This post was edited and moved forward to p.54
A New History of Reilly, Gun Maker, London & Paris
This Reilly history (edited several times since published in summer 2019) corrects dozens of erroneous writings on the company, including Brown's Vol III, Boothroyd, and every article written about Reilly in the last 45 years. A justification with footnotes can be written for each paragraph below).
-- In the interest of not being politically correct..Reilly was an Irish Catholic..whether this influenced his ability to obtain a "Royal warrant" in Britain (he did in Catholic France, Spain and Portugal) or even a major contract with Arsenal is problematic.
-- Comment: The origin of the "Reilly was a retailer only" myth possibly came out of 1922. Riggs bought the Reilly name and put 20,000 guns on the market, none made by him, with "E.M. Reilly & Co., London" on the ribs from 1922 to 1966. A generation of gun makers grew up with this in their minds, without a reference to what Reilly was before, because by 1900, 22 years and a world war before, Reilly - the classic Reilly - was essentially toast.
-- Attached is also the latest SN date chart which should get a Reilly owner close to the date his gun was manufactured. See two separate and previous charts for "Dating Reilly Labels" and for the detailed dated list of Serial Numbered extant Reilly's.
====================== A New, Short History of Reilly of London, Gun Maker =======================
The Reilly firm of gun makers in London has long been viewed as enigmatic. Confusion exists on the location of the company, its products, and even whether it actually made guns or was just a retailer. Reilly's records were lost 100 years ago after bankruptcy. This new history should resolve these mysteries and re-establish Reilly as at one time perhaps one of if not the largest of gun makers in London during the mid-1800’s.
Joseph Charles Reilly was born in Ireland in 1786. He hailed from a well-to-do family and aspired to become a lawyer. In the mid-1800's he went to London to study (Irish Catholics could not study law in Ireland at the time); However, he had an independent streak; instead of law school, he struck out on his own into various technical fields. He married in 1812., in 1814 he opened a jewelry shop, later described as also dealing in silver-plate, at 12 Middle Row, Holborn, hard by the "Inns of the Court." He registered a silver mark "JCR" in July 1818. His clientele included country gentlemen and barristers.
Note: to register a silver/gold mark require a considerable apprenticeship and noted expertise. John Campbell in his article in “Double Gun Journal,” Summer 2015 also wrote that Reilly was a member of the clock-makers’ guild, something also requiring quite an apprenticeship.
In 1817 his son Edward Michael was born, the third of four children. He prospered, buying a country estate in Bedfordshire in 1824.
Jewelry shops in London at the time often dealt in guns, engraving them and re-selling them them (perhaps because of the influence of the artistic professionalism of Joseph Manton’s guns at the time). (Some such shops called themselves "Whitesmiths"). (Among the extant JC Reilly "jewelry" from this time period are two miniature working naval gun models with Damascus barrels).
First guns made at Holborn Bars, London:
Sometime around Summer 1828 he numbered his first Reilly built gun which presumably was 001. The oldest extant Reilly is SN 162, a single barrel 6 bore muzzle loader wild-fowler. Reilly's first ad for guns he specifically claimed to make is July 1830; However, ads from summer 1828 make it clear he was making guns for trusted clients - and urging customers not to spend money for a "name." The serial numbered guns included pistols, rifles and shotguns. His guns during this period often displayed the address “Holborn Bars.” (“Bars” shows the area was one of the old tax stations for entering London.)
Reilly Business Model:
JC Reilly early on adopted a business model which did not change during the life of the firm: i.e. provide a quality hand-made product for a moderate price and deliver it rapidly, and "make what would sell." With this model he undercut more expensive and better known makers and made his profit on volume.
Reilly dealt in used guns taken on trade and sold guns under license. However he did not serial number guns he did not build and he numbered his guns consecutively for 90 years with certain exceptions during the move to New Oxford-Street in 1847. Reilly had extensive finishing facilities in his large London buildings and at least early on may have stockpiled actions and barrel blanks from outworkers to allow him to meet orders three times as quickly as his competitors.
By 1833 all references to “jeweler” or "silver-plate" had vanished from his advertisements and from that time forward he identified himself solely as “Gun-Maker.” (The first advertisement so far found with "Gun-Maker" appeared in May 1831). (Note: 70 years later as Reilly fortunes bagan to decline, J.C. Reilly’s grandson advertised the firm as having been “established 1835.” This history knows more than the grandson did).
Aug 1835 move to 316 High Holborn-Street:
In August 1835 JC Reilly with 17 year old EM as an apprentice moved to 316 High Holborn Street. The first serial numbered extant gun with the High Holborn address is SN 1024, an 8.5mm pocket pistol.
By circa 1837 pistols were no longer numbered in the Reilly chronological numbering system; His serial numbered guns seemed to be limited to bespoke long-guns made to order. (The last serial numbered pistol so far found is SN 1292, a 120 bore, pocket pistol with a steel barrel).
Aug 1840 name change to “Reilly”:
In August 1840 the firm’s name in advertisements changed from J.C. Reilly to just “Reilly,” which may mark the advent of 23 year old EM as a full partner in the company. (EM is listed in the 1841 census as living with J.C. and his occupation, like that of J.C. is "Gun maker.") The names on the gun ribs continued to be “J.C. Reilly" or "Joseph Charles Reilly.” Case/Trade labels were styled like an embossed business card with "Joseph Charles Reilly," "Gun Maker," and the High Holborn address.
1840’s air-guns:
JC Reilly during this period also became known for his air cane guns. Young EM was billed as the expert and was so mentioned In advertisements, identified as “Reilly Junr." In 1847 EM wrote a widely disseminated pamphlet on air guns. It is mostly an advertising brochure highlighting the company's ability to produce all sorts of air-guns and parts – but also going into air pressures they achieved in the air chambers and other technical aspects of the guns. It is cited to this day. The pamphlet title page noted the author was "Reilly junr," used the (new) 502 New Oxford Street address and included the phrase "Removed from Holborn" (see below).
