Product Details
HOLLAND & HOLLAND
A PAIR OF 12-BORE 'ROYAL' HAND-DETACHABLE SIDELOCK EJECTORS, serial no. 29083 / 4,
30in. nitro chopperlump barrels, ribs gold-inlaid '1' and '2' amid scrollwork, tubes engraved 'HOLLAND & HOLLAND. 98. NEW BOND STREET. LONDON.', 2 1/2in. chambers, bored approx. true cyl. and 1/4 choke, carved shell fences, toplevers gold-inlaid '1' and '2', automatic safeties with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' details, hand-detachable lockplates, gold-inlaid cocking-indicators, left-handed triggers, rolled-edge triggerguards, bold Royal scroll engraving with beaded borders and floral bouquets, the undersides engraved 'ROYAL HAMMERLESS EJECTOR' in a cartouche, retaining traces of original colour-hardening, 15 5/8in. well-figured stocks with diamond grips and cast on for the left shoulder, including 1 1/2in. wooden extensions, gold escutcheons engraved 'R.J.C. 1919' and 'C.K. 1933', weight 6lb. 12oz., on their brass-mounted oak and leather case, the lid marked 'C. KENNEDY. DUCHRAE. NEW GALLOWAY.'
Provenance: This pair of guns were built for Richard John Cuninghame who was born 4th July 1871 into a landed Scottish family of great repute whose family home was Hensol, Kirkcudbrightshire. Cuninghame, or R.J. as he was known to his friends, finished his schooling at Cambridge before setting out to salve his thirst for adventure in British East Africa.
Within a short space of time this fairly remarkable young man had proved himself and was able to count himself amongst the first wave of what was known then as the great white hunters. He was able to count Frederick Selous, Alan Black and Bill Judd amongst his peers in a land that offered opportunity, adventure and fortune in equal measure, if one were brave enough to stride out gamefully. He could count other positive facets to his personality though; he was possessed of the highest integrity and coupled this with a quiet and fairly retiring nature. The combination was a winning one and he quickly gained a reputation as a guide and naturalist of the highest proficiency.
His reputation was already assured when he was chosen for Theodore Roosevelt's famous year long safari in 1909, for which he was the overall leader. Roosevelt chose him personally after seeking much advice from other quarters, almost all of whom recommended he secured Cuninghame's services. The choice was to prove a profound one as Roosevelt, rather than wanting to gorge himself in the hunt alone, intended to secure items for the Smithsonian Museum, which, at that time, had a fairly poor range of natural history exhibits. Since Cuninghame had already acted for Britain's Natural History Museum on several occasions he was able to assist the American far more than a normal P.H. would have been able to. The safari was a great success for manifold reasons and it remains the largest undertaking of its type in Africa.
Robert Lyons Scott (please see the preceding lot) was a noted and wealthy game shot of his time, being born the same year as Cuninghame. He had decided to embark on his first safari to British East Africa and Cuninghame's name as the pre-eminent guide had reached him. As with Roosevelt, Scott also wanted to collect items for museum display as well as hunt and so it was that he found himself in the bush in November 1911 ready for a three-month sojourn. Scott and Cuninghame were to become very close friends and the pair were together for two of Scott's five African expeditions.
It was in 1919 that Cuninghame was to marry Helen McDouall, and to mark the occasion Scott had Holland & Holland built him this pair of Royals as a wedding present. The guns have remained at Hensol ever since. Cuninghame died in 1925 and his widow re-married Lord Charles Kennedy in 1933 who became Marquess of Ailsa when he succeeded his elder brother. Lady Ailsa survived her second husband and when she died, aged 86, Hensol and its contents, including the Royals, passed to her god daughter, Lady Henderson, as there were no children from either marriage. She continues to live at the house.
His friend and associate, C.W. Hobley said of Cuninghame, "He was a man of the type of Selous, and quite as great....A Galahad sans peur, sans reproche - a great hunter before the Lord."
Estimate £15,000-20,000
THE ABOVE LOT WILL REQUIRE THE BUYER TO PRODUCE A RELEVANT BRITISH SHOTGUN CERTIFICATE OR REGISTERED FIREARMS DEALER LICENCE BEFORE IT MAY BE RELEASED.