is made of ebony and ivory and has a spring lid. He believed it dated to the time of Philip and Mary (1550s), which would make it very rare.

Inside is space for five rolled paper cartridges, each containing a ball and powder charge. The paper wrapping also went down the barrel as wadding. This saved the shooter time measuring out the right amount of powder before each shot. The cartridges were torn open with the teeth so, until the development of metal cartridges in the 19th century, an army recruit had to possess good molars to pass the medical examination.