The connection with Prince Albert

On one of the labels in the lid of a gun box we noticed there was the Royal Warrant above the door of 59 Broad St, Worcester. On writing to the archivist at Windsor Castle it turned out that they had a gun by Thomas Perrins of Windsor which belonged to Prince Albert in their collection. We (Vaughan and Lynn and myself) were invited by Simon Metcalf , the Queens Armourer, to go down to Windsor Castle to view the gun. Thomas Perrins, who was the brother of the founder John Perrins, worked for a time in Worcester and we have examples of his work with Worcester as the address. He then moved to Windsor and it would appear supplied both guns and shooting requisites to the Royal household. We are very grateful to both Simon Metcalf for a fascinating day and the archivists for the other information they furnished us with including receipts for items purchased in Queen Victoria's ledgers. Unfortunately the listing for Royal warrants for that period are missing so we will never know where exactly the connect was that allowed Perrins of Worcester to display the warrant but we can only assume it was through the association with Thomas.

The 16 bore percussion shotgun was obviously a favourite and had seen considerable use. It was No 2 of at least a pair and they have no knowledge of where the other one is. If you come across it they would love to hear of its whereabouts. Simon had dismantled the gun and probably it was the first time the locks had seen light for 150 years. They were in pristine condition with no signes of rust or wear.