Bluedevil, 2Triggers, Stuart:

I know this is an old thread, but Stuart brought it to the top, so I thought I'd post on it. The Wilkinson referred to is James Wilkinson & Son, Gunmaker, a very old, highly respected London firm. Wilkinson gets a little confusing because of all the changes over the years.

The firm was founded in 1772 by Henry Nock, one of the most renowned gunmakers of that era. The firm Henry Nock, Gunmaker received a Royal Warrant as gunmaker to HM King George III. Nock took in James Wilkinson as an apprentice. Wilkinson married into the family and became Nock's partner in 1785. On Nock's death, Wilkinson inherited the company and changed the name to James Wilkinson, Gunmaker (an odd thing to do given the revered status of the Nock name at the time), which became James Wilkinson & Son when his son joined the business. Wilkinson was also awarded a Royal Warrant as gunmaker to the King.

Wilkinson was well known for best quality sporting weapons, but also made many military weapons. When the government took production in house at Enfield Lock, Wilkinson branched out into edged weapons, which were still let out to the trade. James Wilkinson & Son, Gunmakers and Wilkinson Sword Co. were never separate entities - the guns and edged weapons were simply sold under different names. Wilkinson's firearms patents seem to have been held under the Wilkinson Sword Co name. As the sword, cutlery, and razor business expanded, the gun business contracted.

By the advent of the hammerless nitro double, Wilkinson had become a retailer, and was no longer making the guns it sold. After 1906, they no longer assigned their own serial numbers. Gun sales ceased in 1939. Wilkinson maintains it's license as a gunmaker (or they did until at least 2005) for the purpose of maintaining it's firearms museum. The firm was sold in 2003 and the famous sword factory at Acton was closed in 2005. I don't know what has become of the firearms museum since then. The museum maintained the firm's historical firearm records.

Bluedevil, the gun you saw would have been bought in from the trade, so it could easily have come from Leonard. Wilkinson guns from the hammerless era were marked variously "James Wilkinson & Son", "Wilkinson & Son", or "Wilkinson". I've never seen one marked "Wilkinson Sword Co.". I've handled a number of Wilkinson double rifles over the years, and all have been from Webley & Scott. I did a little load development for a .450/.400 3.25" NE that was a Webley PHV-1.

Stuart, the proof marks are sometimes helpful, but usually not. Some London makers DID periodically send guns they made themselves to Birmingham for proof. Charles Lancaster and Charles Boswell come immediately to mind. Also, a great many of the Birmingham made guns were proved in London.
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