Note: Reilly became so associated with air-guns that his name was mentioned in various fiction “who-done-its,” and may have been a prototype for the Sherlock Holmes short story “The Empty House” by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Move to 502 New Oxford-Street, March 1847; changing the numbering chronology:
In late March 1847 Reilly moved from High Holborn to 502 New Oxford Street, a large building In the "Elizabethan" area on a new extension of Oxford Street. And with this move, Reilly demonstrated another trait of his business acumen, i.e. "Location." (The new road provided access to the center of London from the wealthy suburbs to the East.) He always chose prestigious, high-traffic locations for his stores. The last extant gun with High Holborn on the rib is 3329, a 10 gauge SxS percussion rifle.
The building was huge, an estimated 10,000 square feet of space. For a gun-maker in London, this was an enormous space – guns in London were being made in shops at the time the size of a modern kitchen).
At the time of the move the main serial number chronology for Reilly long-guns was jumped up 5000 numbers from about SN 3350 to begin anew at around 8350 (called for simplicity the "8350" series). The name on serial numbered guns after the move ultimately became simply “Reilly” with exceptions.
The first extant main-line SN’d gun from the new building is SN 8378, a SxS 12 bore muzzle-loading shotgun with “J.C. Reilly, 502 New Oxford Street, London” on the rib. The original label in the old High Holborn case label format had the 502 New Oxford Street, London address and noted the firm had “Removed from Holborn."
The first extant SN'd gun in the new series with only "Reilly, 502 New Oxford Street, London" is SN 8463, a .390 cal SxS muzzle loader rifle, also with "Removed from Holborn" on the label.
(Reilly used the phrase "Removed from Holborn" in advertisements after the move from April 1847 to November 1847. By December 1847 it had disappeared from his ads.).
J.C. Reilly 7000 series numbering chronology 1846-1857:
Preceding this move to New Oxford Street, around the end of 1845, perhaps anticipating the (planned) change in the main serial number chronology, J.C. Reilly appears to have kept a series of numbers for himself, called for simplicity the J.C. "7000" series. He numbered about 1200 guns over the next 11 years in this series beginning around SN 7000 and ending around 8200 when he retired in 1857. JC Reilly sometimes (but not always) put his full name or initials on the ribs of these serial numbers but with the 502 New Oxford Street address; yet the trade/case labels with "Reilly" as the firm's name and the advertisements/publicity remained the same for the “8350” main-line series and the J.C. “7000” series.
-- The first extant SN’d gun in the JC “7000” series is SN 7023, an 11 bore SxS percussion shotgun, a gun with “J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London” on the rib, probably numbered in early 1846.
-- SN 7201, a .577 percussion single barrel rifle, was the first in the J.C. 7000 series with the new "502 New Oxford St., London" address on the rib, probably numbered around September 1847. It has the old style “J.C. Reilly” trade label with the new 502 New Oxford Street address and also with "Removed from Holborn.”
-- The last extant gun in the 7000 series (no doubt made in late summer 1857) is SN 8186, an elegant .650 mimi ball single barrel muzzle-loader rifle ("Vini, Vidi, Vici" on the rib - see below).
Outlier J.C. Serial Numbered Guns:
There are outlier SN'd guns associated with JC,
-- 4573 – c1842, a 7 gauge, smoothbore, short single barrel, dangerous game gun with “J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London” on the barrel,
-- 5514 – March 1847, a 16 bore SxS muzzle loader shotgun, which has “J.C. Reilly 316 High Holborn now 502 New Oxford Street, London” on the rib, (the only gun found so far with both addresses and obviously numbered around the time of the move),
-- 2008 – C1850-56, a 14 bore SxS muzzle-loader shotgun with “Joseph Charles Reilly, New Oxford Street, London” on the rib, and
-- 3514, a 13 bore SxS percussion shotgun with "Reilly, New Oxford Street, London" on the rib, apparently made (per the trade label in the case) after 1855,
which do not fit any sort of pattern, illustrating the sometime quirkiness of JC Reilly.
New Label for 502 New Oxford-Street:
Soon after the move, possibly around December 1847, the trade label changed to "Reilly, Gun Maker," was rectangular shaped with scolloped corners and featured a sketch of 502 New Oxford Street. Note: From 1847 to 1859 long guns and hand guns can be found with “Edward M.,” “Edward Michael,” or "E.M" on their ribs; however, unless serial numbered these were not built by Reilly - they were only engraved and marketed.
Reilly in the early 1850's:
Business anthologies and gun history sites from this period note that J.C. Reilly made guns, E.M. Reilly air guns. But, both worked from the same building and used the same advertisements. This distinction has been made too much of.
Advertisements from 1851 papers show that Reilly had a 300 yard shooting range near his London establishment. It apparently was located off Wood Lane, Shepard's Bush.
Reilly exhibited at the 1851 Crystal Palace International Exposition (as Edward M. Reilly) were he was much taken by the Casimir Lefaucheaux center-break gun. Reilly, Lang and Blanch became the major advocates for these new types of guns in England.
Reilly also exhibited at the 1855 Paris Universelle Exposition, where he received much acclaim, "all guns were sold," and "many orders were booked." The exhibit was in the name of E.M Reilly; however, advertisements make it very clear that though EM won the medals, the firm was still "Reilly, Gun Maker."
Reilly numbering bore sizes before 1855 law:
(Note: In 1855 the British government required that bore sizes be stamped on barrels; Reilly, however, along with Greener and Manton, appears to have been amongst the very few gun makers stamping bore sizes for years before the formal requirement.). There are several extant Reilly’s with bore size stamps dating back to 1842.
