James Purdey and Sons
Encyclopedia
James Purdey & Sons - or simply "Purdey" - is a famous British gunmaker of London
, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotgun
s and rifle
s. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal families.
in 1814, the year before the Battle of Waterloo
. The founder, James Purdey, had previously worked as head stocker for Joseph Manton
, the foremost gunmaker of his time. Purdey set up his gun making business in Princes Street
and soon moved to Manton's former premises in Oxford Street
in 1826. As early as 1838, Queen Victoria is recorded as having bought a pair of Purdey pistols.
James Purdey (the younger) took over the running of the company from his father in 1858. Over his lifetime there was rapid change and development in the design of guns and rifles, essentially moving from muzzle loading flintlock
s in the 1820s to breech loading hammerless ejectors by the 1880s. James the younger was always at the forefront of advances in the design and building of his guns and rifles, and took out several patent
s for technical innovations over the years, many of which were adopted by other gunmakers.
In 1882 the company moved from Oxford Street to the new premises on the corner of South Audley Street and Mount Street, where it remains to this day. James the younger designed this building to accommodate his showroom, the factory for making guns and cartridges, and later it provided living quarters for his family.
Purdey guns moved briskly from flintlock
to percussion cap
to hammer centre-fire guns and then to the self-opening hammerless gun of 1880. This hammerless self opening mechanism was designed by Frederick Beesely, a Purdey worker by then, and used one limb of a V spring to operate the internal hammers and the other to operate the self opening feature. Beesely sold the patent to Purdey in 1880 for £55. This was followed ten years later by the incorporation of ejectors. Apart from continual refinement and the optional single trigger mechanism, very little change has subsequently been made to the design of the side by side gun.
In 1900 Athol Purdey took over from his father and ran the business through the prosperous Edwardian years, as well as supervising Purdey's manufacturing of gun parts and other items of ordnance for the War Department during the 1914-1918 war. His sons, James and Tom, both of whom had survived serious injuries whilst fighting in France, joined the firm in the 1920s, and took over from Athol Purdey on his retirement circa 1929.
The Purdey over & under gun is a development of the Woodward patent of 1913 which was incorporated into the company on the purchase of J.Woodward & Sons by Purdey in 1949.
in 1868 by The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII
, an honour that has been bestowed on the Managing Director of James Purdey & Sons Ltd by each succeeding monarch. Today Nigel Beaumont holds the Warrants of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
and HRH The Prince of Wales
. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Purdey's also supplied remarkably ornate guns and rifles to various Indian Princes.
in 1946, it was to remain a family-owned business until 1994. The Hon Richard Beaumont, son of Wentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale
, a grandson of Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet
(father of Hugh Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood
) and Chairman since 1970, decided to retire and the company was acquired by the Richemont
Group.
Richard Purdey, six generations down the direct line of descent from the founder, retired as Chairman in February 2007 and Richard Beaumont's cousin, Nigel Beaumont, is now the company's Chairman.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s and rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal families.
History
Purdey was established in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1814, the year before the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. The founder, James Purdey, had previously worked as head stocker for Joseph Manton
Joseph Manton
Joseph Manton was a much celebrated British gunsmith who was to revolutionise sport shooting, vastly improve the quality of weapons and father the modern artillery shell. Joseph was also a keen sports shooter in his own right and a friend of the celebrated "sportsman" Colonel Peter Hawker.Kings Of...
, the foremost gunmaker of his time. Purdey set up his gun making business in Princes Street
Princes Street
Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...
and soon moved to Manton's former premises in Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
in 1826. As early as 1838, Queen Victoria is recorded as having bought a pair of Purdey pistols.
James Purdey (the younger) took over the running of the company from his father in 1858. Over his lifetime there was rapid change and development in the design of guns and rifles, essentially moving from muzzle loading flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
s in the 1820s to breech loading hammerless ejectors by the 1880s. James the younger was always at the forefront of advances in the design and building of his guns and rifles, and took out several patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for technical innovations over the years, many of which were adopted by other gunmakers.
In 1882 the company moved from Oxford Street to the new premises on the corner of South Audley Street and Mount Street, where it remains to this day. James the younger designed this building to accommodate his showroom, the factory for making guns and cartridges, and later it provided living quarters for his family.
Purdey guns moved briskly from flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
to percussion cap
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
to hammer centre-fire guns and then to the self-opening hammerless gun of 1880. This hammerless self opening mechanism was designed by Frederick Beesely, a Purdey worker by then, and used one limb of a V spring to operate the internal hammers and the other to operate the self opening feature. Beesely sold the patent to Purdey in 1880 for £55. This was followed ten years later by the incorporation of ejectors. Apart from continual refinement and the optional single trigger mechanism, very little change has subsequently been made to the design of the side by side gun.
In 1900 Athol Purdey took over from his father and ran the business through the prosperous Edwardian years, as well as supervising Purdey's manufacturing of gun parts and other items of ordnance for the War Department during the 1914-1918 war. His sons, James and Tom, both of whom had survived serious injuries whilst fighting in France, joined the firm in the 1920s, and took over from Athol Purdey on his retirement circa 1929.
The Purdey over & under gun is a development of the Woodward patent of 1913 which was incorporated into the company on the purchase of J.Woodward & Sons by Purdey in 1949.
Royal clientele
The company was granted its first Royal WarrantRoyal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
in 1868 by The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, an honour that has been bestowed on the Managing Director of James Purdey & Sons Ltd by each succeeding monarch. Today Nigel Beaumont holds the Warrants of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and HRH The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Purdey's also supplied remarkably ornate guns and rifles to various Indian Princes.
Purdey's today
While Purdey's are best known as makers of fine shotguns, they also continue to produce rifles, both double-barreled and bolt-action. Both because the Purdey name is arguably the most prestigious of any firearms manufacturer and because the guns are custom-made, largely by hand, they are extremely expensive. A new Purdey shotgun starts at around $US100,000.Ownership
Although James Purdey & Sons Ltd was bought by Hugh Seely, 1st Baron SherwoodHugh Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood
Hugh Michael Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood was a British Liberal politician. He was the third baronet of the Seely family, of Sherwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire....
in 1946, it was to remain a family-owned business until 1994. The Hon Richard Beaumont, son of Wentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale
Wentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale
Wentworth Henry Canning Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale KG CB OBE MC DL JP was a British peer.Allendale was the son of the 1st Viscount Allendale and was educated at Eton and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1912. He was commissioned into the Territorial Force in 1912 and transferred...
, a grandson of Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet
Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet
Sir Charles Hilton Seely, 2nd Baronet KGStJ was a British industrialist, landowner and Liberal Unionist politician who served as Member of Parliament for Lincoln from 1895 to 1906 and for Mansfield from 1916 to 1918. He was a Justice of the Peace for Hampshire and Nottinghamshire and the Deputy...
(father of Hugh Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood
Hugh Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood
Hugh Michael Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood was a British Liberal politician. He was the third baronet of the Seely family, of Sherwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire....
) and Chairman since 1970, decided to retire and the company was acquired by the Richemont
Richemont
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is a Swiss luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by the South African businessman Johann Rupert. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The...
Group.
Richard Purdey, six generations down the direct line of descent from the founder, retired as Chairman in February 2007 and Richard Beaumont's cousin, Nigel Beaumont, is now the company's Chairman.