Brad

Was that "W. Richard", without an "s"????

If it has the "s", it could be the provincial gunmaker William Richards, often confused with the better known Birmingham maker "Westley Richards".

William Richards was originally a London gunmaker, starting out in 1801, but after the founder died in 1820, his son (also a William) moved the business to Liverpool in 1842.

Westley was also a family name, with a Mr Westley Richards running the business from about 1895, who died in 1944 aged 86. The comany was in existance at least until 1953.
The quality of their guns is usually quite good; this is at odds with your description.

Also, the "Belgium" marking on your gun does not "gel". Certainly, it was common for Belgian guns to be sold via English gunmakers, but usually every care was taken to conceal their origins.

My guess is that a Belgian maker has marked it "W. Richard", as part of a subterfuge to induce some gullible buyer that think he was getting the real thing. If it had English Proof Marks, then it's story would be somewhat clearer??