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#426774 11/17/15 03:32 PM
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Sidelock
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Many of you will be familiar with the work I have done putting together a web site covering the guns sold by Perrins of Worcester and to a lesser extent Thomas Perrins who started the business in Worcester and then moved to Windsor supply Prince Albert amongst others. http://info71508.wix.com/perrinsgunmaker. We have decided to move on and compile another web site covering the other Worcestershire gunmakers/retailers. If anyone has a gun or other equipment by Averills, Bakers, J.E. Cooke, A.J. Foster(Kidderminster), W. Griffiths, H.E. Pollard, Thacker, Ward & Son, Whiteman - all of Worcestershire England then we would love to hear from you. There is an e-mail contact on the Perrins web site. Of course if you have a gun by a Worcestershire retailer I haven't listed then that would be wonderful as well - or even if you have cartridges. Look forward to hearing from anyone with information.
Thanks
John

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Once owned a Pollard single 8 bore hammer gun with Jones underlever and also a Pollard double 16 bore box lock non-ejector. I don't think I have any further details of the guns but will have a look as to serial numbers. Lagopus.....

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Hi Lagopus,
Wind blowing up your way as well this evening?
There were two Pollards - WH was a London maker - not really interested in him and then there was H E Pollard - Worcester who was son in law to Henry Perrins and took over the business on his retirement. I think Thacker worked for him for a while before setting up on his own.
Any information would be of interest.
Thanks
John

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John we have corresponed in the past as I have a particular interest in Henry Clarke. Here is what I have concerning the Clarke/Pollard connection:

1905 - H. E. Pollard & Co. Ltd., acquired the neighbouring business of Perrins & Son around 1905, already established at 61 & 62 Broad Street, Worcester. Herbert Pollard was son in law to a Perrins. The latter advertised themselves as "Practical Gun Makers and Cartridge Loaders & Fishing Tackle Experts". It is not known when Herbert Pollard retired or died.

1911 - H. Clarke & Sons of Leicester took over the firm of HE Pollard & Co of 62 Broad Street, Worcester in about 1911.

1922 October London Gazette: NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between us, the undersigned, Henry Clarke, George Clarke and Frank Clarke, carrying on business as Gunmakers and Fishing Tackle Merchants, at 62, Broad-street, in the city of Worcester, under the style or firm of "H. E. POLLARD & CO.," has been dissolved by mutual consent as from the 31st day of October, 1922. All debts due to and owing by the said late firm will be received and paid by the said Frank Clarke, who will continue the said business under the same style. Dated this 27th day of January, 1923. HENRY CLARKE. GEORGE CLARKE. Mr FRANK CLARKE”. So the Pollard name (brand I guess we would call it now) carried on under the management of Frank Clarke only, leaving his brothers to concentrate on their Leicester business.

1928 July edition of the Sporting Goods Review magazine: "A Worcester Gunmaker. Established 100 years ago, the business of Messrs Clarke, sporting gunsmiths, has been taken over by Mr T Thacker, who was manager of Messrs Clarke & Sons since they took the business over from Messrs Pollard & Co in 1911. Mr Thacker was formerly works manager for Messrs WW Greener & Co. The business was originally founded by Messrs Perrins & Sons, and went in that name for nearly 50 years, when it was taken over by Mr Pollard, the chief partner, being the son in law of the surviving member of the Perrins family". In this notice it is clear that the writer meant ‘Messrs Clarke’ as to be Messrs Pollard, since that was the trading name. H Clarke & Sons of Leicester in fact carried on until December 1963. In addition, I might speculate that Frank Clarke continued to manage the Pollard business alongside Thacker, since he appears not to have worked with his brothers in Leicester.

It is stated that Thomas Thacker remained at the Broad Street premises until 1932. However I have found an auction listing for a Hardy Super Bottom Fishing Tackle Catalogue c1936, retailed by H E Pollard & Co Ltd of 62 Broad Street Worcester. He may have therefore carried on in business until around the start of WWII.

Pollards loaded their own cartridges, the "Gastight", "The Keepers", "The Long Shot" and a best quality gastight game load called "Our Game".

Tim

Last edited by trw999; 11/18/15 06:21 AM.
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Tim - thanks for all that information - it is a great help in putting things in order.
I have been trying to upload some images to photobucket of cartridges I have - but the connection is so slow it keeps timing out and crashing.
On the one case it says 'Thacker& Co Late H.E. Pollard & Co' so I guess eh was trying to tie up the names to give credibility to his brand.
I will pass on the information to Roger who is compiling the web site.
John
PS
Managed to finally copy the photo.


