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Do you remember a time when Christmas Eve was filled with anticipation and excitement: the presents that you would open the next day, a stocking that would be full to the brim and a heart beating with expectation?  Well, I had thought that such Christmas Eve feelings had long since departed but, to my astonishment, such excitement returned like a ghost on Christmas Eve 2005.

I automatically opened my emails on December 24 and there was a message from Joe Hall at Matched Pairs.  It was short, only one line, yet that one line harboured the most exciting event that I have experienced in over 40 years of interest in antique guns.  The email said: ‘Have located Boss Hammer Gun no. 3456. Will be in touch, Joe.’ I read and re-read it, surely it couldn’t be true. The brevity of the email was frustrating, I had to know more at once.  I phoned Joe immediately and he confirmed that a customer had just registered Boss hammer gun no. 3456 with his company Matched Pairs.  The gun appeared to be in good condition and possibly for sale.

He added that it was an awkward time of year but that he would get back in touch with me in the New Year.

I was absolutely ecstatic at this news as I had owned the No.1 gun of this pair, nos. 3455/6, for many years. For years and years I have been trying to locate the no.2 gun of the pair, no.3456, but with absolutely no success. I tried adverts in various magazines and each time an auction catalogue appeared through the post, I eagerly devoured its contents in the feint hope that No.3456 might just be there, but it never was.

Reuniting harmless guns is more successful as their survival rate is far higher, but so many hammer guns were simply worn out or thrown out when they became obsolete, that their survival rate is far lower. In theory, the odds should have been good as Boss made only 962 centre-fire hammer guns. Yet, in practise, reuniting a hammer gun with its partner is almost unheard of. Joe hall himself was very pleased, saying that in 20 years of running Matched Pairs these were the only pair of hammer guns he had ever reunited. In addition, in all the time I spent researching Boss & Co., for my book about the firm, and subsequently to the present day, I have never come across an existing pair of Boss hammer guns, although over 50 percent of their hammer gun production comprised pairs.

The story really began in august 1989 when I travelled to Gleneagles in Scotland to view the Sotheby’s auction. Amongst all the guns on display, the one that took my fancy was a Boss hammer  gun  No.3455, slightly worn but exuding style and quality to the extent that I had to buy it. The action was locked by a purdey 2nd pattern snap thumb-hole under lever, a closing action not used to a great extent by Boss, only 117 examples being recorded. I find such thumb-holes very attractive with their wide bifurcated trigger guard and short lever. In addition, the absence of a top lever allows for uninterrupted engraving of the top strap. This gun also had front action lock of the type that I prefer, again unusual for a Boss hammer gun, as most have back action locks. The hammers were very typical, elegant Boss hammers and the action and lock-work were finely scroll engraved. The entire gun was graceful and elegant, hence the reason for my purchase.

To me, the provenance of a gun is just as interesting as the gun itself and in this gun I was not disappointed. It provided to have far more fascinating provenance then I could have anticipated one factor in why I was so keen to find the No.2. I got in touch with Boss and they told me nos. 3455/6 were sold on October 31, 1877 to captain V.Montagu.

I looked up various who’s who of the late 19th century and soon found reference to Captain V. Montague, his entry in 1906 Who’s Who referring to him as Rear Admiral Victor Montagu. But what made his entry even more fascinating was the information that he had written two books, A Middy’s Recollections 1853-1860 published in 1898 and Reminiscences of Admiral Montagu published in 1910. I obtained both these books and what an informative read they were, bringing to life the owner of my gun and, in addition, giving much detail on his shooting experiences in the third quarter of he 19th century with my actual gun. It isn’t often that you find an original source like this referring to a gun in your collection.

