doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Wm Cashmore info needed (with pictures)

Need some information on my William Cashmore box lock, it is a heavy 8 pound gun with 32" barrels, nitro proofed for 1&1/4 ounce, auto safety and choked full & full. The barrels are engraved "Wm CASHMORE. MAKER. BIRMINGHAM." on the right barrel and "HIGHEST AWARDS. ADELAIDE. MELBOURNE. LAUNCESTON & HOBART" on the left barrel. The gun is extremely plain with the only engraving being on the screws and apart from the average re-bluing job it is in very good original condition.
Just wanted to know the year of manufacture (serial no.12171) and anything else you may know about William Cashmore or what the gun was designed for.

Cheers Rhys

I know little about them, but believe they were well-reputed in the pigeon ring.

Jay

THEY WERE WELL MADE GUNS OF MEDIUM QUALITY USUALLY. A LARGE PERCENTAGE WERE MADE FOR EXPORT I HAVE READ. I HAVE HAD TWO OR THREE AND A FRIEND OF MINE HAS ONE VERY NEAR IDENTICAL TO YOURS.
MY HAMMER CASHMORE SERIAL NUMBER 13682 WAS MADE IN 1909, SO i AM GUESSING 1905 ISH FOR YOURS.
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Rhys, with the English Made stamp, seems like a nice, though plain beefy export gun
Nice Hammer there Stallones
franc

The proof marks are 1904-1925 so Stallones estimate fits.

Information on Cashmore, courtesy the Internet Gun Club:

Name William Cashmore
Address1 33 Newton Street
Address2 33 Newton Street and 8 Newton Street
Address3 33 Newton Street
Address4 130 Steelhouse Lane
Address5 130-131 Steelhouse Lane
Address6 132 Steelhouse Lane
Address7 25 Whittall Street
City/Town Birmingham
Country United Kingdom
Trade Gun & pistol maker; gun implement maker
Other Address 59 Bath Street; 121 Steelhouse Lane
Dates 1847-1965
Notes

William Cashmore was born in 1821 in Birmingham. Reportedly, he was apprenticed to Benjamin Swift in about 1828 but, unless this apprenticeship referred to his father or uncle, this is unlikely as he was only 7 years old. Again reportedly, he established his own business in 1835 at 33 Newton Street but again, unless this establishment date referred to his father or uncle, this is unlikely. The firm was not recorded at this address until 1847.
Between 1847 and 1900 the firm probably had an agent in London as they marked their guns "London".

William was recorded in the 1851 census as a pistol maker living at 8 Newton Street with his wife, Sarah (b.1822) and two daughters, Julia (b.1847) and Elizabeth (b.1849). Also living with them was William Summis (b.1836) who was William's apprentice. In 1855 William was listed in one of the directories as a pistol maker and gun implement maker at 8 Newton Street although he still occupied 33 Newton Street. In 1858 he moved to Steelhouse Lane (no number recorded) but from about 1870 130 Steelhouse Lane was given as his address. In the 1861 census william was recorded living in Steelhouse Lane. By this time he had four sons, William (b.1853), Thomas James (b.1857), Albert (b.1859) and Frank (b.1860). William described himself as a gun and pistol maker. The 1871 census records William living at Holte House, Aston Village, with Sarah, Julia, William, Thomas, Albert and Frank. By the time of the 1881 census William and Sarah appear to have separated. William was living at Bell Villa, Sutton Road, Erdington with his daughter, Mary Hannah Ruth (b.1856). Sarah and the other children do not appear to have been recorded. At about this time the firm exported guns to Australia and New Zealand and were well known for their live pigeon and later their clay pigeon guns.

On 9 February 1884 E J Cashmore and Charles Pryse patented a drop-down barrel action with under-lever cocking and a safety sear (No. 3002). On 9 December 1887 F (Frank ?) Cashmore and T Bland patented a rotating block striker mechanism for four barrelled guns (No. 16969). The 1891 census records William living at Mahurangi Villa, Station Road, Sutton Coldfield, with Mary, Howard P (b.1886) and Marjorie R (b.1890). This census records Sarah living at 261 Hoagley Road, Edgbaston, with Albert (a gun maker) and Frank (aged 27 living on own means) and a grandson, Frank Edwards (b.1881). On 11 October 1894 S Mills patented a locking mechanism which used downward hinging external arms to operate internal locking lumps on either side of the action (No. 19300). This patent was used by William Cashmore who on 12 September 1895 patented an improvement to it (No. 17040). On 20 December 1895 William Cashmore patented a single selective trigger mechanism in which the trigger was in either a left or right position (No. 24426). On 7 March 1896 F Cashmore, C O Ellis and E W Wilkinson patented an extractor and ejection mechanism for revolvers (No. 5151). On 18 November 1896 W Cashmore and G Brazier patented a safety catch(No. 25944).

William Cashmore reportedy died in 1900 in Kings Norton, but the 1901 census records him living at Wyngate (?), Station Road, Sutton Coldfield with his daughter, Mary H R, a previously unrecorded son, William T (b.1882 a gun maker), Howard P (aged 15 years) and Marjorie R. By about 1905 the firm's address was 130-131 Steelhouse Lane, but by 1920 it was 132 Steelhouse Lane.
In 1925 the firm was re-named William Cashmore & Co, and in the mid 1930s they had additional premises at 13 Weaman Street. In 1936 they moved to 180 Aston Road. In 1939 their address was 25 Whittall Street and in 1953 it was 59 Bath Street. In 1960 the firm occupied 121 Steelhouse Lane, they were not recorded after 1965.

HTH

Tim

Thanks everyone for your help and its nice to know some history of the maker!

The 13/1 marks indicate the gun is underbored. Standard 12 bore diameter is .729; 13/1 indicates a bore diameter of .719. Good to know that, because measuring the bores allows you to tell how much, if any, the barrels have been honed.

"Choke" on both barrels indicates that the gun came with at least some choke in each, but maybe no more than .008, which would be about improved cylinder as we Americans use the term; about quarter choke in British terminology. Only way to know for sure how much choke is to measure the bores and the choke constriction.

I shall definitely have a look at that. I never actually had the bore diameter measured, only the wall thickness and chokes.