Last edited by Oldfarmer; 11/21/15 03:37 PM.
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I owned a Griffiths Jones/rotary underlever hammergun at one time. I could probably dig up some data and, maybe, photos - if they would be helpful.

DDA

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Hi Rocketman - good to catch up again.
We are only just starting to gather relevant information together to compile a web site so any one with information about Worcester guns is very welcome. Early days yet - we had no idea when we started the Perrins site it would mushroom like it has. I am not sure if there was more than one Griffiths - I have a feeling there was one in Manchester around the same time. I will have to have a look at the gun directory. The one in Worcester was William Griffiths.




Bridge St Worcester & Birmingham. 'Practical Gunmaker'

send me a PM and I will let you have an e-mail address if you manage to find the photos.

By the way we are hoping to hold our bi annual 'Vintagers' day in the spring of 2016 - so anyone interested watch this space or drop me an e-m via the web site link above.
John

P.S. By the way there was more than one Pollard - the one in Worcester was H. E. Pollard

Last edited by Oldfarmer; 11/24/15 01:10 PM.
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John

You probably have this list already, but if not, this is what IGC has on Worcestershire:

Alan & Thumber Worcester
Allen & Thurber Worcester
E C Asthorpe Unknown address Severn Stoke
Benjamin Attwood Hayseech, Old Hill Hales Owen
Averill & Son Evesham
J C Banfield & Sons Tenbury Wells
Rowland Barnsley Hales Owen
Simon (Samuel) Benson Salop Street Dudley
Birmingham Gun Barrel Co Ltd Hayseech Old Hill Halesowen
William Bourne Droitwich
Samuel Brown Summer Hill Hales Owen
William Burgess Malvern Wells Malvern
Alfred & Arthur Richard Burr Hayseech Hales Owen
John Burr Hayseech Mill Hales Owen
Thomas Droman Dudley Road Halesowen
Thomas Drummond Dudley Road Halesowen
Edge & Rose Birch Hill Mill Hales Owen
John & Abraham Edmunds Cornmarket Worcester
Joseph Fellows Stomber Mill Stourbridge
James Fletcher Bridge Street Evesham
A J Foster Unknown address Kidderminster
John Gill 13 New Street Worcester
L Edwin Goff Dodford Bromsgrove
William Griffiths 5 Bridge Street Worcester
James Hawker Coventry Street Kidderminster
Harry Higgins 46-48 Teme Street Tenbury Wells
Higgs & Price Hayseech Hales Owen
Hughes-Johnson Stamping Ltd Langley Engineering Works Oldbury
James Humpherson High Street Bewdley
John Lambert 85 Sidbury Worcester
Thomas Lane 4 Corn Street / Corn Market Worcester
Edward Male Worcester Street Bromsgrove
John Osborne Bridge Street Evesham
John Perkins New Street Worcester
John Perrins College Street Worcester
Thomas Phipps Evesham
H E Pollard 61 Broad Street Worcester
Joseph Price New Town, Netherton - See Price & Hibbert Dudley
Price & Hibbert New Town, Netherton Dudley
William & Major Rose See Aaron Rose Halesowen
Aaron Rose Birch Hill Mill Hales Owen
John Rose & Co Crown Gun Barrel Works, near Coombs Wood Hales Owen
Rose Brothers See Aaron Rose Halesowen
Rose Tube Co. Ltd See Aaron Rose Hales Owen
James Sawyer Hawne Lane Hales Owen
Robert Scott 31 College Street Worcester
John Shaw 16 Moore Street Worcester
Arthur Joseph Simpson Crabbs Cross Redditch
Charles & John Siviter Runbow Hales Owen
John Southall Bromsgrove
John Stanton Coventry Street Kidderminster
Thomas Stephens Bridge Street Pershore
J T Taylor Bromsgrove
T Thacker & Co 62 Broad Street Worcester
William Tromans Whitehall Hales Owen
Thomas Trueman / Truman Dudley Road Hales Owen
Ward & Son Worcester
Whiteman Brothers Ltd Silver Street Worcester
Richard Wise Kidderminster
William Wood 18 Broad Street Worcester

If you'd like additional info on any of them, just let me know.

Tim

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Wow. What would the complete list of British gun makers look like if that is just Worcester ?

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Sidelock
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Ah, well, don't forget that list spans a couple of centuries, they were not all gun makers per se, some were lock makers, stockers etc and do bear in mind that Worcestershire is right next door to Birmingham and Wolverhampton, so there would be some geographical spill-over from those gunmaking centres.

Tim

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