Trade/Case label change after 1855 French exposition, possibly in October 1856:
Reilly case labels changed after 1855 to illustrate the 1851 and 1855 world's fair medals and to highlight “Fusils ŕ Bascule," French for center-break guns (made on the "Lefaucheux principle") and other breech loaders such as Prince Patent bolt action guns, and the Terry Patent breech loaders which he marketed and promoted. (The first dated newspaper ad so far found with this phrase appears in "The Law Journal" 16 Aug 1856).
Note: There are other 1856 Reilly advertisements for “Fusils ŕ Bascule” or "Fusils Bascule” from 1856 but the exact dates they were published is not clear. There is a Reilly 12 bore pin-fire rifle shell stamped “Reilly, London” and dated 1855. It is not at all certain, however, that Reilly made these shells; they well could have been made under contract and imported from France. The cartridge’s existance proves only that Reilly was selling pin-fire shells in 1855. It does, however, highlight Reilly’s involvement in center-break guns at the time.
J.C. Retires September 1857:
In September 1857 J.C. Reilly retired to his country estates at Bourn End, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, where he died a wealthy man in January 1864; his last guns in the "7000" series were engraved with Julius Caesar's words "Vini, Vidi, Vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered") possibly as his swan song story of his life. "Formerly Gun-Maker, London" is chiseled on his tombstone.
(Speculation: J.C.'s retirement appeared to have been quite abrupt. At the time the debate over center-break breech-loaders, a French invention, divided families and flame wars raged in the British press. One must wonder if J.C., the traditionalist, broke with his son E.M, a very early proponent of the Lefaucheux break-action gun, over this issue - much like what happened between the Greener's father/son a few years later). (Based on just uncovered earlier advertisements, “broke” is probably not the correct word for the relationship – rather a more accurate description of JC's retirement should be something like “JC surrendered the field to his son.”)
Reilly Building Break Action Guns 1856-1860:
Reilly, began building center-break guns as early as 1856 (possibly late 1855). (Note: E.M. Reilly claimed he experimented with the concept shortly after the 1851 Crystal Hall exhibition but abandoned it as commercially unviable – whether this is true or not is not verifiable).
-- The oldest Reilly center-break gun so far found is 10054, a "Lefaucheux/Lang" type long forward-underlever, single-bite type pin-fire 15 bore SxS rifle engraved "Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib. It is in a period case, with the post 1855 Paris Universelle label with “Fusils ŕ Bascule” on it. It would date per the chart to Fall 1856, about the time the first Reilly ad for “Fusils ŕ Bascule” appeared in the London Press (mentioned above).
-- The second oldest is a similar 16bore SxS SN 10128 made a couple of months afterwards.
-- The third oldest extant Reilly break-action SxS gun found to date is 10655, a "Lefaucheux/Lang" type forward-underlever, single-bite type pin-fire 12 bore SxS shotgun with "E.M. Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib, probably numbered around the time of the below mentioned "The Field" trial - March 1858.
E.M. Reilly participated in the April 1858 trial pitting muzzle-loaders against breech-loaders run by "The Field." (His breech-loader handed a W.W. Greener muzzle-loader an historic defeat in this trial; Greener later tried to denigrate breech-loaders in his 1858 book, and was called out in the most definitive fashion by "The Field.") At this time, there were probably less that 250 center-break breech-loaders being shot in the UK, if that many, in spite of all the noise and controversy in the press.
By Fall 1858 Reilly (along with Lang and Blanch, the original proponents of break-action guns in UK) was reported to be "overdone with orders for his breech-loaders" per "The Field." Reilly provided 4 guns for the follow-on muzzle-loader/break-action breech-loader trial run by the "The Field" in July 1859, at least one built on the "lever under fore-arm" English standard single-bite "Lefaucheux/Lang" principle per a sketch in "The Field" but others with the under-lever located under the trigger guard Beringer-style per a summer 1859 book sketch. His 16 bore was singled out for excellence by the editor of "The Field."
Observation re "retailer" vs "gunmaker" from an analysis of 10054 (Fall 1856), 10128 (December 1856) and 10655 (March 1858):
-- In Fall 1856, there were virtually no outworkers in London who could have made 10054 or 10128. Both guns are early Lang/Lefaucheux forward under-lever pin-fire SxS's. Lang was making pin-fire Lefaucheux style breech loaders but not for the trade. Blanch claimed he made his first pin-fire breech-loader in 1856, this after traveling to Paris to buy a center-break, under-lever around trigger-guard, Berringer style pin-fire in late 1855 after the Paris Universelle and reverse engineering it (He wrote about this purchase – the receipt exists). Reilly, thus was on his own when he obviously embarked on a similar path to that of Blanch in 1855 or possibly earlier to manufacture and sell the French invention.
-- Blanch explained in his later book that at the time the change-over from muzzle-loaders entailed a massive alteration in the manufacturing processes for guns from a breech-plug to a lump, from locks to actions, etc. - this in the face of a very conservative clientele.
-- As for 10655, a Lefaucheux-style 12 bore SxS Shotgun pin-fire breech-loader, at the time it was numbered, early 1858, believe there were still very few gun-making firms or gun makers in general in all of UK that could have made it (and it's twins - submitted by Reilly for the March 1858 "The Field" breech-loader vs muzzle-loader trials) or portions of it - barrels, actions, etc.
. . . . - Again, the two firms, who could possibly have made it, were Lang and Blanch (E.C. Hodges, the original designer of Lang's break-action gun, was making center-break actions, labeled with his name on the plate - not found on Reilly's). The first Birmingham-made center-break gun was still several years in the future.
. . . .- However, Lang and Blanch had orders aplenty themselves - they likely had no time to manufacture for "the trade." (Haris Holland made his first breech loader in 1857 although he advertised them in Sep 1856; Boss in 1858; Purdey in late 1858 or early 1859, etc.)
