Don Masters' book on Atkin, Grant & Lang has two chapters devoted to the Lancaster family and it's gun making. I have below written a short précis based on the book, which I hope is helpful.
Charles Lancaster's son Alfred set up his own business in 1859, in competition to his father Charles. When Charles died in 1878 his business was bought by HAA Thorn who, rather confusingly, passed himself off as Mr Charles Lancaster. Meanwhile Alfred was buying in guns from Webley & Scott for finishing. He made 'Civil Service' back action and 'Anglo Indians' models for India. He made a 'Grosvenor' model hammer gun for £14.15.0, though if you ordered front action bar locks the price went up to £15.10.0 The 'Grosvenor Hammerless' A&D non-ejector with Damascus barrels went for £15 guineas and an ejector model for £28.5.0 to order only. Alfred died in 1890 when both W&C Scott and WJ Jeffery became involved in building guns for the family. Two years later the books were taken over by HAA Thorn, who then controlled all Lancaster gun making.
Thorn went on to make many fine guns in the Lancaster workshops by Masters account. They included the 'Colonial Quality' top lever, self-adjusting, snap action hammer gun with Damascus barrels and rebounding back-action locks for £20; the hammerless version had automatic trigger safeties and automatic blocking safeties, with top or side lever, in three qualities for £27, £36 and £45. The 'Colindian' had smooth oval bore rifling to fire ball or shot. He went on to make guns for Annie Oakley.
Some C Lancaster guns have a .2 or .3 appended to their serial number, indicating that they were extra barrels or later 'fitter's in'. In the 1890s guns were being built for all pockets. B and C grade guns were often prefixed with 0 or 00 respectively. The quality of the mechanism in the B or 0 grade boxlocks was the same as in the best boxlock, but the polish and finish of the internal mechanism was not as fine as in the best gun quality. In the 00 guns a ‘limited use of machinery’ was combined with ‘skilled hand labour’. Thorn called his boxlocks ‘body action’ guns.
The 1893 price list has 2 best sidelocks, 3 hammergun grades (including 0 and 00), 2 0 grade body action & 2 ‘Colonial Quality’ body action guns, the ‘Colindian’ ball and shot and high quality Express ejector double rifles. Other combinations were also available. Phillipson & Nephew and BSA were the main barrel suppliers for cheaper grade guns.
In 1909 Thorn made what became known as the Lancaster Wristbreaker, based very much on Frederick Beesley’s 1884 patent single spring operating boxlock type action. Beesley built a small number of guns on this action though Thorn clearly had an arrangement with him to use the patent too, as Lancaster Wristbreaker boxlocks exist built in the 1880s. That patent had expired when Thorn developed it for sidelock guns, to begin with only his best guns, but later with variations to the design for other guns.
In 1910 Thorn was selling a Lancaster grade B boxlock over and under ejector gun for £55 guineas, a non-ejector version for £50 guineas and a grade A sidelock ejector for £75 guineas.
Tim
