THE WESTLEY RICHARDS TRADE LABELS THROUGH THE AGES.

I am often asked about the various trade labels we have used in our history, mostly I think by people looking to fit an appropriate label in a newly re-cased old gun. I don't know of a complete record of trade labels for the company but do know that ones I have never seen do appear every now and then. The labels I have posted here are, to the best of my knowledge, in the correct order of oldest first and most recent last but I may well be wrong in the middle section! I would be interested to learn of any labels that are not shown here as this is the full extent of my archive as far as long guns are concerned, I have not included labels here from pistol cases.

3 Comments

Keith Fahl on April 8, 2014 at 3:05 pm

Simon,
I have a Westley Richards leather shotgun case and the label lists maker to H R H Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha instead of H R H Duke of Edinburgh. It has the normal Prince of Wales and Duke of Connaught reference. The label is in the lid of the case but in very poor condition. I was able to take some pictures and will e-mail them to you.
KF

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Bob Martini on April 18, 2014 at 7:35 am

I have an oak and leather two gun case with the 178 New Bond St. address that has the King Edward VII warrant on the label. The shipping label on the lid is dated Oct. 16 1902 from Arrochar Scotland. The case is monogramed to Sir Iain Colouhoun of Luss. I have two questions. 1) When did the address change to 178 from 170 New Bond St.? It had to be sometime between 1887 (I have a shotgun from 1887 with the 170 address) and 1902. 2) What was in the two gun case above? I have asked the current clan Colouhoun chief and he says they have no record of the guns. They likely would have been ordered by Sir Iain's father as Iain was only 16 at the time the case was shipped (Oct. 1902). Please search your records if possible and see if there was an order from the clan Colouhoun between Aug. 1900 when the Edward VII warrant was granted and Oct 1902 when the case was shipped back to Birmingham. I have asked your company several times for this info and have not had a reply. Maybe you can help? Thanks so much for your time. Bob Martini. Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA.

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- Simon Clode on April 18, 2014 at 9:29 am
  
  This is quite a task without a serial number for the guns which were in the case. I will have a quick look and see if the Colouhoun name pops out in this period.
  
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