-- Thus, the most logical conclusion is that both 10054 and 10655 were indeed made by Reilly as he has claimed - no one else could have done it for him.
-- (These two conclusions are per historical data currently available on the early origins of UK center-break pin-fires.)
August 1858, 315 Oxford-Street Opened:
In early August 1858 with new partners (unknown) EM opened a branch store/factory in a large building at 315 Oxford Street, probably because of the surging demand for break-action breech-loaders. The branch early on was also referred to as "Reilly's Armoury House" - Salvation Army hall was located behind the building - or on labels (a separate format from the 502 labels) "The Manufactory." It had a 50 yard shooting gallery attached (see below). Reilly was three doors down from Purdey (located at "314 1/2" - the numbers are deceiving).
Note: Oxford Street numbering at the time was extremely confusing, there were 9 x 315’s in the 1871, 81 censuses and in the pre 1882 postal directories.
The Shooting Gallery at 315 Oxford Street:
A 50 yard shooting gallery in central London is extremely unusual. While many gun manufacturers had a small space for shooting hand-guns - 5 to 10 yards - perhaps only two had a space where shotguns and rifles could be shot, Lang and Reilly. Lang had a well-known shooting gallery described numerous times; but believe it was only about 25 - 30 yards long.
So Reilly's shooting gallery likely was unique. Per Newspaper ads and per mentions in articles in “The Field,” the 50 yard shooting gallery was "on the premises" of Reilly’s 315 manufactory. It had to be above ground for light and ventilation (pre-electric power). It may have been on the ground floor of the adjacent Billiard Club also numbered “315” or in the vacant space just to the west of the Salvation Army. The last ad for the range so far found is in 1867.
Reilly history of selling to military, gun clubs at wholesale prices:
Reilly also began advertising rifles sold wholesale to equip "Yoemanry" militia, organizing in UK to repell a threatened French invasion. He continued to advertise such guns up to at least the 1890's. Most of these guns may not have been made by him, especially after the early 1860's, and thus not serial numbered.. (The Yoemanry Militia, a sort of UK “National Guard,” was still in existence in WWI and units were deployed to France).
Reilly and pistols:
Note: Reilly always retailed pistols of all types from the beginning of the firm to the end. He engraved them and put his name on them. However, after 1837 he did not serial number them as previously mentioned. By 1859 he was selling all types of pistols and revolvers, Trantor, Colt, Smith&Wesson; he sold Howdah's, pepperboxes, duelers, derringers, Flobert, etc. But, because he did not serial number these guns, he did not build them. Reilly did assemble foreign made revolvers possibly as early as 1860. But Reilly did not serial number assembled guns - witness the Martini-Henry Reillys (see below). Thus pistols are ignored in this post; they cannot be used to date Reilly long-guns except for those with surviving cases which had original trade labels, which helped build a data-base of Reilly case labels.
Note: A Reilly pepperbox may have been weilded by “Flashman” in the novel “Flashman and the Mountain of Light,” by George MacDonald Fraser.
Reilly Stocks:
Note: Reilly almost always used a straight English stock for SxS shotguns. He almost always used a pistol grip stock for rifles, and if not, a trigger-guard extension which aped a pistol grip. If a classic Reilly "shotgun" has a pistol grip stock, it almost certainly was repurposed from a rifle. (There are proven exceptions, but rare).
Reilly from very early on used French walnut. His highly figured stocks differed markedly from the standard English walnut offered by other makers and may be something of a marker.
Company Name Changes to Reilly & Co
The company may have used "Reilly & Co." for a short while from circa August 1858-October 1859 per a few advertisements & references in books; no trade labels exist with this name. One extant gun has "Reilly & Co., Oxford Street, London" allegedly on the barrel - SN 10811, a Prince patent breech loader, probably ordered in fall 1858. No photos were available to confirm the name/address on the barrel of 10811 but, relying on Christie's advertising integrity, this is probably the first extant gun made at 315 Oxford Street.
Note: From this time forward guns with only "Oxford Street, London" on their ribs will have been built at 315 Oxford Street. Guns built at 502 New Oxford street would have (without a street number) simply "New Oxford St." The first gun with the number "315" physically on the barrel is a 3-band Enfield SN 11419, probably numbered in spring 1860.
Name changes to E.M. Reilly & Co.:
By October 1859 the company’s name changed definitively to "E.M. Reilly & Co," a name which continued in use until bankruptcy in 1918 and beyond when the name was bought by Charles Riggs. His labels for both workshops changed at that time to reflect the new name, "E.M. Reilly & Co., Gun Maker." The label for 502 New Oxford St. continued to illustrate the sketch of the building; 315 Oxford Street continued to have a different label but now also with the E.M Reilly & Co. name.
The first extant serial numbered gun with E.M. Reilly & Co. on the rib is a 3 band Enfield SN 11227. (Note: pre-1859 serial-numbered guns with "E.M Reilly" on the rib but without the "& Co.," have been found - 10655, dated cMarch 1858, is an example).
Gun Maker becomes Gun Manufacturers:
A year later in circa August 1860 the company's description on labels and in advertisements changed from “Gun Maker” to “Gun Manufacturers” and at that time the sketch of 502 New Oxford Street was dropped from his case labels. The separate label for 315 Oxford St. also was dropped. The basic format for the new label remained consistent for the next 30+ years with variations (additions of medals, branch addresses, occasionally mention of royalty, etc.) (There were a few outlier labels). The advertising scroll work at the bottom of the label changed slightly after 1885. (See the separate chart dating Reilly labels).
Business anthologies at this time identified EM Reilly as both gun and pistol manufacturers and sword/cutlery makers. Reilly’s name has been found engraved on bayonettes and swords from the era.
