From Charlton Hall Auctions
George Edward Lewis was born in Birmingham in 1829. He was apprenticed in the gun trade, and established himself in 1850 in Bath Street, Birmingham as a gun engraver. In 1851 census he was described as a gun finisher employing 5 men. In 1859 the firm occupied a large factory at 32-33 Lower Loveday Street. In 1862 the firm exhibited their guns in London and in 1867 they exhibited in Paris. Initially, the firm was a trade manufacturer which also did repair work, re-barrelling etc., but typical of major Birmingham manufacturers they exported guns to the Confederate army in the US Civil War (1861-1865) and developed export markets in the USA, India and Australia. They also built military rifles for the French during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). In 1871 the firm began to sell direct to the public as well as to the trade. They exhibited in Vienna in 1873, and in Paris in 1878, where they introduced their "Gun of the Period"; a high quality gun made in hammer and hammerless versions. G E Lewis introduced a type of recess choke boring, and popularised magnum small bores (12 and 20 bores with 2 3/4" chambers). From about 1873 until 1905 the firm had two showrooms in London and they exhibited in Sydney in 1879/80, Melbourne in 1880/81, and Calcutta in 1884. In the 1901 census G E Lewis was recorded as a widower aged 72 living at 2 Cambridge Crescent, Edgbaston, with G E Lewis (II) and E C Lewis, and three of his daughters and in 1909 the name of the firm changed to George E Lewis & Sons. G E Lewis (the founder), died on 17 January 1917 and the sons inherited the firm. G E Lewis (his son), handled the management of the firm until his death in 1988, when the business was sold to John Harris who stocked guns for the firm. In December 2003 the name, goodwill and records of G E Lewis were sold at auction in London to Grant Dempsey of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
|