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The Gun Quarter is an area of Birmingham England that flourished during the 18th century.

The city has served Britain with gun and sword manufacture since the English Civil War.

In 1689, inquiries were made through Sir Richard Newdigate as to the possibility of getting small arms manufactured in the town which would be as good as those coming from abroad. A trial order given by Government in March, 1692, led to the first contract (Jan. 5, 1693) made between the "Officers of Ordnance" and five local manufacturers, for the supply of 200 "snaphance musquets" every month for one year at 17/-each, an additional 3/-per cwt. being allowed for carriage to London.

A contract for 2,400 guns in 1693, at 17/-each was made by the Government. For the next hundred years the trade progressed. The Government, in 1798, found it necessary to erect "view-rooms" (now "the Tower", Bagot Street) in Birmingham. From 1804 to 1817 the number of muskets, rifles, carbines, and pistols made here for the Government, amounted to 1,827,889, in addition to 3,037,644 barrels and 2,879,203 locks sent to be "set up" in London, and more than 1,000,000 supplied to the East India Co. In the ten years ending 1864 (including the Crimean War) over 4,000,000 military barrels were proved in this town, and it has been estimated that during the American civil war our quarreling cousins were supplied with 800,000 weapons from our workshops. Gun stocks were chiefly made from beech and walnut, the latter for military and best work, the other being used principally for the African trade, wherein the prices have ranged as low as 6s. 6d. per gun. Walnut wood was nearly all imported, Germany and Italy being the principal markets; during the Crimean war one of the manufacturers set up sawmills at Turin, and it is stated that before he closed them he had used up nearly 10,000 trees, averaging not more than thirty gunstocks from each.

The production of hand-made guns was centred on the area where St Chad's Cathedral now stands.

There was a gun implement maker residing at number one Price Street in 1729. He also sold beer. This was the beginning of what was to become the gun quarter. Malcolm Bowater, a gun stock maker still works in Price Street. Malcolm has found employment in the Gun Quarter for about forty years, he bagan work at Greeners.

With origins that can be traced back to 1790, Webley and Scott has had a long and varied history, supplying guns to the public and to the government for over 200 years. Making bullet moulds until it was taken over in 1834 by Philip Webley, William Davies' son-in-law, who focussed instead of on bullet moulds on the production of guns, particularly revolvers. Seeing peeks supplying weapons for use during both World Wars. It was in fact between the wars, in 1924, that Webley produced its first air gun, the Mark I air pistol, which was available in .177 and .22 calibres. Demand for air guns increased rapidly in the 20's, due mainly to the restrictive new Firearms Act. Webley ceased production of firearms in 1979, concentrating instead on its range of air pistols and rifles that it is today famous for.

By the late 1700's, The flintlock pistol was fully formed and Birmingham had evolved into a thriving gun manufacturing community allowing the city title of "foremost arms producer in the world" as stated on a commemorative plaque in the Gun Quarter. The city produced over one million weapons more than London, (at the time it's closest weapons rival) and there were several thousand skilled workmen who were mainly concentrated in the Gun Quarter area of the city.

Birmingham supplied the guns for the Napoleonic Wars when over 3 million gun barrels were made in Birmingham. In order to stem imports of guns from abroad which were not often of the same quality as those made in Birmingham, the ordinance factory at Enfield was established. This Proof House was responsible for testing the guns and ensuring their quality and safety and is still present today in Banbury Street.

Cannons were manufactured as early as 1836, a local newspaper mentioned that several 250 and 300-pounder guns were sent from the city in that year for the fortifications on the Dardanelles.

The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was founded in 1861 by fourteen gunsmiths of the Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association, who had together supplied arms to the British government during the Crimean War. The company branched out into motor transport as the gun trade declined. Within a few weeks of the Great War B.S.A. returned to arms manufacture and greatly expanded its operations. BSA produced rifles and Lewis guns, but also shells, motorcycles and other vehicles for the struggle. In 1920, it bought the assets of a short-lived plane builder Airco.

By the time of the Second World War BSA had sixty-seven factories and was well positioned to benefit from the demand for guns and ammunition. During the war it produced over a million Lee-Enfield rifles and half a million Browning machine guns. Wartime demands did not stop motorcycle production. BSA supplied 126,000 M20 motorcycles to the armed forces, from 1937 until 1950.

In 1881 The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers were created drawing massively from the city's stock. The Royal Warwickshire Regiment reorganised as the county regiment of Warwickshire, encompassing also its Militia and Volunteer infantry

Many aspects of gun making in the city were documented, "makers", included:

* stock-makers, barrel welders, borers, grinders, filers, and breechers * rib makers, breech forgers and stampers * lock forgers, machiners, and filers * furniture forgers, casters, and filers * rod forgers, grinders, polishers, and finishers * bayonet forgers, socket and ring stampers, grinders, polishers, machiners, hardeners, and filers * band forgers, stampers, machiners, filers, and pin makers * sight stampers, machiners, jointers, and filers * trigger boxes, oddwork makers, &c.

