Originally Posted by Small Bore
There were two Manton brothers, John was the elder and Joseph the younger. John Manton was born in 1752 and after his apprenticeship, set up in London in Piccadilly.

Manton began producing percussion guns in 1825 and Manton himself died in 1834, leaving the business in the hands of his son. During this period, only the very best quality guns were sold as ‘John Manton & Son’, the lower quality work being sold as ‘Manton’ or, later, ‘J. Manton & Co’. Among the apprentices trained in gunmaking by John Manton are famous names like: William Greener and John Blanch; and indeed, his own, more famous brother, Joseph Manton (for whom James Purdey worked as a stocker).

John Manton’s work was probably the equal of Joseph’s. Though he did not have the publicity that came with his brother’s association with Col. Peter Hawker, John Manton was certainly one of the key founders of the modern London gun trade. His business was located at 6 Dover Street, Piccadilly from 1781 until 1878.