Frederick Williams was an English maker of premium quality side-by-side shotguns with premises in Birmingham and London from 1884 to 1950. In 2008 a cadre of Frederick Williams aficionados has formed in the interest of studying and preserving these outstanding sporting arms. Some of the uninitiated have referred to this maker as Fred K. Williams. This is a misunderstanding based on the fact that some Williams shotguns are marked Fred'k Williams (note the apostrophe). "Fred'k" was, and is, an accepted abbreviation for Frederick. Mr. William's actual middle initial is reported to have been "W."
Some of the finest guns made by Frederick Williams were marketed under the names of prominent London firms. He was a respected source of guns for the trade. Williams made both boxlock and sidelock shotguns, as well as hammerguns. Every Frederick Williams gun which I have seen was of fine quality. I personally own one of the Williams firm's last shotguns proofed at Birmingham in 1950.
J.K.B. von Falkenhorst