The "setters up" include machines, jiggers (lump filers and break-off fitters), stockers, percussioners, screwers, strippers, barrel borers and riflers, sighters and sight-adjusters, smoothers, finishers makers-off, polishers, engravers, browners, lock freers, &c., &c.

The Proof-house in Banbury Street, "established for public safety" as the inscription over the entrance says, was erected in 1813, and with the exception of one in London was the only building of the kind in England. It was under the management of an independent corporation elected by and from members of the gun trade. More than half-a-million barrels were proved within its walls yearly: the report for the year 1883 showing 383,735 provisional proofs, and 297,704 definitive proofs. Of the barrels subjected to provisional proof, 29,794 were best birding single, 150,176 best birding double, and 160,441 African. Of those proved definitively, 63,197 were best double birding barrels, 110,369 breech-loading birding, 37,171 breech-loading choke bore, and 54,297 saddle-pistol barrels. As an instance of the changes going on in the trades of the country, and as a contrast to the above figures, Birmingham formerly supplyed nearly every firearm sold in England or exported from it - trade returns show that in 1882 Belgium imported 252,850 guns and pistols, France 48,496, the United States 15,785, Holland 84,126, Italy 155,985, making (with 3,411 from other countries) 560,653 firearms, valued at £124,813.

Birmingham still produces sporting guns and has an excellent and world renowned name for quality.

External Links

Chambers gunmakers (http://www.chambersgunmakers.co.uk/company.htm)

Parker-Hale gunsmiths (http://www.parker-hale.com/about.htm)

See Also

Birmingham military history

19th from temp page The Gun Quarter is an area of Birmingham England that flourished during the 18th century.

The city has served Britain with gun and sword manufacture since the English Civil War.

In 1689, inquiries were made through Sir Richard Newdigate as to the possibility of getting small arms manufactured in the town which would be as good as those coming from abroad. A trial order given by Government in March, 1692, led to the first contract (Jan. 5, 1693) made between the "Officers of Ordnance" and five local manufacturers, for the supply of 200 "snaphance musquets" every month for one year at 17/-each, an additional 3/-per cwt. being allowed for carriage to London.

A contract for 2,400 guns in 1693, at 17/-each was made by the Government. For the next hundred years the trade progressed. The Government, in 1798, found it necessary to erect "view-rooms" (now "the Tower", Bagot Street) in Birmingham. From 1804 to 1817 the number of muskets, rifles, carbines, and pistols made here for the Government, amounted to 1,827,889, in addition to 3,037,644 barrels and 2,879,203 locks sent to be "set up" in London, and more than 1,000,000 supplied to the East India Co. In the ten years ending 1864 (including the Crimean War) over 4,000,000 military barrels were proved in this town, and it has been estimated that during the American civil war our quarreling cousins were supplied with 800,000 weapons from our workshops. Gun stocks were chiefly made from beech and walnut, the latter for military and best work, the other being used principally for the African trade, wherein the prices have ranged as low as 6s. 6d. per gun. Walnut wood was nearly all imported, Germany and Italy being the principal markets; during the Crimean war one of the manufacturers set up sawmills at Turin, and it is stated that before he closed them he had used up nearly 10,000 trees, averaging not more than thirty gunstocks from each.

The production of hand-made guns was centred on the area where St Chad's Cathedral now stands. There was a gun implement maker residing at number one Price Street in 1729. He was also a beer retailer. This was the beginning of what was to become the gun quarter. Malcolm Bowater, a gun stock maker is still working in Price Street. He has worked in the area for nearly forty years, having been apprenticed at Greeners, which stood at the corner of St.Mary’s Row and Loveday Street. People such as Malcolm remember stories that have been passed down over the years. For instance, it is said that some dealers made considerable fortunes from the gun industry at the time of the American Civil War, and there are accounts that they would go to extremes to publicise their wealth. When travelling around the town they would hire two cabs, one for the man, the other for his top hat and cane. In the middle of the last century, it was common for the ‘gun gaffers’ to pay their employees wages in the Bulls Head. This practice inevitably led to much drinking and subsequently much brawling on the saw- dust covered floor. At this time there was a strong Catholic community in the Gun Quarter and often the landlord would summon the local priest to sort out the fighters rather than enlist the services of the ‘Peelers’. There was also a resident fiddler, who would continue playing whilst all around him was in complete fiasco. Ben Wilde, who has been associated with the trade for over fifty years and works in Price Street, has the only Gun showroom now open in the Midlands, this sadly reflects on the decline of one of Birmingham’s one time great industries.

