doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Thomas Gardner english double

While browsing doubles on gunbroker, I saw a double by "T Gardner" with English proof marks and beautiful Damascus barrels. However, I can't find any info on this maker- anyone here heard of them?

I've found a Charles Gardner working for Westley Richards as managing director. Gardner and Leslie B. Taylor held a patent in 1911 for a lever cocked hammerless gun with a pushed forward lever which doubles for the trigger guard. I can't find a Thomas Gardner however.
I found that reference in I.M. Crudgington and D.J. Baker's "The Bristish Shotgun" Vol. 3. Great books with tons of information.

clayshooter,
T.Gardener was most likely The name of a hardware store that sold Birmingham made guns engraved with their name. Records show that such a store,named "Gardener" existed in Chippenham Wiltshire, England.This business sold their own brand of shotgun shells,Olive green and black in colour with their mame printed in white on the outside of the case.
Some larger U.K. Hardware stores of the Victorian and later eras, often loaded /or sold their own brand of shells and also a small quamtity of guns bearing their name.[ie; many such guns show up on this forum!]
In my experience a gun with a name not listed as a practicing gunmakers can some times be traced through a private brand named shotgun shell.
In this respect,The book ,Collecting Shotgun Cartridges,by Ken Rutterford,may provide important leads as to the retailer of a gun.

As a reference to a hardware store there was an advertisement in the paper archives for a Thomas Gardner, the only reference to that name I've been able to uncover. But it was in the 1880's and this is a hammer gun so. But I'll keep looking.

I did have a Gardner hammer 12 bore double through my hands a couple of years ago but sold it on. The gun was originally made by the Midland Gun Co. in Birmingham. My guess is that he was in the general retail trade. Lagopus.....