doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rating English Gunmakers

Note that F. Beesley, himself, made a number of guns on his own patent (owned by Purdey's) and made/finished/sold a number of fairly typical Birmingham SLE's. Not every Beesley marked gun is a best.

Woodward is the only one of the BV1 names no CIB.

Rocket, Your statement"While it is clear that Woodward's failed in business"....Do you know this for a Fact?..Just curious..cc/dt

Do you know this for a Fact?..

Not in the sense of being present at the transaction, but in the sense of having read similar accounts in a number of seeming crediable sources. Woodward was simply out of commissions to build guns and was facing bankruptcy. My understanding is that Woodward approached Purdey in 1948 with an offer to sell based on something like Purdey was the only one Woodward would sell to. Purdey seems to have wanted the Woodward O/U. I remember that the price was near 150 GBP.

This could be urban legend with frequent repetition. But, it does seem to fit the circumstances - 1948 was tough times in the UK.

I'm not sure that Beesley made any of his own guns on the Beesley/Purdey action?
...but like all small shops at the time, anything could be ordered from the ol'chap!
Pistols, rifles, Ble and Sle.
This is a pic of my 1910 F Beesley 12b

Rocketman,

Would you please also send me a copy of your list? My email address is: dcraig@blackoakcapital.com. Thank you very much.

Douglass Craig

Rocketman,

Would you please also send me a copy of your list? My email address is: dcraig@blackoakcapital.com. Thank you very much.

Douglass Craig

Rocketman,

I too would appreciate a copy of your list. Thank you.

jvlape@cox.net

Jerry Lape

A short update on the state of Woodward at the time of sale to Purdey's. I checked the account of the sale in Richard Beaumont's book on Purdey's (page 160) and need to make a couple of corrections. Purdey's board originally rejected Charles Woodward's offer to sell. The description sounds like there was very little to sell. Later, Tom Purdey paid Woodward 300£ for the name and goodwill, about 145£ for the Woodward O/U, and 10% of cartridge and repair orders for a specific customer list for five years. Woodward production peaked in the 1892-97 era at 103 guns/year, ran at around 30 guns/year through the 1920's and early 1930's, dropped to 23 guns/year for the late 1930's and was down to 5 guns/year for the 1940's.

I'm going to stick with my conclusion of a failed business. The production rates were too low to support a London address. The purchase price was too low for what should have been a high value brand name to indicate a viable company.

Seems to me, they were out done then by the others - all the while barely clinging onto the last spot of the upper tier.
Musta been those hungry second tier fellows eh?

hOw many bricks high is that F Beesley 12b ?