Watson Bros 12 Bore Over Under - Spoken For
0J7A2197
0J7A2152
0J7A2158
0J7A2153
0J7A2181
0J7A2178
0J7A2217
0J7A2155
0J7A2201
0J7A2185
0J7A2221
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0J7A2222
Made for Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich.
1861-1929 Grandson of Tsar Nicholas of Russia. Banished from Russia in 1891 for marrying a lady of a lower class, (did him a favour as it turned out) lost his fortune and three brothers to the Bolsheviks in the revolution of 1918. This pair of best 12 bore Lang and Hussey have come to us for restoration. Barrels sleeved to original length of 30". This pair of double triggered guns have been restocked to 15 1/4" with a beautiful rounded pistol grip.
Weighing 7lb all mechanical work on the pair has been undertaken as well as all new pins and refinishing, now returned to their original fine condition.
An honour to return these guns to their former glory.
Cased £19,000
Watson & Son 3594
12 bore under lever hammergun with rebounding locks. Not to be confused with Watson Bros This family traded in London around the 1900's for a period. What we do like in particular about the gun is the condition of the 30" 2 1/2" Damascus barrels, The bore sizes are .722" and .723" Original proof of .719" Minimum wall of .031" and .036" no choke with clean bores.
Stocked to 15 1/2" with 1 3/4" extension.
Oak Case with its original label
Watson Bros 16 over under Special - Spoken for
A rare fine specially engraved 16 bore over under.
Made with 29" barrels choked 1/2 in both barrels with 70mm chambers. 1/4" tapered flat filecut top rib. A roundbody sidelock ejector gun, auto safety fitted with single trigger with rolled edge triggerguard leading into a prince of wales grip. Beautifully figured best walnut stock of 14 3/4" length with cast off 5/16" and a bend of 1 5/16" 2".
It took many months to engrave this unique style by Erich Friedrichson. The left lock adorned with woodcock flying in amongst the bramble and gold inlay oak leaves. The right lock has a covey of Partridge in a similar fashion. With Pheasant rising underneath the gun. If you think it ends there you will be mistaken, Oak leaf in relief all over the gun.Of special interest is the pistol cap and the lever , the fine detail of a pheasants head carved and pierced on the lever complemented with carved pheasant on the action breech.
The gun completed with a weight of 6lb 9oz
Wrapped in its deluxe case.
Watson Bros SuperLight 12 - Spoken For
A 12 roundbody superlight side by side self opener.
Made in 2010 a delightful game gun designed for the shooter who likes to carry a light gun but with a pattern a 12 bore. Ideal for partridge , Quail . A slim roundbodied self opener double triggered gun with 70mm chambers and the added support of sideclips. The 28" barrels are proofed at 18.6 with bore sizes of 7.32" and .733" minimum walls of .028" choked Right 1/4" Left 3/4" .The stock measurements are Length 15 1/2" bend 1 1/2" 1 15/16" with Cast off 5/8" and a straight hand.The original client an extreme sportsman spared no expense in the design of his gun with the Beautiful roundbody all brought together and wrapped in Edwardian scroll complimented with the heel and toe pieces , rolled edge trigger guard and one of the prettiest stocks you are ever likely to see.
Interestingly this gun was made as a pair separating them at birth as the client only wished to take one gun. There is a photo of its sister still in the white ready for stocking, we have added this image should a prospective purchaser be interested.
Weighing 6lb 1 oz
Cased with accessories.
£33,500
12 Bore
Beautiful 1920's Watson Bros 12 bore side by side sidelock ejector. Rebarrelled by Michael Louca in 1993 in 28" with 1/4 and 3/4 chokes and 70mm chambers and game rib. Bores are both .728" with minimum walls of .030".
A double triggered gun that has had an extensive restoration to include recut engraving and recolour hardening. The gun has a 15" stock including a 3/4" leather covered pad.
Weighing 6lb 9 oz
Cased with accessories.
What a privilege it is to have been allowed to purchase This Purdey Bar-in -Wood hammergun,serial no.9777
What makes this gun so special?