During this time frame Reilly in advertisements claimed to be making every piece of every gun he serial numbered in his two workshops on Oxford Street and invited customers to "view the progress of their order." This would make Reilly one of the very few "vertical" gun companies in London. The London (and Birmingham) gun trade at the time relied for the most part on out-sourced parts and materials, which were assembled and finished in-house. (Note. Haris Holland posted a similar advertisement in "The Field" in 1858. It's entirely possible that Reilly was allowing customers to view only the "assembled/finished" parts of small arms manufacturing).
Reilly and the 1862 London exposition:
In 1862 Reilly showed at the London International exposition and won a medal for an exhibit which included a gold washed 12 bore muzzle-loader shotgun which may still exist (SN 12532). The result, an “honorable mention” medal, had to be disappointing; Reilly placed great store in scoring well at these expositions – it was an advertising bonanza and certainly he put out a bliz of publicity leading up to the World’s Fair.
Attempts to Curry Favor with the British Royal Family:
Throughout the 1860's Reilly guns were purchased by various members of the British royal family, usually to give as gifts to foreign dignitaries or persons who had done favors for the family. Reilly tried to obtain, but without success, a Royal Warrant as "Gun Maker to the Royal Family."
Note: For a few months in 1862 Reilly published advertisements associating himself with the Royal Family based apparently on the purchase of Reilly guns by the Prince of Wales. He also spent hundreds of pounds on elaborate gas light decorations to his buildings on various Royal anniversaries and on the wedding of the Prince. He apparently was slapped down pretty quickly and after November 1862, such claims never again surfaced.
Attempts to Win a Military Contract:
From at least the 1840’s the Reilly’s tried mightily to win a lucrative military contract from the British government.
-- JC Reilly exhibited brass mortars in 1845.
-- EM Reilly promoted the Prince patent breech loader in the late 1850’s (joining other London gun-makers in urging Ordinance re-open the 1853 Army rifle competition which had selected the Enfield rifle-musket).
-- He worked with the Green brothers to win a contract for their patent breech loader, to which he had manufacturing rights, in the early 1860’s (competing against the Snider which ultimately won out).
-- He put forward the Comblain breech loader from Belgium, to which he gained patent rights in England, in 1868-70 (competing against trial guns such as the Martini and the Henry, a combination of which was adopted).
-- And, he patented an explosive bullet in 1869, a sort of early M-79 idea.
However, he never obtained a major contract (as far as the present day evidence goes).
Reilly did sell and engrave British military guns - Enfields, Snider's, Martini's and later Lee-Speeds; He hawked these guns to the Yoemanry Volunteer Militia and to rifle clubs at wholesale prices, versions of them to Military personnel going abroad and to big-game hunters for 50 years. But, unless he built them himself he did not serial number these guns.
As an example, the history of Reilly building Martini-Henry rifles/actions is instructive. The M-H was adopted for trial by the Army in summer 1871. Reilly first tentatively advertised a "Henry-Martini" in early 1871. The first true advertisement for a "Martini-Henry" appeared in November 1871. There is one Reilly Martini-Henry with a SN dated per the chart to Jan 1972 (SN 17314). There are many extant Reilly-made Martini-Henry's afterwards, in a half-dozen calibers, one being an 8-bore (cal .775), none with serial numbers. It seems that at the time if one wanted to build a M-H rifle, Arsenal would insist on sending over the parts.
(One must wonder why this was. Apparently the Henry shallow grove rifling patent from November 1860 was allowed to be extended for another 14 years as a consequence of its being adopted by the military. Perhaps this stipulation – along with protection of the Martini action - basically a rip-off of an American invention - was part of the patent arrangements).
Reilly takes on Paris, Again:
EM Reilly always seemed to be enamored with Paris and as the 1867 Paris Universelle exposition approached, he meticulously prepared an exhibit that was extensively lauded. It won him gold and silver medals, led him to became a “gun maker” for Napoleon III, and in February 1868 to open a branch office (EM Reilly & Cie.) at 2 rue Scribe, Paris where orders for his guns could be taken. The store was located in the Grand Hotel near the Gare du Nord, a prime location (British travelers to Paris arrived at the Gare du Nord). This branch office remained open for the next 17 years. The first extant gun with 2 rue Scribe on the rib is 14983, an 8 bore SxS under-lever, hammer gun (with a firing system very much resembling the earlier Lancaster "base-fire" action) shotgun.
Note: The French press in articles about Reilly in the 20th century has claimed that the artistic elegance and balance of a Reilly gun came from its association with Paris.
His case labels changed at this time to feature the two medals won at the 1867 World’s Fair and often (but not always) mentioned both branch addresses.
Two and a half years later the Franco-Prussian War broke out. After the battle of Sedan September 3, 1870 Napoleon III fell from power – the Third French Republic was declared; the medals (with Napoleon III's profile on them) disappeared from Reilly’s case labels for awhile yet continued occasionally to resurface on both labels and in advertisements for the next 15 years.
Note: Napoleon III died in exile in England in 1873. His widow Empress Eugenia bought a Reilly 12 bore SxS shotgun, while in England SN 17532 (dated per the chart to mid 1872), and a second Really 16 bore (SN unknown) both of which are now in the USA somewhere. Her son was killed in the Zulu Wars in 1879. She died in 1920 having been awarded the Order of the British Empire.
Note: Reilly's affinity for France was well known and commented on in newspapers at the time (was this possibly an Irish-French Catholic connection?). A French woman was found in his house in the 1861 census; In Fall 1870 he was prosecuted for attempting to smuggle 2,000 shells to his rue Scribe address, a violation of UK neutrality in the conflict; and in 1871 offered to sell 6,000 Chassepot rifles (stored in Birmingham) to the new French Republic. There are Reilly trade labels from the period where the owner of the gun has taken pains to erase the Paris address - Francophobia was alive and well in UK. And with this long-time connection, one must assume that early on, after the 1851 exposition, EM was in contact with French center-break breech-loader makers and must have been experimenting. He had contacts in Ličge (as did Trantor) possibly as early as the 1850's. Whether he spoke French is unknown.
