doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The pinfire game gun

Keeping on the subject of provincial gunmakers, here is one who never achieved much fame, yet a variety of his guns have survived.

Manchester was a city that boomed during the industrial revolution. In the 1850s and 1860s (the population was 1,313,550 in 1861) cotton and finance were the main areas of development. With this wealth came the possibility of country pursuits, and at least 19 gunmakers were active in Manchester during at least part of the pinfire period: John P. Agnew (1849-1868); William Burtinshaw (1830-1865); Thomas Conway (1804-1871); John William Edge (1849-1864); Gasquoine & Dyson (1846-1864); William Griffiths (1855-1906); Griffiths & Worsley (1862-1869); Reuben Hambling (1866-1868); Hamer & Co. (1860); Thomas Hepplestone (1852-1910); John Kaye (1845-1866); Thomas Newton (1855-1906); Charles Pearson (1864-1869); Francis Preston (1858-1872); Francis Robinson (1858-1864); Henry Steel (1857-1859); Robert Stensby (1832-1971); Thomas Warhurst (1867-1869); and Robert Watmough (1854-1869).

We've already looked at a gun by Reuben Hambling, let's look at one by Robert Watmough.

Robert Watmough was born in Lancashire in 1821, and he and his wife Elizabeth had a daughter named Anne on 5 November 1845. Robert worked for the gunmaker Thomas Conway, who operated at 4, and later 15, Blackfriars St. in Manchester. Conway was a well known gunmaker who was renowned for his pistols. Whether Watmough apprenticed under Conway, or was a journeyman in his employ, is not known. Robert Watmough set up his own gunmaking business at 13 Blackfriars St. in 1854, closing in 1869. That is about all than can be traced for this maker.

Thankfully a few of his guns survive. Here is a 16-bore double-bite screw-grip rotary-underlever pinfire sporting gun number 4029, made 1865-1869. The 27 3/16" damascus barrels have Birmingham proofs, and the top rib is signed "RobT. Watmough. 13. Blackfriars. St. Manchester." The barrels also have a maker's mark "W.M," which I believe is for W. Marshall, gun barrel maker of 10 & 14 Vesey St., Birmingham, who was in operation from 1865 to 1868 -- which helps to date the gun. The back-action locks are signed "R. Watmough" and are nicely decorated with dog and game scenes (curlews and pheasant). The bores are still very good with only slight pitting at the breech, and the gun weighs a slight 6 lb 8 oz.

Despite its obvious attractiveness, game scenes are uncommon on pinfire guns, with acanthus leaf patterns predominating. Price may have been a factor, though I don't think so -- talent came at very little cost back then. A similar Watmough pinfire recently sold at auction in the US, so perhaps game scene engraving was part of a "house style," as it was for John Blissett of London. When executed well such scenes are very attractive and, when done crudely... Um, to paraphrase comments from elsewhere on the board, who wants to look at flying turnips?