Product Details
FORMERLY PART OF THE W. KEITH NEAL COLLECTION
J. PURDEY & SONS
A LEFT-HANDED .450 (3 1/4IN.) BLACK POWDER EXPRESS SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK NON-EJECTOR DOUBLE RIFLE, serial no. 11495,
28in. black powder only barrels with raised, partially file-cut rib, open sights with white metal inlaid sight line and bead fore-sight, the rib central section engraved 'J. PURDEY & SONS. AUDLEY HOUSE. SOUTH AUDLEY STREET. LONDON.', treble-grip self-opening action with hidden third bite, side-clips, removable striker discs, the fences carved in high relief with stylised acanthus leaf motifs, bolted automatic safety with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' and 'BOLTED' details, arrow cocking-indicators, best fine acanthus scroll engraving with floral bouquets, retaining slight traces of original colour-hardening and finish, 14 1/2in. well-figured pistolgrip stock with cheekpiece, steel pistolgrip-cap, sling eyes and chequered steel buttplate, engraved at the heel 'CHARGE 4 1/4 DRS. NO.6', weight 8lb. 10oz., in its brass-cornered oak and leather case with associated accessories, the lid outer marked 'JULY 1883' and with central circular brass escutcheon monogrammed 'W.S.', retaining William Keith Neal Collection identification disc, no. C.249
Provenance: The makers have kindly confirmed that the rifle was completed in 1883 for a Mr Walter Shoolbred.
Walter Shoolbred (born 1833, died 1904) was the son of James Shoolbred of James Shoolbred & Co. of Tottenham Court Road.
The business started up in 1920 and was soon to become one of London's first Department Stores. According to the Pictorial Dictionary of British 19th Century Furniture Design, Tottenham Court Road 'had two large shops, Shoolbreds and Heals which were distinguished for the high quality of their furniture, making much of it themselves and employing professional designers'. Shoolbred's trade did cover other areas and by 1870 they had branched out into the furniture trade as cabinet manufacturers. Shoolbreds gained the Royal Warrant the mid-1880s.
Sadly the Depression and financial crisis in 1929 had a disastrous effect on the company and just two years later the company closed its doors for the last time.
Walter Shoolbred was a keen sportsman, with stalking being his most favoured pastime. It led him to purchase first the Ben Wyvis Estate in Rosshire in 1885, followed by the neighbouring Kildermorie Estate five years later in 1890. Ben Wyvis, previously registered to the famed Horatio Ross (legendary shot and pioneering photographer) was a stalkers dream. A fitting estate to be owned by the man referred to by the English Illustrated Magazine in 1899 as 'undoubtedly the deer stalker of the expiring century'.
In his 1896 book 'The Deer Forests of Scotland' (a rare book of which only 500 copies were printed) A. Grimble has the following entry about the Ben Wyvis Estate - and gives a great insight into the consistent (and successful use) this Purdey rifle will have enjoyed in Shoolbred practised hands:
"This well known forest, so closely associated with the name of that devoted admirer of deer, the late Mr Horatio Ross, consists at the present time of some 20,000 acres, part of which was first cleared in 1857, more in 1869, and finally the whole in 1881. The ground is remarkable for the conformation of the very high hills it contains, for Ben Wyvis is 3,429 ft; An Sveach 3,295 ft; Tom-an-Chonnich 3,154 ft; and Corrie Grand 3,017 ft, while there are many others of over 2000 ft; now all these "big fellows" unlike the bulk of the high grounds of Scotland are neither rocky nor precipitous, but are great, bold, "rolling" hills, having grass-clad sides, with stretches of mossy ground round their bases.
This forest, purchased by M Walter Shoolbred in 1885, from Mr Colin Ross, marches on the north, north-east, and south with the sheep grounds of Swordale, Castel Leod and Novar; while on the remaining sides it joins the forests of Inchbae and Kildermorie. In the main valley, and close to the new lodge the present owner has built at the head of Loch Glass, there are three nice stretches of birch wood for winter shelter. The ground will carry two rifles each day of the season; all deer are got by fair stalking, the average kill being fifty to fifty-five stags, which weigh, one with the other, 14 to 14 1/2 stone, heart and liver included.
Charles Mackenzie, the present head forester, together with his father John, both stalked for Mr Horatio Ross, who entertained a sincere friendship and a high opinion of them. It is almost needless to say that when Mr Shoolbred took over the property "Old John" remained in welcome possession of his cottage at Corrie Vackie, at the door of which he may still usually be seen in the morning, spyglass in hand, and ready for a chat with any sportsman making his way to the forest. On the east beat here Mr Shoolbred had a somewhat remarkable day on 30th September, 1893. Up to lunch time he had three separate stalks, each of which owing to shifting wind was unsuccessful, and then, while seeking a sheltered spot to rest in for a short time, he saw the tops of a stag's horn coming towards him, and there was barely time to drop down and get the rifle out of cover before he came into view, and was promptly killed. The spyglasses were not idle during the short luncheon sit, and soon showed that in the corrie in front of the party there was a fine royal busily engaged in herding a lot of hinds. The other stags were broken into small lots, some feeding, some roaring, others rolling in the "poll bruiridh," and plenty skirmishing with each other, so that there was nothing for the stalking party to do but to wait, watch, and hope that some of them would move to better ground.
After a long wait two of the stags left the corrie to make their way towards the hill the party were on. As they neared the foot, one stopped and commenced to rub his horns on an old stump of a tree, but the other again came straight at Mr Shoolbred, and was knocked over in due course. It was then naturally expected the second stag would be seen galloping away, but he was so taken with tearing at the tree stump that he never heard the shot' at last, tiring of his amusement, he commenced to look about for his companion, when not seeing him, he came trotting on after him, only also to fall dead within ten yards of the friend he sought. Thus Mr Shoolbred got three good beasts on the same hill without stalking wither of them, of which the two last each weight over 16 stone, while carrying respectively ten and nine points".
In 1902, The New York Times carried a piece which made mention of Shoolbred, commending him for bagging his 500th stag (which included a right and left of Royals).
The rifle, still bearing its identification tag 'C.249' formed part of the illustrious W. Keith Neal Collection and most interestingly, was the only breech loading double rifle in the collection.
Other Notes: Together with a wood case with printed instruction label and containing tools for resizing, capping and loading .450 Express cartridge cases, seven pieces numbered 1 to 7, brass case gauge, the outer with W. Keith Neal label identifying is as being 'Complete Re-loading set of tools for my Purdey .450 Express Rifle no. 11,495. Hammerless'
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Estimate £7,000-9,000