Hugh, you could be right. But I think there is a possibility of the Braddell/Bentley and Plafair connection quite early. The following scenarion appears in my files.
June 22, 1876, R E Couchman [for Anson and Deeley] license the pat 1756 of 1875 [action] to Westley Richards. No mention, as I read the contract, is made of a "sole" license.
Nov. 3, 1879, Couchman [I think for Anson and Deeley] licenses the A and D action to Charles Osborne and Co. [Charles Osborne, Ellis and Edward, and Wm Wilkerson]
Feb. 20 1880,Couchman licenses [for Anson and Deeley ?] the A and D action to Harrington and Richardson for sole license in USA. By the way, these guns had the round cocking rods Hugh refers to.
It was sometime later , but at least by 1889 that the licensing of the Deeley patents, at least was being done by Westley Richards and Co Ltd. So it seems sometime between 1880 and 1889 that Westley Richards may have acquired the sole rights to the A and D action. [or when did the 1876 patent expire and was it renewed ?] In 1889, the Deeley ejector was licensed to Pryse, Turner, P. Webley, Bentley and Playfair and others by Westley Richards. It is not inconceivable that the A and D action was licensed to others closely following the original license to Westley Richards , similar to the License for the A and D action granted to Osborne in 1879. My "guess" is that Westley Richards acquired the A and D patent sometime in the early 1880s as their own.
To me the high use number on the Braddell A and D action suggests quite a time period from the late 1870s when it was manufactured. Use numbers for the A and D patent built by Westley Richards started at No. 1.
Well, what does all this mean ? Maybe the Braddell is a Westley Richards made gun, but maybe not. Could be Osborne, or Bentley and Playfair . History of the companies might make me lean toward the latter.
Last edited by Daryl Hallquist; 10/30/12 05:38 PM.
