For the latest in our Heritage Crafts series, we step inside the remarkable archives of James Purdey & Sons with company archivist Dr Nicholas Harlow. Founded in London in 1814, Purdey's history spans more than two centuries of British gunmaking, with generations of craftsmen passing down skills, techniques and an uncompromising approach to quality that continues to define the company today. We speak to Nicholas about the stories hidden within the archive, the guns that have travelled across the world, the craftsmen behind some of Purdey's most enduring innovations, and how sporting life has evolved around them — from changing fashions in the field to a gun famously buried in Belgium at the outbreak of the First World War.
Audley House & Dr Nicholas Harlow
Images supplied by James Purdey & Sons
Purdey's history stretches back more than two centuries, encompassing enormous changes in British society and country life. Looking through the archive, what does it reveal about how the culture and traditions surrounding shooting have changed — and perhaps more interestingly, what has remained constant?
I think that the Purdey archives show how shooting culture has fashions, particularly in terms of the guns being used. Over the last twenty years gun barrels have gotten notably longer – 40 years ago 28in. barrels were common, now they are fairly rare. This seems to have been influenced by the clay pigeon market, which also drove the move from side-by-side guns to over & unders. There have also been similar changes in the cartridges and chokes our clients prefer, most notably the move from fixed to multi-chokes. What has remained constant is the styling of our guns, with their very traditional construction and shaping, although the ornamentation is more varied than it once was. There is also still requirement for our guns to be the best quality, and the best fit, whether it’s a pair of guns for driven birds in England or a walked-up gun for America.
Image supplied by James Purdey & Sons
A Purdey has always been made as something to use rather than simply admire. Do the records give us a sense of the adventures these guns went on — the estates, expeditions and journeys around the world — and is there one particular story that captures that life especially well?
The Purdey records do give us a sense of just how widely our guns have travelled; from Japan to California, and from Scandinavia to Australia. Sometimes it is even possible to attribute particular stories to a gun or rifle, which can be fascinating. The names on the entries are also evocative of some of the most famous shooting stories, including several record bags. Earl de Grey and Lord Walsingham both feature frequently, and in the post-war period, Sir Joseph Nickerson appears as well, who spoke passionately of his use and enjoyment of his Purdey guns.
Sometimes the records give glimpses of misadventures as well – barrels shot out or damaged due to rust, or stocks broken in a fall. One gun was buried in Belgium at the outbreak of World War One, and unfortunately the site was picked by a German unit for its latrine pit! It was recovered in a very sorry state at the end of the war, and it is unclear how far we were able to refurbish it.
Earl de Grey & Rust damaged Purdey
Image supplied by James Purdey & Sons
We’re fascinated by the idea of objects acquiring their own histories. When a Purdey returns to Audley House generations after it was made, how much of its story can you reconstruct from a serial number, and have you ever been able to reconnect a gun with a particularly remarkable previous owner or chapter in its life?
The Purdey records are very much organised around the serial number, which will usually give us the date of completion and the name of the original buyer. There are several guns in our collection that are examples of these. Our famous four-barrelled gun is particularly intriguing, as we know it was purchased by a French army officer, but it is unclear how it returned to us after his death. Perhaps some of the most surprising ones have been guns that were exhibited by us at some of the great Exhibitions of the 19th and 20th centuries. I’ve been able to attribute several guns to those displays, and at least three of those were awarded gold medals, which appeared in our catalogues and advertisements for many years after. It’s all the more reason to visit Audley House, to see those stories and, if you do own one of our guns, to see what information we have for you.
The famous four-barrelled gun
Image supplied by James Purdey & Sons
The Sporting Lodge has a particular interest in British craftsmanship and the knowledge passed from one generation to another. Looking back through Purdey’s records, are there individual craftsmen whose contribution you feel deserves to be better known — people whose hands helped create the reputation the Purdey name carries today?
There are several Purdey craftsmen who played a huge role in the company’s history. Perhaps the best known are the Lawrence family, who helped design or refine many of the models we still build today, as well as running our Factory for three generations. There is also Frederick Beesley, whose eponymous action has sat at the core of our range since the 1880s, and James Lucas, who as head engraver in the 1870s developed the rose & scroll engraving pattern than is still our house pattern over 150 years later. However, to single out any one individual often seems unfair, as each gun is assembled by seven gunmakers, and our reputation relies upon every craftsman contributing his very best to every gun.
Harry Lawrence & Tom Purdey + James Lucas
Image supplied by James Purdey & Sons
When we look at historical photographs of a day in the field, the gun is only one part of a much broader material culture — clothing, cartridge bags, cases, boots, vehicles and equipment. Does the archive show how the wider kit of the British sportsman evolved alongside the guns themselves?
The archive does have a very good range of material on the accessories and clothing we have used, some of which goes back to the 1890s. Fashions have changed certain items massively; breeks are slimmer, and more jodhpur like, than they were in the 1920s, and the shooting jacket has given way to the tweed shooting vest. The same is true of cartridge bags, where the shape has remained relatively consistent for many years, although the choice of leather has certainly changed. Where modern materials have made their mark is in gun cases, where modern polymers have often replaced the lightweight canvas cases of a century ago.
James Purdeys Mallet and Chisel
Image supplied by James Purdey & Sons
Finally, imagine you were allowed to open the Purdey archive for one evening and choose just three objects, documents or guns with which to tell the story of Purdey to someone who knew nothing about the company. What would you put on the table, and why?
To start with, I would choose James Purdey’s mallet and chisel, which are some of the tools that he would have used to build the company, quite literally. I would then use his son’s portrait to demonstrate the reputation the family had achieved at the height of our production – the impressive scale, and imperious gaze, of a man at the height of his powers and with an unassailable reputation. The final item would be a brand-new side-by-side, to show how we have continued his legacy, building to the same high standards today.
Image supplied by James Purdey & Sons
A huge thank you to Dr Nicholas Harlow, Archivist at James Purdey & Sons, for taking the time to share his knowledge and some of the remarkable stories held within the Purdey archive.
Discover the Purdey collection at The Sporting Lodge, bringing together clothing and accessories inspired by more than two centuries of British sporting heritage and craftsmanship.