1868-76 Miscellania:
Also around 1869 he changed the description of the company in ads to "Gun and Rifle Manufacturers" (as did many other English gun makers). This description was sometimes but not usually used on his trade/case labels for the next 15 years. (There are two extant guns with this phrase on the ribs or barrels: SN 25572, a .450 BPE SxS U-L hammer gun rifle dated 1883 and SN 26537 also a .450 BPE SxS U-L hammer gun rifle dated 1884).
In 1876 some Reilly labels and publicity began advertising a connection to the King of Portugal and by 1882 to the Kings of Spain and The Netherlands. In addition around this time 315 Oxford Street began to use a slightly different case label and later, also for a short time, a different label for revolvers but with the same shape advertising "Breech Loading Gun & Rifle Manufacturers."
Reilly and the American Market:
From as early as 1868 Reilly had evinced an interest in penetrating the American market. He acquired an American agent (Joseph Grubbs, Philadelphia), had his guns advertised in mail order catalogs, and exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia centennial along side very high-standard British guns such as Purdey, and won a medal.
Situation of the Company in 1878-80:
Reilly again exhibited at the 1878 Paris exposition and again won medals. By 1880 Reilly sold a third more - soon to be twice as many - serial numbered, hand made bespoke guns than both Holland and Holland and Purdey combined, this in addition to:
-- a very active business in guns sold under license from well known gun makers including revolvers (Trantor, Baumont-Adams, Walker, Colt, etc), rook rifles, repeating rifles (Sharps, Winchester, etc.),
-- as well as merchandising every type of gun accoutrement - reloaders, cartridges, shells, cases, etc.
-- and sustaining a huge business in previously owned guns.
Reilly told the 1881 census taker that he employed some 300 people in his firm, an extraordinarialy high number for the times, an indication of the extent of his gun manufacturing and sales business. (WW Greener in the same census claimed to employ 140, less than half the number of Reilly; Purdey in 1871 said he employed 58, 1/5th the number of Reilly workers).
Selling Off The Rack, 1882:
Around 1881 per advertisements it appears that Reilly made a business decision to stock ready-made guns and sell them off-the-rack as well as selling his usual bespoke made-to-order guns. This might account for the soaring number of guns serial numbered per year, which grew from about 650 numbered in 1880 to some 1050 in 1882. It might also account for certain discrepancies in serial numbered guns from this time forward such as 303xx which would have been numbered in late 1888-early 1889 but still has "Not For Ball" on its barrels (a stamping discontinued in 1887).
If this were the case, Reilly possibly serial numbered his bespoke guns when ordered (usual London practice) and his off-the-rack guns when sold.
(When knowledgable gun historians and makers were queried about this phenomena – guns with pre-1887 proof marks apparently made after that date - they shrugged and said essentially that no-one can logically explain the process at the time - some gun makers ignored or stretched the law; some used barrels already proofed..etc.)
The decision to vastly expand production and sell ready-made guns may mark the origin of a trend towards marketing Birmingham-made guns finished in London to satisfy demand. Scott triplex actions found on several 1880’s Reilly’s may be an example. (This said, Scott usually managed to put a Scott number on his guns and actions – none have been found on Reilly’s and the Reilly Scott Triplex actions have on their barrels “Improved Patent” for some reason or another. Thus it is also entirely possible that Reilly built them under license).
Change in numbering of Oxford Street, Nov 1881:
In November 1881 Oxford Street was renumbered; ”502” became “16 New Oxford Street” and “315” becoming “277 Oxford Street.” The first extant gun with either of the new addresses on the ribs is SN 23536, a 12 ga. SxS BLE shotgun.
In spite of the formal change in numbering, the old numbers occasionally appeared in Reilly ads and on gun ribs for the next couple of years; Reilly trade labels, however, did not appear to change definitively to the new numbering system until circa 1885. There are exceptions. (There are not enough trade labels extant from this time period to make a definitive judgement on when the trade labels changed their addresses: there is a 16, New Oxford Street label with rue Scribe on it; However, no “277 Oxford Street” labels with the Paris branch have so far been found).
Reilly in the Early 1880's:
Reilly’s business was booming and gun production topped 1000 a year. Reilly reportedly was making long guns for other London gun-makers and around this time began importing cheap Belgian-made revolvers in parts which he assembled in his buildings, engraved and sold. (Reilly, like Trantor and others, possibly was involved with the Belgian manufacture and "assembly trade" much earlier...perhaps dating to as early as the 1850's).
He exhibited at the 1882 Calcutta fair (a British Empire only affair) and won a medal and was highly praised for his exhibit at the 1884/85 London International Expositions where he again won medals.
Reilly guns figured very well in live pigeon shooting contests throughout the 1880’s and big game hunters in Africa used his guns and advertised the results (including Henry Morton Stanley, the Welsh-American and perhaps the most famous of all African explorers, Dr. David Livingston, and noted Victorian era African hunter and author Frederick Selous).
Closure of the Paris Branch:
In July 1885 rue Scribe was closed. The reasons for this are not known - hand made guns were being sold at a very high rate; it may have had to do with the departure of a long-time partner (possibly a M. Poirat? He was the agent for Reilly in 1871, mentioned in French parliamentary records when Reilly tried to sell the stock of Chassepot rifles in Birmingham to the French Republic.).
The last extant SN’d gun with rue Scribe on the rib is 27340, a 12 bore SxS top-lever, hammer-gun, shotgun. (There are three guns with later serial numbers which have only "Paris" on their barrels all SxS built on the Scott "triplex" system; However, these may have been ready-made prior to 1885 and only numbered when sold off the rack).
The labels for both London branches changed slightly at this time, advertising different guns in the scroll work at the bottom of the label.
