lets get back to at least one subject A Keepers Gun" Full title a Game keepers gun" as another contributor put it a basic box lock double, but that is far from reality on the large Estates, this type of gun should in reality be called an Estate gun for use by every body very often the the tenant farmers used it amongst others. Now lets look at the "Game Keeper" on large estates, game keepers where given guns as a part of their tools for the job BUT lets put human nature into the equation and as an example that Robert Adan's I have that came down the family from a grandfather game keeper. Adams was not a top line London maker more a second line maker even then his guns were not cheap and far above the wage level of a game keeper so how did his grandfather come to be the owner? The answer is simple some Estate owners gave guns as a personal gift to a good keeper, though a more common way was I what I was told about that gun. A large estate owner died in reality it was the gamekeeper who had the knowledge about how many and what type of guns were in the gun room, so he would know what guns could go missing and he was not stupid enough to take one of a pair of Holland's Purdey Etc.so would help himself to a good maker gun and very often no one was the wiser. As we would say over here "Half inched found before it was lost Ok stolen" and if it was missed he could have a plausible excuse why he had it. So many gamekeepers had their own guns when they moved from Estate to Estate.
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