Apart from being a 20 bore , it has two original sets of 30" Damascus barrels one engraved on the shield plain and the other choke. Both pairs of barrels are in proof with thick walls and clean bores.The original stock is in fine condition as is the engraving.As with all hammerguns from this era it has rebounding locks. The action engraved by James Lucas who developed the Purdey rose and scroll.
The original lightweight oak case has its original tools and some added by the family that owned the gun. We decided not to do a thing to this gun , not even clean the case, for fear of ruining the patina. The real rarity about this gun is it was acquired from the original family that ordered the gun back in 1877. Please read the fascinating history below. We have put together a family tree to show the passage to the last family owner whom we purchased the gun from.
Christopher Owen writes,
completed in 1877 for Mr J. R. Wright.
John Reid Wright (1819 - 1896), a distiller and merchant. Was the second son of John Wright of Knockupworth Hall in Grinsdale, Carlisle, and Ann Wright (née Anderson). He moved to London and worked in the distillery business with John Reid, who was Master of the Worshipful Company of Distillers in 1804. He continued the business – John Reid Wright & Co Ltd, distillers – after Reid’s death in 1836.
The Worshipful Company of Distillers may have more information about John Reid Wright and the business.
The connection between the Wrights and Reid, I presume they were related in some way. Certainly John Wright's second son was given Reid as a middle name and John Wright also named one of his daughters Lucretia. John Reid's wife was named Lucretia. Given the dates, John Reid Wright must have been sent down to London when very young.
In the 1841 census, John (55) and Ann (50) Wright were recorded at Knockupworth Hall, along with children Lucretia (25), Eleanor (25) and David (20), who was styled as a ‘farmer’. David Wright (b.1921) was the third son of John Wright and married Ann Gillbanks in 1852, moving to Scoathwaite Close Farm in Ireby. He was my grandmother’s grandfather and died just before his father John in 1860.
John Reid Wright must have been staying at Knockupworth Hall for the 1861 census, possibly because his brother and father had just died. It recorded Ann Wright (72) as head of the family, with son John Reid Wright (41), daughter Mary A Thompson (35) and granddaughter Jane Eleanor Wright (3).
John Reid Wright was recorded in the 1871 census as living with two servants at 26 Aldersgate St., London, and remained there until his death in 1896. He acted as executor for brother David Wright (d.1860), father John Wright (d.1861) and mother Ann Wright (d.1881). It may be that Knockupworth Hall was sold at this point or soon after.
John Reid Wright didn’t marry. His probate record shows he left an estate worth £23,166 and his two executors were Mary Ann Middleton (b. 1854 née. Wright) and Margaret Elizabeth Wright. Both ladies were daughters of David Wright. I’m afraid this means that the portrait that is marked as being of John Reid Wright, is almost certainly not him. It must instead be a portrait of John Reid, because it is paired with a portrait of Lucretia. It also explains why the clothing appears to be early rather than late Victorian.
Another of David's daughters, Jane Eleanor Wright (b. 1857) married Robert Peat in 1886. They had a son, Robert Wright Peat (b. 1899), who was my grandmother’s first cousin (known as Robin). He worked as a land agent and lived at Raughton Head, near Carlisle. At some stage, the gun was passed to him.
On his death in 1977, Robin's widow Margit gifted the gun to my late father John Owen. His grandmother (and my great grandmother) was Ann Gillbanks Todd (née Wright), who was born posthumously to David in 1861.
Margit wrote the attached letter. She records the gun as having been nitro proofed circa 1925. She also says it was made for Robin's 'grandfather’ however, I think she was mistaken and it was actually made for his great-uncle. It passed to me when my father relinquished his gun licence around 2010.
12 bore
32" barrels with 3" chamber, full choke with an elevated ventilated rib
What adds to the uniqueness of this gun is that it is a true left handed gun with left handed opening and a roundbody single trigger
As ever the 15½” stock is made from deluxe walnut
Adorned with our Edwardian scroll and carved pheasant with the lovely touch of raised lettering
The gun weight is 8 lb – ideal for heavier loads
French blocked case with canvas outer, accessories included