29 rue Faubourg, Saint-Honoré, Paris
Note: In the early 1880's Reilly apparently opened a small satellite branch of 2 rue Scribe, Paris at 29 rue du Faubourg, Saint-Honoré, Paris for a short time.
-- Five different gun case labels show the store would have been in existence after the November 1881 change in Oxford Street addresses but before the July 1885 closure of 2 rue Scribe.
-- The labels picture the 1867 Paris medals and the 1884 London international exposition medals, seemingly dating them from late 1884 to mid 1885. One such label appears on SN 26880, a gun dated to Feb 1885. However, this label also is found in a case housing SN 22432, dated 1880 and bought by a man who died in 1882.
-- An advertisement/paid-for article with this address appeared in Jan 1886 London press touting a win by an Italian (a well known marksman) at the Monte Carlo pigeon shoot (an important event); whether the address was on the rib of his gun or on the trade/case label is unknown.
-- No newspaper ads for this branch exist (and it was a prestigious location - Coco Chanel's apartments were above it in another century - which should have been publicized). No extant guns have thus far been found with this address.
-- Perhaps this store was occupied while the Grand Hotel was undergoing renovation?
Reilly in the Late 1880's:
Reilly exhibited at the 1889 Paris World's Fair, the “Tour Eiffel" Exposition Universalle, and may have won a silver medal. However, by this time advertisements for Reilly guns had declined and he did not publicize the medals if he won them.
A nasty law-suit on easement limitations to the Salavation Army Hall behind his establishment at 277 Oxford Street was litigated. (The legal decision is cited to this day).
The fact is, something changed with the firm after 1886; Reilly's guns regularly won competitions and were donated to be given as prizes at high-end shooting competitions; but the company just gradually retracted from mass-media print. The cocky swagger of the 1860's seemed to have burnt itself out.
Death of E.M. Reilly and aftermath:
In July 1890 EM Reilly contracted broncho-pneumonia and passed away. Reilly's acknowledged sons Charles A. was 20, Herbert H. was 15, and Gerald Atol was 13 - all still in school (none with the hands-on gun-making expertise that EM had in his upbringing). His first "son" Edward Montague was 23 (see below). His wife Mary was in her 40's. Business was still lively. Widows did successfully manage companies in England at the time after the deaths of their husbands. In his will E.M did not leave his wife Mary Ann the "trade books." However, newspaper articles on the later death of her son Edward Montague indicate that Mary was indeed running the company.
Yet, this said, somehow the light of Reilly entrepreneurship went out with E.M.’s death. His wife operated in a "man's world." Subsequently, his sons did not have the hands-on knowledge of the gun manufacturing trade that EM had hammered into him in the 1830’s. Nor did they have the generational connections to the business, or the understanding of the complex entertwinings of its execution. The gun-trade was always a sort of dance while juggling a number of balls
-- relationship to outworkers,
-- handling in-house bench workers,
-- dealing with importation of parts (from Belgium) and the licensing for manufacturing others’ patents,
-- contacts with Birmingham mass production factories
-- kow-towing to the upper class,
-- staying abreast of market trends,
-- and always advertising and promoting.
It was a tough game. But Reilly's wife was...his wife. His kids were rich from their birth. None were "on the benches" like EM was when he was 12 years old. It showed.
Characterizing the Reilly’s:
This study has not looked at the Reilly family except where it effects the business; however, here are some possible characterizations of the Reilly's (based on very limited information, much from Sally Nestor, family researcher).
-- JC comes across as something of an early 19th century/Victorian self-absorbed narcissist (this from one possibly extremely prejudiced source) - note: He registered a silver mark - not something one can just do without true expertise and apprenticeship, and - per John Campbell - not independently confirmed - was a clock-maker and a member of the "Clockmakers" guild. JC apparently had some serious mechanical skills. He appears to have been rebellious, snarky, and independent, and probably was a difficult and demanding boss - but he had allies in the gun world, i.e. a relationship with John Blanch from pretty much the time when he first began to build his own guns (a deduction from very limited evidence - Blanch kept Reilly advertisements from the 1840 era in his private scrap book).
-- EM appears to have been an imaginative, far-sighted, organized, ambitious businessman (based on his business record). He also worked with his father from an early age in the gun making business and had extensive hands-on experience in making guns and air guns. He had some excellent political connections in the gun trade - the same group of gun makers appear repeatedly together in the late 1850-early 1860 time period - Prince, Green, Deane, Reilly, Blanch, and a couple of others - and given that he manufactured well in excess of 10,000 Green and Comblain breech loaders (presumably in Birmingham) in the 1860's, he had connections there as well. He had to have had some people skills. He was perhaps a bit of a control freak and probably not easy to be around - especially if you were his son. (The Victorian age was not a "huggy-feely" one) (this only from interpreting the wording in his will).
-- The first son, Edward Montague b.1867 probably was the pre-marriage offspring of then 50 year old EM and his then 21 year old future wife Mary....but seeing as they were cousins, marriage was forbidden - for awhile. Four sons were born, three out of wedlock; However, only Edward Montague was called a "reputed" son. Edward Montague was an "engineer" and "gun maker" following in his father's footsteps and was designated as an executor of EM's will (along with Mary). He apparently later worked on locomotives. In about 1893 he came down with tuberculosis and ultimately fell from a window in July 1895.
-- EM's wife Mary Ann was a woman operating in a "man's world" after his death. The fact that she apparently ran the company for 9 years from 1890-99 before her death is a testament to her pluckiness. There is not much known about her except by analysis for her "moxie." At 20 years old, she seduced a 50 year old successful businessman, ignoring convention. She had 4 sons out of "wedlock" one of which may not have been his; and after his death, in spite of not being left the "trade books," she apparently ran a large company in Victorian, England. This is really something movies are made for - sex, guns, money and power. Her offspring included later Members of Parliament. No-one knows who were her parents or her background; family historians speculate that she was E.M.'s cousin. Even her maiden name is not clear...it is either Curtis or "C-o-x." She was born in 1845, died 12 January 1899. She deserves more attention.
