===== *69 Reilly in the early 1880's; 1881 Census; 1000 guns a year TEXT =====

*69 Reilly in the early 1880's; 1881 Census; 1000 guns a year

Reilly's business was booming and expanded dramatically. Serial numbered gun production rose from about 650 a year in 1880 to over 1000 a year in 1882.

Reilly told the 1881 census taker that he employed some 300 people in his firm in his two workshops on Oxford street and store in Paris and agents in Birmingham, an extraordinarialy high number for the times, an indication of the extent of his gun manufacturing and sales business.*69a (WW Greener in the same census claimed to employ 140, less than half the number of Reilly; Purdey in 1871 said he employed 58, 1/5th the number of Reilly workers).*69b

The number “300” has become controversial and a number of writers have tried to pooh-pooh it, downplay it or explain it away. After all the average number of employees at a London gunmaker in 1851 was "14." But the words are from E.M. Reilly to the census taker as are those of Greener, etc. Reilly had no reason to embellish. The gun trade was highly cyclical as illustrated by this post on the Birmingham gun industry. Not one Birmingham gun making concern could say exactly how many workers were employeed on a given day.*69c

Reilly, at the time of the 1881 census was expanding his sales of serial numbered guns from about 600-650 per year, a number which had remained constant for 12 years, to over 1000 the following year. It was entirely possible that at the time of the census Reilly was expanding his workforce and this could have included independent gun part makers under contract to him. However, the fact remains that this is what the census taker noted; if the figure is challenged then the figures for Greener, Purdey et.al are also wrong.

Note: See below chapters on the A&D Boxlock and his decision to begin “selling off the rack.” It is probable that with his 1880 pivot to the boxlock that he began to sell guns made in the white in Birmingham like everyone else, which might well account for the increased production.

He also around this time allegedly (not confirmed) began importing cheap Belgian-made revolvers in parts which he assembled in his buildings, engraved and sold. (Reilly, like Trantor and others, possibly was involved with the Belgian manufacture and "assembly trade" much earlier...perhaps dating to as early as the 1850's).

=== *69 Reilly in the early 1880's; 1881 Census; 1000 guns a year END TEXT ===

Last edited by Argo44; 06/05/22 10:43 AM.
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