Boyd, I have many period Clarke trade labels and would be happy to send an image to you. I shall therefore send you a Personal Message via the board with my email address, so that I can help you.
The Clarkes were a five generation gun making company. John Clarke had three sons, Thomas, James and Edward.
Edward married Louisa, who was to run the company for 14 years. They had two gunmaking sons, Charles and Henry (I). Henry I then had three sons following him to the bench, Henry (II), George and Frank. The final generation was George's youngest daughter, Eunice, who was a director of the firm at the time of it's demise in 1963.
This was the rather sad article in Harpers Sporting Goods magazine of November 1963:
"Mr Eric E Lovett, director of the Leicester firm H Clarke & Sons (Gunsmiths) Ltd, tells me that they will be closing down the business when their present stocks are exhausted - this, it is anticipated, will be some time about the middle of December. A letter to customers, signed by the two directors, Mr Lovett and Miss EM Clarke, explains that they find it impossible to replace two of their key employees, and rather than continue at a reduced rate of efficiency, they have reluctantly decided to close the business down. Mr Lovett tells me that the firm have been gunsmiths since 1832 and fishing tackle specialists since the latter half of the 1800's. Probably because they are of the 'old school', they feel that for the business to style itself 'Gunsmiths' or 'Fishing Tackle Specialists', it is necessary to have the craftsmen of both spheres within the business itself to give the practical service which is so vitally important. Unfortunately they now find this impossible."
Tim
