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Errors re Reilly in well known histories of UK gunmakers
These quotes on Reilly from well-known writers are not meant as digs at the authors - in the pre-internet days this was what was accepted as the "truth" about Reilly. This post then is meant to point out that gun scholarship about Reilly, once regarded as "fact," written by the most knowledgeable authors on UK gun-making and repeated by others over the course of 75 years, was in fact riddled with mis-statements, mis-conceptions and fundamental errors.

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Volume 3 of Nigel Brown's BRITISH GUNMAKERS - (courtesy of Lagopus.)

REILLY EDWARD MICHAEL/& Co/REILLY JOSEPH CHARLES. E.M. Reilly was the son of Joseph and took over the business in 1899 (*1) having been separated in business on his own account since 1848 (*2). Since it looks as though Edward may have continued his father's numbering system at least initially (*3), I have therefore tabulated both their records together. E.M Reilly was last recorded as such in 1917 (*4) but Charles Riggs & Co., who set up in 1909, started advertising himself as Charles Riggs & Co. (incorporating E.M. Reilly & co., Est. 100 years) c.1942 (*5) and from the look of the last Reilly gun noted he may well have been using the name a little before that. Reilly put out a large number of guns as can be seen from the Nos. noted - not all of which are listed. There was a Paris branch in the Rue Scribe certainly in the 1870's and 1880's.(*6)

Followed by a list of guns with numbers and dates starting with c.1840 No. 254, (*7) a percussion pistol, and ending in 1936/7 with number 150570.(*8)

Comment:
(*1) - No. He became a full partner in the business in 1840, JC retired abruptly in Sept 1857 and EM became the owner; He changed the name to EM Reilly & Co. in Oct 1859 and died in July 1890.
(*2) - No. The businesses were never separate - EM and JC shared the same building and advertisements to the end.
(*3) - Yes sort of. Although as detailed in this history, they bumped their main-line Serial Number series up 5000 numbers when they moved in March 1847 and JC kept a series of numbers for himself,
(*4) - No, EM Reilly & Co., is recorded in the 1918 London phone book.
(*5) - No, Riggs incorporated the Reilly name in August 1922.
(*6) - The Paris branch at Rue Scribe existed from Feb 1868 to July 1885.
(*7) - #254 would have been numbered in the 1820's - I've put it as 1829....it could be a bit earlier or later depending on the start date of Reilly manufacture and the first number he used. Terry Weiland cited 254 as the earliest Reilly as well. The oldest SN so far found is #88
(*8) - Riggs serial numbers are 6 digit beginning about 130000.

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Boothroyd's Directory of British Gunmakers on Reilly - (courtesy of Larry Brown.). (Better than most)

Joseph Charles Reilly first appeared as a jeweler at 12 Middle Row, Holborn, in 1816(*1).

By 1835 he had become a gunmaker at 316 High Holborn where he remained until 1847(*2). His son, Edward Michael Reilly became his father's partner at new premises(*3), 502 Oxford Street, first occupied around 1848 (*4). A shop at Rue Scribe, Paris, is recorded in 1882 and 1884, but not in 1893(*5). The name became Reilly & Co around 1860 (*6) and was already known as E.M. Reilly & Co in 1882.(*7)

In April 1903, due to the rebuilding of 277 Oxford street, the firm moved to number 295 on the same street and they appear to have remained there for some years as this address was given when they became a limited company in December 1911(*8). The directors were named as H. Reilly and C.W. Roberts (*9) and the capital was 2,000 pounds. In March 1920 Reilly's were incorporated into the business of Charles Riggs & Co Ltd of 107 Bishopsgate.(*10)

Comment:
(*1) - Close but no: Opened his Jewelry shop in 1814.
(*2) - Dates are correct: I have the month and day of the moves.
(*3) - No: I believe EM became a partner in the business in 1840 when his advertisements changed from "J.C. Reilly" to just "Reilly."
(*4) - 502 New Oxford St. was first occupied March 23, 1847.
(*5) - Yes...but 2 rue Scribe Paris was occupied from Feb 1868 to August 1885. Statement is correct but incomplete.
(*6) - Not exactly - "Reilly & Co., was used for a short time in Aug 1858-Spring 1859;
(*7) - Correct but incomplete; by Apr 1859 the name had changed to "E.M. Reilly & Co."
(*8) - Correct up to a point; Bankruptcy was declared publicly on 8 Jun 1912.
(*9) - Sort of: Roberts was a liquidator lawyer; I believe they knew bankruptcy was coming and thus created the Limited liability company to protect their personal fortunes.
(*10) - I do not believe this is correct. Riggs began advertising his sale of "E.M. Reilly & Co., London" guns in August 1922.

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Vintage British Shotguns by Terry Weiland, p. 259

E.M. Reilly & Co.

Edward Michael Reilly was a London gunmaker born 1816 (*1) who entered his father's business in 1848 (*2). By 1861 the firm was called Edward M. Reilly & Co. (*3), which later evolved into E.M Reilly & Co (*4). The firm was located in Oxford Street throughout its existence (*5), but the numbers changed sometimes because the firm moved and sometimes because the buildings were renumbered.

For awhile in the 1880's, the firm had an outlet on Rue Scribe in Paris (*6) - an indication of how successful the company was.

Although it was not a household name E.M Reilly was well respected and its products were used by two of the most famous hunters of the Victorian age Sir Samuel Baker and Frederick Courteney Selous. Baker used a pair of E.M. Reilly 10 bores to back up his monstrous "Baby"; Reading of this and seeking seeking to emulate the much admired Baker, Selous took a Reilly 12 bore with him on his first venture to Africa but the gun was stolen shortly after he landed.

E.M. Reilly lasted until 1917 (*7) when it was bought out by Charles Riggs & Co. (*8), which sold shooting accessories. The Reilly name disappeared from gun making. (*9)

Reilly is known to have made hammer guns and boxlocks most of which were probably made in Birmingham and finished at the shop in London (*10). Its boxlocks ranged from very basic to genuine bests.

Comment:
(*1) - No, EM was born Sep 1817
(*2) - No, EM entered the business as early as 1835 and by 1840 was probably a partner.
(*3) - No, There was never a firm called "Edward M. Reilly & Co."
(*4) - No, The name "EM Reilly & Co.", is first noted in April 1859.
(*5) - No, The firm in London was not always on Oxford street as detailed in the history.
(*6) - No, The Paris branch at Rue Scribe existed from Feb 1868 to July 1885, not just the 1880's.
(*7) - No, Company was still listed in the 1918 London directory.
(*8) - No, Riggs first began using the name "E.M. Reilly & Co., London" in August 1922.
(*9) - Riggs used the name on possibly as many as 20,000 guns, none built by him, all made in Birmingham.
(*10) - Terry cites no evidence for this assertion - although he does qualify it with the words "probably" and "most."

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From a UK help site - conclusions are worth noting

According to Nigel Brown's "British Gunmakers" , E.M. Reilly produced shotguns from around 1881 until at least 1916 in London in two locations and also had a retail store front on the Rue Scribe in Paris.

Reilly functioned in a similar fashion as did Scott, Webley and other London makers of the time in that his work was evenly divided between retail sales and also wholesale manufacture "to the trade". It appears that he made guns for several famous London makers who in turn marked his products with their Company names.

Reilly made weapons in several grades from pure field utilitarian (very plain) to extra fancy (heavy scroll engraving, cased, burl walnut grain stocks). Depending on the form and condition, the standard models retail from $325 to $450 and the higher grades up to $2,500 with collectors.

Last edited by Argo44; 12/11/21 01:00 PM.
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