Ken Hill - This is what they had to say.
The workshop ledger entry notes
Conventional order for a single Round-Action gun, issued with patent number 793 meaning
it’s the 793rd patent gun made since 1880. The gun was fitted with 29in barrels which is the
optimum length for a Round-Action gun.
What we know about the original owner
Alfred Woodrow Stanley Wingate was born in London in 1861, the only child of Rev. William
Wingate. Alfred first enlisted in the military in 1881 at the age of 20 and would have a taste
for adventure. Spending the first part of his career in the British Intelligence Branch of the
‘China Force’ and then moving to India, again working in Intelligence, being promoted to
Captain, 14th Bengal Lancers.
During his time in China, Wingate had an affinity for exploring and making many notes on
the wildlife, returning some insects to the Natural History Museum in London. He would
return to London in 1910 to be married to Letitia Beryl Tucker (who he had met in India) and
have a non-combatant role in the First World War, retiring as a Colonel in 1917. Wingate
died in 1938 at the age of 77 in Camberley, England.
His adventures were published in ‘A Cavalier in China’, an account of a journey through
China in 1898-99. This was published after his death, by his wife, who was an accomplished
editor and publisher of her own books, under the name Mrs. Alfred Wingate.
The business of John Dickson and Son in 1900
Business was buoyant in 1900 with the workshop delivering a total of 72 weapons that year
with 57 being Round-Action’s. Dickson’s best customer, Charles Gordon, only took delivery
of 2 guns in this year.