doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly; History; Chronology; Serial Numbers

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Introduction

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 after bankruptcy (1912) and the final shutting down of the firm (1918). 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.

*1 Beginnings

Joseph Charles Reilly was born in Ireland in 1786. He hailed from a well-to-do family and his family aspired for him 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 was obviously supported by his family money in all this - he was never a "destitute student.")

He married in 1812. *1a In 1814 he opened a jewelry shop, later described as also dealing in silver-plate, *1b at 12 Middle Row, Holborn, *1c located hard by Gray’s Inn of the "Inns of the Court." He registered a silver mark "JCR" in July 1818. *1d His clientele included country gentlemen and barristers.

Note: to register a silver/gold mark required 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; he allegedly retained his membership in this guild until the late 1820's.

In 1817 his son Edward Michael was born, the third of four children.*1e He prospered, buying a country estate in Bedfordshire in 1824.

Jewelry shops in London at the time often dealt in guns, engraving and re-selling them, perhaps because of the influence of the artistic professionalism of Joseph Manton's guns at the time. *1f Some such shops called themselves "Whitesmiths." *1g

Note: Among the extant JC Reilly "jewelry" from this time period are miniature working gun models with Damascus barrels. *1h Yet, he did indeed deal in jewelry: a list of stolen goods from the Reilly shop in January 1831 included, rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. - normal stuff for the métier. *1i

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*1 Beginnings

. . . . .*1a. Marriage certificate: Joseph Charles Reilly and Martha:


. . . . .*1b April 1817 – “Johnsons London Commercial Guide” – Reilly goldsmith and jeweler


. . . . .*1c. 12 Middle Row, Holborn Bars: Comment: Observers from the early 1820's noted that Reilly's jewelry shop was "spacious" and "accorded all opportunity for running a large business." It was obviously sufficient (from maps and sketches) for jewelers. Could guns have been made there? That depends on how many rooms above the shop he occupied - guns were built in spaces the size of a bathroom. Yet J.C. Reilly also accumulated properties in Holborn per his will and it could well have been that he had a workshop at another location.
Sketches:



Map of location of 12 Middle Row – Sally’s Reilly page on Ancestry.com


. . . . .*1d. JCR silvermark: Grimwade – “London Goldsmiths; 1867-1937 – Their Marks and Lives… ”


. . . . .*1e. Reilly children; per Sally’s Ancestry.com page and per the will of J.C. Reilly:
-- Ann Reilly, born 7 March 1813, Holborn, Middlesex, England
-- Ellen Reilly, born 30 March 1815, Holborn, Middlesex, England
-- Edward Michael Reilly, born 01 September 1817, England
-- Charles Joseph Reilly, born 04 July 1819, England.

. . . . .*1f. 07 April 1826 "Morning Advertiser" on the bankruptcy of Joseph Manton.


. . . . .*1g. “Whitesmith”:
1851 Census. 1851 census record for John Blissett. Note he called himself a "Whitesmith."


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