AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: 410-er on August 08, 2015, 08:03:55 PM

Title: English SXS Name Help
Post by: 410-er on August 08, 2015, 08:03:55 PM

Guy from the feed mill gave me a old perc. double to clean up.Barrels mic to .655-.650(16ga).The proof marks are English.Name on the side looks like "Wehin & Gomen"?The scroll work for letters are hard to understand.Any help with the name?

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: D. Buck Stopshere on August 10, 2015, 02:52:32 AM

You know what they say about the worth of photographs.

Hold off on the clean-up until you read the post on Cleaning an Antique, somewhere down the list of threads.

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: 410-er on August 10, 2015, 03:13:00 AM

Simple cleanup of bore and remove nipples.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/20433213912_962209be28.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/x8ByBA)Pictures 617 (https://flic.kr/p/x8ByBA) by t410er (https://www.flickr.com/photos/23979823@N04/), on Flickr
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/260/20255242469_7f08b1c13b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/wRTpUr)Pictures 618 (https://flic.kr/p/wRTpUr) by t410er (https://www.flickr.com/photos/23979823@N04/), on Flickr

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: Paul E. Wog on August 10, 2015, 03:30:54 AM

Fehin and Tomes, perhaps ???
Fehin is an Irish surname...just my 2d's worth ;D
                                Shreck

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: Steve Collward on August 10, 2015, 03:42:09 AM

I believe it is "Lewis and Tomes".  Carey's "English, Irish, and Scottish Firearms Makers" lists them having a shop in London from 1840-1860.  Gardner's "Small Arms Makers" lists them in London and Birmingham, 1853-1863.

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: oakridge on August 10, 2015, 10:32:39 PM

Steve is correct. I once had a Lewis & Tomes double gun, and have seen others.

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: JV Puleo on August 11, 2015, 06:06:17 PM

Both Carey and Gardiner are woefully out of date. Lewis & Tomes is actually an Anglo-American company. Lewis was the British partner while Francis Tomes lived in New York. They were one of the largest and most successful importers of military goods in the period 1816 through the late 1870s. All of their guns were Birminham-made. See Bazelon & McGuinn's Directory of American Military Goods Dealers & Makers, 1785-1915.

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: 410-er on August 14, 2015, 02:01:32 AM

Thanks for all the help !

Title: Re: English SXS Name Help
Post by: George Roberts on August 15, 2015, 07:59:43 PM

Here is another Lewis & Tomes, perhaps a little more readable.                                                                                                                                                             (https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fc4pH4iH.jpg%3F2&hash=1c3ca4e3c72050837f46bef3a294c6936ad4cc2b)