Gallyon’s Heritage

more than two centuries of outstanding English Gunmaking

Since its founding in 1784, Gallyon has been synonymous with fine English gunmaking. Today it is the longest operating English gun company, still has direct family involvement and, as it always has been, is wholly British owned.

After six generations of the Gallyon family running the business, the core Gallyon principles of ‘understated elegance’ remain as fundamental to Gallyon as when founded.

Below is a summary of the six generations of stewardship of the Gallyon brand.

 The Gallyon Story

The Gallyon story starts with London gunmaker John Henshaw who plied his trade close to the Tower of London in the early 18th century. Seeking a market more focused on his prowess in game-shooting, Henshaw moved to Cambridge, setting up close to King’s College. Amongst the many apprentices he took on, the most enterprising was a young William Gallyon. Under his tutelage, William flourished in the gun trade, eventually buying all of John Henshaw’s assets to incorporate into his fledgling Gallyon business.

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1st Generation:
1784—1838

William Gallyon

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Born in 1758, William Gallyon came from a family of craftsmen. His father, an esteemed stained glass maker, hoped his son would follow his trade. But William Gallyon had a passion for gunmaking.

After leaving the tutelage of John Henshaw, William Gallyon founded the company bearing his name, setting up in Slaughterhouse Lane, Cambridge in 1784. In 1792 William Gallyon moved his business to 14 Green Street, a significant amount of his business coming from students at the nearby colleges.

The earliest guns were matchlocks, wheel-locks and flintlocks. Duelling pistols were also popular.

A pair of Gallyon duelling pistols from 1790-1800.

A pair of Gallyon duelling pistols from 1790-1800.


Second Generation:
1838—1842

William John Gallyon 

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The second generation of Gallyon gunmakers was William John Gallyon I [1794-1842] born to William and Mary and raised in Green Street. William John was apprenticed to his father continuing in the business. In 1825, aged 21, William John Gallyon I married Mary Elizabeth Hardy from Chippenham, Cambridgeshire and they lived at Green Street, Cambridge. They had four children, William John Gallyon II [1829-1878] and three girls.

A Gallyon blunderbuss with swing-opening bayonet on top.

A Gallyon blunderbuss with swing-opening bayonet on top.


Third generation:
1850—1893

William John Gallyon II & Mary ANn Gallyon

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William John Gallyon II was the third generation of Gallyon gunmakers. He was the only son of William John and Mary Elizabeth Gallyon. His father died in 1842 when he was just 13 and too young to take on the growing Gallyon business. His uncle in law, Robert Peters, oversaw the business until William John completed his apprenticeship and took over the running in 1850. In November that year he married Mary Larkins and the following September in 1851 William John Jr was born, the first of their eight children.

William John Gallyon II

Around this time the business moved from 14 Green Street to another property in the same street. In 1852 the business was recorded at 17 Bridge St, then in 1857 at 22 Park St and then finally in 1861 it moved to 66 Bridge St, where it remained.

William John Gallyon II

Mary Anne Larkins [1831-1909] married William John Gallyon II when she was 19 and in the 1871 census it shows Mary Ann and four of her children living at 66 Bridge St. The 1881 census shows four of her children, two unmarried adult daughters and two school-age children, Caroline, 14 and Theophilus, eight are still living at 66 Bridge St along with a granddaughter, aged seven, and a servant and two student lodgers. Prior to the death of her husband, their son William John III, would have been trained and working within the business, possibly expecting to inherit it on his father’s death. However, William John III died intestate and probate was granted to Mary Ann. Mary Ann proved to be a competent business woman, carrying on the business of gunsmithing and gunmaking with her son. These are still times when businesses, especially gunmaking, were male dominated. She entered into a formal partnership with William John III on 11 February 1882. The partnership document was very detailed and states that they mutually agreed to become equal partners in the trade of gunsmithing and gunmaking for a term of 21 years and the partnership “to be carried on under the firm and style of MA Gallyon & son”.

Within the agreement Mary Ann retained the power to admit her son Theophilus Percy, on attaining the age of 21, into the business of Gallyon gun and rifle makers and Mary Anne assigned to him a portion of her shares in the business. At the time the partnership document was drawn up Theophilus was only 10 years old. With the formation of this partnership agreement, Mary Ann ensured the security of the business and the financial security for both herself and her youngest son. In 1893 Theophilus was formally admitted into the business partnership and his mother Mary Ann retired.

Mary Ann Gallyon

Mary Ann Gallyon


4th Generation:
1883—1930

Theophilus Percy Gallyon

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Theophilus Gallyon

Theophilus Gallyon

Theophilus Percy Gallyon [1872-1930], the fourth generation of Gallyon, was the youngest child of William John II and Mary Ann. Theophilus was very knowledgeable about guns and an exceptionally good gunsmith, meticulous in everything he did, well respected in the industry and regarded by his peers as a man of high reputation. Theophilus at the age of 38 married a 19-year-old girl called Mahal Woollard in the March of 1910. They went on to have seven children, one of whom, Theodore Newman Gallyon [1912-1996], was the fifth generation of Gallyon gunmakers and is the father of the current Richard Gallyon.

Competitors at the 1926 Gamekeepers Shoot.

Competitors at the 1926 Gamekeepers Shoot.


