Daryl has provided excellent information on the history of Charles Smith & Sons of Newark. For almost 20 years I enjoyed the friendship of the late Walter Smith.
It all started with my aquisition of a superb, mint condition,Charles Smith, Newark, 12G bar action hammer gun,with H.Jones under lever action.Serial #1856,engraved 37 Market St; on the rib.I mailed details on the gun to Smith,s and received a prompt response from Mr Walter Smith advising:
The gun was made in between 1869 & 1872, after which date they relocated to 40/41 market place. The price for the gun was 10 pounds with 1 pound extra for the case.
Walter provided me with prints from copper plates of their shop at 40/41 Market Place. From these prints we can see that the shop was double fronted and that the upper floors were the family residence.A second print shows their works in the Clinton Arms Yard. Most unusual is that the building was three stories high.Under the eaves of the gabled roof, set in the masonry was a large plaque featuring a "stand of arms". In 1976 due to demolition of the old works and construction of the Clinton House on the site, this same plaque was salvaged and set in the brickwork adjacent to Smiths relocated shop.Sadly today, following the sale of the Smith name to Mr Roy Martin this is all that remains of the Smith business in Newark.
At my urging, the late Geoffrey Boothroyd visited Smiths. Following this visit, he published an interesting article on the business, in the British magazine," Shooting Times,"September 6-12 1984. Boothroyd also reviews the gunmaker Nixon of Newark in his book"Sidelocks and Boxlocks" page 184. This is the maker to whom Charles Smith[1] was apprenticed.
Last edited by Roy Hebbes; 12/04/09 08:33 PM.