With origins that can be traced back to 1790, Webley and Scott has had a long and varied history, supplying guns to the public and to the government for over 200 years. Making bullet moulds until it was taken over in 1834 by Philip Webley, William Davies' son-in-law, who focussed instead of on bullet moulds on the production of guns, particularly revolvers. Seeing peeks supplying weapons for use during both World Wars. It was in fact between the wars, in 1924, that Webley produced its first air gun, the Mark I air pistol, which was available in .177 and .22 calibres. Demand for air guns increased rapidly in the 20's, due mainly to the restrictive new Firearms Act. Webley ceased production of firearms in 1979, concentrating instead on its range of air pistols and rifles that it is today famous for.

By the end of the eighteenth century, when the development of the flintlock pistol had been perfected, Birmingham was the foremost arms producer in the world; by some one million items over its nearest rival, London, and was employing a few thousand people who in the main worked within a definite area, this became known as the Gun Quarter.

Birmingham supplied the guns for the Napoleonic Wars when over 3 million gun barrels were made in Birmingham. In order to stem imports of guns from abroad which were not often of the same quality as those made in Birmingham, the ordinance factory at Enfield was established. This Proof House was responsible for testing the guns and ensuring their quality and safety and is still present today in Banbury Street.

Cannons were manufactured as early as 1836, a local newspaper mentioned that several 250 and 300-pounder guns were sent from the city in that year for the fortifications on the Dardanelles.

The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was founded in 1861 by fourteen gunsmiths of the Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association, who had together supplied arms to the British government during the Crimean War. The company branched out into motor transport as the gun trade declined. Within a few weeks of the Great War B.S.A. returned to arms manufacture and greatly expanded its operations. BSA produced rifles and Lewis guns, but also shells, motorcycles and other vehicles for the struggle. In 1920, it bought the assets of a short-lived plane builder Airco.

By the time of the Second World War BSA had sixty-seven factories and was well positioned to benefit from the demand for guns and ammunition. During the war it produced over a million Lee-Enfield rifles and half a million Browning machine guns. Wartime demands did not stop motorcycle production. BSA supplied 126,000 M20 motorcycles to the armed forces, from 1937 until 1950.

In 1881 The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers were created drawing massively from the city's stock. The Royal Warwickshire Regiment reorganised as the county regiment of Warwickshire, encompassing also its Militia and Volunteer infantry

Many aspects of gun making in the city were documented, "makers", included:

* stock-makers, barrel welders, borers, grinders, filers, and breechers * rib makers, breech forgers and stampers * lock forgers, machiners, and filers * furniture forgers, casters, and filers * rod forgers, grinders, polishers, and finishers * bayonet forgers, socket and ring stampers, grinders, polishers, machiners, hardeners, and filers * band forgers, stampers, machiners, filers, and pin makers * sight stampers, machiners, jointers, and filers * trigger boxes, oddwork makers, &c.

The "setters up" include machines, jiggers (lump filers and break-off fitters), stockers, percussioners, screwers, strippers, barrel borers and riflers, sighters and sight-adjusters, smoothers, finishers makers-off, polishers, engravers, browners, lock freers, &c., &c.

The Proof-house in Banbury Street, "established for public safety" as the inscription over the entrance says, was erected in 1813, and with the exception of one in London was the only building of the kind in England. It was under the management of an independent corporation elected by and from members of the gun trade. More than half-a-million barrels were proved within its walls yearly: the report for the year 1883 showing 383,735 provisional proofs, and 297,704 definitive proofs. Of the barrels subjected to provisional proof, 29,794 were best birding single, 150,176 best birding double, and 160,441 African. Of those proved definitively, 63,197 were best double birding barrels, 110,369 breech-loading birding, 37,171 breech-loading choke bore, and 54,297 saddle-pistol barrels. As an instance of the changes going on in the trades of the country, and as a contrast to the above figures, Birmingham formerly supplyed nearly every firearm sold in England or exported from it - trade returns show that in 1882 Belgium imported 252,850 guns and pistols, France 48,496, the United States 15,785, Holland 84,126, Italy 155,985, making (with 3,411 from other countries) 560,653 firearms, valued at £124,813.

Birmingham still produces sporting guns and has an excellent and world renowned name for quality.

External Links

Chambers gunmakers (http://www.chambersgunmakers.co.uk/company.htm)

Parker-Hale gunsmiths (http://www.parker-hale.com/about.htm)

See Also

Birmingham military history