I think the thing to do would be inquire with Purdey about the possibility of their having made guns under the A&N name. Some of the notations on those sheets, as Chicago noted, are fairly cryptic. Wonder if it could be a sidelock built by someone else for A&N on a Purdey patent action?
I think Larry may be correct about action. These journal pages have 17 columns of entry and none are terribly definitive. The actual description of the gun reads "1 W&R 4th S.E. extra 16/28 Steel to match Purdey Gun (2 gold ovals)." There is a notation column that reads "16 Bore 2-28 bore, GBP 30, Hless EJECTOR Plain Fences to Purdey Gun, P/extra best stock. There is additional notation that is hard to make out but does mention 14 10oz. There is also a column for Finished. Most read W&S and some read either Osb or Ozb. The serial numbers are sequential and the aforementioned gun has a A&N serial number. The Barrel or Maker's No. column generally are not. The barrels seem to generally be in the 66xxx or 45xxx range.
I am not trying to represent this was a Purdey gun, I just thought it interesting that Purdey was referenced in description column and notation column. It was pure speculation on my part that the British Officer Corps in 1904 might have been able to order a Purdey gun from their CSL.
Someone mentioned contacting Purdey to ask and if someone wants a definitive answer that is probably a good idea. It was mainly an item of interest to me.