5th Generation:
1930—1982

Theodore Newman Gallyon

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Theodore Newman Gallyon

Theodore Newman Gallyon

Theodore was born in 1912 over the shop at 66 Bridge St and was the second child but first son of Theophilus and Mahal. It was always said that he was destined to follow his father into the gun trade as he was “born on the first day of the grouse shooting season, 12th of August, and christened on the first day of the partridge shooting, 1st  September”. On leaving school in 1928 he joined the family business on Monday 20th August, the fifth generation of Gallyon. In 1941 Theodore married Kathleen Horwood, a nurse and daughter and only child of Edmund Horwood and Lily Agnes Ratliff.

For many decades the gun establishment remained at 66 Bridge Street, Cambridge, just opposite the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, known as the Round Church. Many members of the 19th and 20th century generations of the family were born, and died, above the shop in Bridge Street. The property was owned by the Gallyon family and was only sold to St John’s College, Cambridge in 1982 when the business closed at 66 Bridge St, Cambridge.

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Gallyon workshop on Bridge Street, Cambridge


6th Generation:
1965—present

Richard Theodore Gallyon

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Richard Gallyon is a major stalwart of the English gunmaking industry and has twice held the office of Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers. At seventeen Richard started at the bench in the Gallyon workshop in Cambridge. After 2 ½ years learning the practical side of gunmaking at Gallyons in Cambridge, Richard continued his apprenticeship, gaining a more thorough understanding and insight into the gun business and associated trades by spending a year in Birmingham. Most of the firm’s dealings with gunmakers had been with the Birmingham-based industry, not London, so it was natural that Richard continued his apprenticeship within the gun quarter of Birmingham. In 1963 Richard started his training at the highly respected Webley & Scott which at this time was the biggest manufacturer of shotguns in the UK, producing upwards of 30 guns a week and had the most up-to-date manufacturing equipment. Gunmaking in Birmingham dates from the 17th century, it was an area rich in oil and coal and had a thriving blacksmithing industry. This was initially developed to serve agricultural needs however some craftsmen eventually turned their skills, firstly to repairing and then making guns and gun parts.

In 1965 not only did Richard purchase the Norwich shop, the Rosson business, but soon afterwards he married Victoria [Vicky] Margaret Trott. Vicky was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August 1943, daughter of George and Rita who worked for the Vesty family. The Vesty family were a worldwide meat producer with much of their meat production being conducted in Argentina.

 

Business Expansion:

Kings Lynn:

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In 1939 Gallyon & Sons bought the business of Lionel Clough based in Kings Lynn, a business which had its origins in 1800 with M. Spencer, gunmaker. In 1860 the business transferred to J.M. Boreham and then 10 years later to John Young’s Potter, a fine craftsman who made very good 12 and 16 shooting guns which gained him a reputation for high quality. In addition, he also manufactured 4 & 8 bore wild fowling guns. Potter ran the business for 30 years before it transferred to Thomas Clough and sons.

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After Gallyon's purchased the business in 1939 they continued to retain the Clough family name until the end of 1940 when the business name was changed to Gallyon & Sons Ltd. Royal appointment held by Clough was transferred to Gallyon’s in 1940. Then in 1955 the Kings Lynn branch was awarded the Royal warrant of appointment to Queen Elizabeth II. The firm of Clough had previously held Royal warrants for their majesties Edward VII, George V and George the VI. After the closure of the Kings Lynn business in 1982 the Sandringham estate was supplied by Norwich and the warrant transferred.

Peterborough:

Charles Francis established his gunmaking business in Long Causeway, Peterborough, during the early 1800s. In 1929 the business moved to 3 Cumbergate, Peterborough. The business remained in the Francis family until 1st April 1951, when the business was purchased by Gallyon and Sons Ltd. The business traded as Charles Francis and son from 1951 until 1 March 1964, when the company was incorporated and became Gallyon & Sons (Peterborough) Ltd, which was a separate company to Gallyon & Sons Ltd. The main business was retailing not only guns, but fishing tackle and sports equipment.

Norwich:

The Norwich business was originally owned by Mr. Cartwright and then a Mr. Edwin Wilson.

In 1906 Charles Stanley Rosson came to Norwich from Derby, where he, his father and older brother had worked as gunmakers. He purchased the old established business, quickly building up a high reputation for quality guns that were exported worldwide. Situated originally on the corner of Rampant Hall Street, a location which was bombed and flattened during the Second World War and with it the loss of the gun ledgers. Gallyon’s temporarily took over what remained of the business until Gallyon's returned the business to Rosson in 1947, which was now in White Lion Street, Norwich.

Following the Second World War the first gun ledger record, after the loss of the original historical records, was dated the 2nd February 1946 and the gun serial number was 4501. Rosson gun records normally show the date of finishing the piece although in some cases this is the date of the final engraving or sale. Rosson use several brand names, which denoted the level of quality. The top of its range was Eclipse, followed by Norfolk, Co, expert, Acme and finally Covert.

In the early 1950s the business moved to Bedford Street and Rosson ran the business until 1956 when he died. The business was sold to Stuart Healy’s of London and after three years went bankrupt. The business was then sold at auction to H.P. Darlow, a wholesale arms and ammunition merchant from Bedford. Darlow tried to run the business – unsuccessfully – from his remote Bedfordshire office and in November 1964 Gallyon and Sons Ltd agreed to buy the gun business with Darlow retaining the cartridge business. The takeover of the Rosson business was completed on 1st April 1965 and the Rosson name was retained for six months, then in 1966 it was changed to Gallyon & Sons (Norwich) Ltd.

Next Generation

In 2018, Richard Gallyon moved into an ambassadorial role in the company as new owners and accredited gunmakers Richard Hefford-Hobbs and Adam Anthony take the Gallyon brand forward, maintaining the ethos of six generations of Gallyon family stewardship.