Victor Montagu was born on April 20, 1841 in London, the second son of the Earl of Sandwich. The family lived at Hinchingbrooke House, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the house still existing today, albeit in different guise as a school. As a mere boy of 12 years of age he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman junior officer in 1853, embarking upon the 91-gun battleship, Princess Royal. He was put in charge of a 12 oared cutter, an amazing responsibility for a 12-year-old. He was immediately embroiled in war as his ship set sail for the Black sea at the beginning of the Crimean war in 1853 and he was involved in shelling Russian forts. Punishments were draconian in the navy at this time and Midshipman Montagu committed the heinous crime of putting his hands in his pockets on a freezing cold night. He was unfortunately spotted by his captain who immediately ordered him to go to the ship’s tailor to have his pocket’s sewn up. After the war he saw service in the Mediterranean, the China War in 1857 and the Indian Mutiny of 1857/8. He served with the Naval Brigade and, considering that he was only 15 years old, had difficult duties to perform: ‘in the early days of the Mutiny, we had constantly to hang the wretches. Once I was sent to hang eight rebels on one tree.’ He won five medals and eventually retired as a Rear Admiral in 1886.

His second book, Reminiscences of Admiral Montagu, gives many detailed accounts of his shooting experiences, no less than three chapters being devoted to this and, of course, as far as I am concerned most shooting was done with my guns. What intrigued me greatly was that he shot regularly with the Prince of Wales (later king Edward VII) and occasionally, due to his naval connections, with the Kaiser Wilhelm II, the cousins that would soon part ways in cataclysmic fashion in August 1914. He regularly shot at the Price of Wales’ estate at Sandringham, using the Boss hammer guns. I often think whilst out shooting with these guns, that over 130 years ago these guns were in far more illustrious company then on my present shoot. In King Edward VII’s official biography by Sir Sydney Lee, he quotes from the Prince’s diary of January 19, 1880: ‘we have a largish party staying here ( Sandringham) this month including Curzons, Carringtons, Victor and Lady Agnetta Montagu…. Weather fine and mild but cock pheasants wild.’ My pair of Boss guns were there too, only three years old!

He shot at all the well known shoots of the era, boasting that he had shot in 33 different countries, and in addition he shot abroad whilst in service with the navy. Although there are frequent references to his guns in the book, he never mentions the Boss hammer guns specifically. I presume that he would not take them on board ship, leaving them at home for the driven shooting parties.

In 1891 Admiral Montagu replaced his Boss hammer gun pair, nos. 3455/6 with a pair of top lever hammerless Boss guns, no’s 4149/50, and most probably  from this point on nos. 3455/6, were relegated and possibly split up afterwards as they were now obsolete. Admiral Montagu himself died on January 15, 1915.

Finally, in June 2006 a deal was concluded and No.3456 was forwarded to me. It was a Friday and as usual with Sod’s law I wasn’t in, hence the carrier returned the parcel to the deport some 40 miles from me. They would re-deliver on Monday; Oh no they wouldn’t, I jumped in the car immediately and headed off to the depot. As I drove there, I was on the one hand pretty excited but also a bit apprehensive. What would the gun be like? Would it be tarted up? I abhor ‘restored’ guns brushed bright, re-blued, re-browned. Re-checkered etc. I love the description Andrew Orr of Holts gives such abominations: ‘tarts breakfasts!’ A gun dating from 1877 should age gracefully and not have a century of patina removed.

I picked up the parcel and, even though I was in the car park of the depot, I knew that I couldn’t resist a sneaky peak. It was really exciting having my first view of a gun I had been constantly searching for. Wow, I was truly impressed, not only did No.3456 match exactly No.3455, it was in even better condition and un-restored into the bargain. Upon returning home I placed my No.1 gun on the table and slowly took the No.2 gun out of its parcel.

Thank God nobody was looking in the window as I literally spoke to them: “Do you know, this is the first time that you two have been back together in about 100 years? You are made for each other!” They were quite literally friends reunited. It was quite a moving moment thinking of this fact as I had ascertained from the owner of the No.2 gun that it had been in possession of his family for a very long time and it seemed probable that the pair had been split before world war one. I always like a few drams on a Friday night but I must confess I had a few extra that particular Friday as I celebrated a very lucky turn of events.

I must thank Joe Hall of Matched Pairs for all his hard work.

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James Purdey & Sons, Boss & Co, Holland & Holland, James Woodward & Sons, Aitkin Grant & Lang, & William Evans all catered for at Matched Pairs Ltd

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