doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Minories London

I saw on an old muzzleloader barrel where it had marked "Minories London". I was just curious as to what Minories referred to in this case. Is/was it an area of London which pertained to blacksmithing or to gun making to a degree or?

Believe the early trade guns and locks (Barnett,Ketland etc) were made in that area near the Tower).

Yes, I saw that Wikipedia explanation but I wasn't clear as how that pertained to firearms. As an example, in the Purdey history, it says James Purdey worked as a blacksmith in the Minories. Then when I saw Minories,London on this old muzzleloader, I was wondering if it pertained to a certain area or districts of London noted for various type of firearms work.
Ah, but I just reread the information and noticed this line (below) which kind of explains it.
. The chapel of the former abbey became the Church of Holy Trinity, Minories, and other buildings were used as an armoury and later as a workhouse.

Yes, it's still an area of the City of London, on its eastern edge. Home to many artisans over the centuries and has already been pointed out, the place where James Purdey Number One first learnt about metal work.

No gunmaking going on there now, though.

Tim

There is a "Minories" in Birmingham too.

I believe the site was a Priory in medieval times but the city expanded so rapidly that all that stuff has long gone. I think that's where the name comes from; the Friars Minor.

As a little boy I can remember that the small street was paved with rubber blocks presumably to reduce noise and vibration in the underground floors of Lewis's department store, which was actually built over it. The far end of The Minories is more or less opposite Steelhouse Lane, so whilst there wasn't any gun making, you could walk to George Bate's shop in two minutes and I often did.

Today it's quite an attractive shopping mall with a fashionable bar, but this is as I remember it ....



There may be Minories elsewhere for all I know.

Eug

Eugene, Your photo of the arch under Lewis's store brings back memories of my first view of the Birmingham gun quarter.
In the late 1940's I arrived from my home in leafy Warwickshire with my mother in Birmingham, the purpose of which was a visit to the Lewis's department store. The route was country bus to Erdington and thence by trolley car to Birmingham City center[ironically passing by Greener's home, The Cedars!], The trolley car stopped in Steel House Lane right in front of the shop of G. Bate Gun maker. In the shop window a variety guns were on display. noticeable was a pair of guns with cross over stocks. This puzzled me because at that time I had only seen grandpas Woodward hammer gun and various air rifles. Mother explained that the guns were made for a man that had lost the sight of an eye! Down the street I could see other gun shops; C Smith and Lincoln Jefferies; a name that I had seen on an air rifle. At that point I was hurried off to Lewis's. By now I new that I must return to Steel House lane and the Gun quarter. This was The first of hundreds of visits to the gun quarter made during my life time both in student days and as a collector/historian.

Thanks for the info gents.

I just found out there was a gun maker named William Minories in London in the mid to late 1700's. Perhaps that is what Minories is referring to on the barrel and not an area of London.