Is there, or rather has there been any noted welsh gunmakers, or much of a gunmaking industry in Wales ? Or is the fact that Birmingham is very close to wales the reason there was never much of a requirement for Gun makers in that region ? Ireland had a few good gunmakers, Rigby, Stephen Grant etc, Scotland had excellent makers such as Alex Henry, Fraser etc, England, too many to mention, but i cannot think of one welsh gunmaker.
Welsh surnames are extremely common in the trade: Jones, Lewis, Williams, Evans, Griffiths, Roberts, Smith, James, etc. Now whether any of the gunmakers that had these names moved from Wales to England to open shop, I have no idea. I can’t recall ever seeing a gun with a Welsh address on it either. Probably just too easy to go to Birmingham and apprentice and then open up shop.
List of English and Welsh gunmakers up to 1850
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwjNnKXzmdzeAhV9HjQIHeQADs0QFjAAegQICBAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchpress.co.uk%2Frppublishing%2Frplibrary%2Frpl004-english-welsh-gunmakers-1550-1850-v1705.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0NHQhFbXgXuQN1wlC0ruxO
The Internet Gun Club list about 90 makers/sellers in Wales. Cardiff is often mentioned .
Thank you all, no i do not remember seeing a welsh address on a gun either. As i said, irish, scottish, english, but never a welsh one.
Arthur Agnew and T Page-Wood and Co. are listed in Wales. Each of these may have connections in other locations.
I once had a wonderful 14 bore percussion double By Farmer of Cardiff. I traded it to Larry Shelton for a 10 bore Patrick Mullen. I wish all three were still here.
There was Horatio and John Jones from Wrexham and a guy in Llandudno but I think he was a stocker, he'd made a replacement boxlock stock for a gun a friends father passed on to his son.,
I started jotting down a list of Welsh firms (couldn't be sure who actually built guns or who just sold them)
I'll dig out the unfinished list and post it when it turns up.