Reilly decline in mid-1890’s:
By 1895, the death of Edward Montague, Reilly guns were no longer being mentioned as often as winners in pigeon shoots; Reilly victories and promotional donations of guns as prizes had been a prominent feature in London papers for 25 years. And yet, advertisments for the firms’ products continued to fill the newspapers; and due to reputation, Reilly was still being mentioned in books at the turn of the century as a company which could make quality Africa-proof big-bore rifles.
Closure of 16, New Oxford Street:
In early May 1897 the company closed 16 New Oxford Street where it had been located for 50 years; 277 Oxford Street remained open. Bespoke guns continued to be sold in the early 1890’s at a goodly clip but as the decade advanced, and factory mass produced guns with steel barrels began to compete with Damascus, the demand for these hand-made and measured guns in a middling cost category seemed to decline. Reilly serial numbered gun production dwindled steadily (see dating chart below). (And the company’s mangement after 1890 did not seem to have E.M.’s business sense or “touch.”)
With sales diminishing, closing the finishing facilities at 16 New Oxford street while retaining the smaller sales and manufacturing spaces at 277 Oxford Street would seem to have been logical. The last extant SN’d gun from 16 New Oxford Street is 34723, a 12 bore SxS, top-lever, hammer-gun, shotgun.
After 1897 the trade/case labels changed to reflect the marketing of magazine guns and advertised the medals won in 1876 (Philadelphia), 1878 (Paris), and 1885 (London) and 1873 (Vienna) (although there is no evidence that Reilly actually exhibited in Vienna). On his presentation cases, the company description changed back to "gun and rifle makers" although the company was still "Gun and Rifle Manufacturers" in phone and business directories.
In January 1899 Mary Ann Reilly died - she was only 54. Apparently H.H. (Bert) Reilly, E.M's third son, then only 24 years old, took over the management of the company.
Move to 295 Oxford-Street:
In March 1903 the Company vacated 277 Oxford-Street where they had been quartered for 44 years while the building was being renovated and moved 300 yards down the street to 295 Oxford-Street. The first extant gun with 295 Oxford Street on the rib is 35423, a 12 ga. SxS BLE shotgun (dated by the below chart to May 1904). Note: Newspaper ads for Reilly stopped in February 1903 while still at 277, and did not resume again until May 1904 with the shop located at 295 Oxford Street.
Bankruptcy, June 1912:
The company remained at 295 until bankruptcy was declared on 06 June 1912 (publicized on 08 June 1912 in the London Monday morning papers). The last extant gun with 295 on the rib is 35678, a 12 bore SxS BLE shotgun. Reportedly during this period at least one gun was built with "J.C. Reilly" and the old "Holborn Bars" address on the rib.
Note: Per advertisements in September 1911 the company announced it was for sale or in need of new partners with cash. Its stock of guns was advertised at reduced prices for cash only. In December 1911 the company was changed to a limited liability company with "CW Roberts" (probably G. Watkinson Roberts - liquidator specialist) as one of the directors. Roberts was a bankruptcy lawyer. Reilly's continued advertising 295 for sale in Spring 1912 per newspaper advertisements. It appears Bert Reilly knew bankruptcy was coming and changed the company to protect his personal assets. He retained his separate homes after bankruptcy.
13 High Street, Marylebone:
Bert Reilly opened a small gun shop, E.M Reilly & Co., at 13 High Street, Marylebone in 1912 after the bankruptcy. No advertisements can be found for the shop though per London postal address, telephone and business directories they identified themselves as "gunmakers." No guns with this address on the rib have been found. The date of its closure is not noted although it is listed in the London telephone directory in 1918 (but not in 1919). (Note: one internet site states that 13 High Street was occupied by Reilly as early as December of 1911 while 295 was trying to be sold; no footnotes or validation of this claim have as yet been verified.)
Charles Riggs era, 1922-1966:
In August 1922 The Reilly name was bought by a sporting goods dealer named Charles Riggs (most Reilly history summaries put the date of purchase as 1917; this is belied by the dates of newspaper advertising). Riggs apparently decided he could use the name to promote his premium line of guns (possibly built by Osborne/Midland). Whether a Reilly had any say in the design of these Riggs-Reilly guns is unknown.
Riggs was quite a self-promoting character and comes across in advertisements and articles as something of an annoying, pretentious, status-climbing, con man with a large ego and a huge amount of hubris and energy. There are pictures of him medalled like a royal prince claiming marksmanship trophies that the historical record doesn’t support; he billed himself as a yeomanry sergeant early on but had self-promoted to Lieutenant later on in life. He very well could have rubbed the gun establishment the wrong way.
Riggs remained in business until 1966. His “Reilly named” guns have six-digit serial numbers and appear to begin at around 130000. A Riggs "Reilly" with a serial number in the 150000’s is known to exist. (Note: As a further identifier, a lot of the Rigg's-Reilly's have "Prince of Wales" half pistol grip stocks - something the original Reilly firm never made.)
Conclusion:
The Reilly's sold all types of guns in various qualities using all types of actions. Reilly serial numbered about 33,000 guns from circa 1828 to 1912, all built by them. The guns that they made had an artistic elegance and balance, which is unmistakable. Reilly was one of the first to use highly figured French walnut for their stocks and their engraving, for the most part floral scroll work, was in a unique style and consistently classy. Reilly's best guns were as good as those produced anywhere in England at the time.
Gene Williams, Sep 05, 2018; last updated 02 Nov 2020
See follow-on SN dating chart w/footnotes:
Last edited by Argo44; 11/06/20 09:05 PM.
