Old toy cannon

I've had this toy since I was a young child, at least 60 years. My grandfather might have played with it too, and he was born in 1906. So I'm thinking it might be over 100 years old, but who knows. It could have come through my grandmother as well, which might make it older. It's been sitting on my mantle for so long I thought I would see if anyone can provide any info. If there's a better resource to ask, I'd appreciate it. I don't care about value, just the history. Obviously it's pretty beat up. It's 4.25" long from tip to tail. There are no markings anywhere on it to indicate manufacturer. I've poked around and there are a lot of different types of these but I have not found a match. Thanks for any comments or resources.

 

with that paint job and closed end , I suspect it was part of a military toy set....

 

https://www.ebay.com.my/itm/124688016629

 

Thank you! That's the one. It says brand is Barclay, so that gives me more to go on. Year 1930 is strange. My grandparents would have been 24 so that shoots down the theory that my grandfather played with it. My uncle wasn't born until 1939, but I supposed these things hung around in shops for a while, and 1930 might just be an estimate. Thanks again.

 

Family stories.....without a photo...or legit documents ..are likely just estimates as well...

I ws with my father when he bought his Eilat stone ring at one of the Jerusalem gates....... in 1971.
I was there...I witnessed it.

Do I have proof.................................... no ! Just my say so...which will be lost to the ring as it passes thru time..

 

Yes, often misinterpreted or misremembered. I have a mandolin from my great-grandmother and for a long time believed it was post-Civil War, remembering that it belonged to my grandmother's grandfather. I researched it a few years ago and determined that it actually dates later in the mandolin craze, circa 1910, so it really belonged to my mother's grandfather instead - the great-grandmother's husband. It's unlabeled and everyone was making them with the same parts and styles. Impossible to nail it down, only get close.

Seems like a similar problem with this cannon research as with the mandolin. There was a craze and everybody was making lots of them. I'm seeing matching cannons saying "Barclay Manoil", like this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/155519611244, or have them as Barclay or Manoil. As far as I can tell, they were always separate companies. So which one? Or a different "dimestore soldier" maker. Probably doesn't matter that much. It likely dates from the 1930s or early 40s and it was my uncle who played with it, not my grandfather.