Nicholas Clarke
Gunmaker
Dublin
Nicholas Clarke trade card/label 35 Capel Street.Dublin
Photography courtesy of the late Huw Williams
Photography courtesy of the late Huw Williams
Henry Nock Patent Breech.
" The Advantage arising from this New Constructed Breeching is that the Powder taking Fire in A., Throws the shot in a more perfect Direction & with greater Velocity they do not Kick & after Firing Twenty or Thirty Shots loose (sic) very little of their Force in comparison with Guns of the Old plan. - Duelling Pistols Engaged to hit Point Blank at a proper Distance"
This format of trade label was used by at least two other Dublin gunmaker's namely, Thomas Fowler and John Silk. Henry Nock having put in place a very good marketing strategy whereby
he may well have supplied the copper plates with the section and elevation already engraved and then the individual gunmaker's employed their own engraver to add the text. It is unlikely
that the text was already added as on one other sample the word "loose" is corrected to "lose"
However, the wording may well have been drafted by the inventor and supplied with the copperplate. If so, a very good marketing tool for the period.
The engraver of this label being "Dawson" and added in Latin is "Sculpsits" (Engravers)
Nicholas Clarke
known trading dates and addresses:
he may well have supplied the copper plates with the section and elevation already engraved and then the individual gunmaker's employed their own engraver to add the text. It is unlikely
that the text was already added as on one other sample the word "loose" is corrected to "lose"
However, the wording may well have been drafted by the inventor and supplied with the copperplate. If so, a very good marketing tool for the period.
The engraver of this label being "Dawson" and added in Latin is "Sculpsits" (Engravers)
Nicholas Clarke
known trading dates and addresses:
| 1787-1788 | 9 Swifts Row |
| 1789-1795 | 43 Capel Street |
| 1796-d.1811 | 35 Capel Street |
Nicholas Clarke first Trades Directory Listing.
| 1788 | ||||
| Alley | George | 17 Gt Ship St | ||
| Blackwell | William | 2 GT Ship St | ||
| Clarke | Nicholas | 9 Swifts Row | ||
| Devine | Thomas | 194 Abbey St | ||
| Dixon | Thomas | 32 Upp Kevin St | ||
| Eames | James | 57 S.King St | ||
| Edwards | William | 24 Castle St | ||
| Gray | John | 21 Lower Exchange st | ||
| Hutchinson | Michael | 8 Dame St | ||
| Marshal | Thomas | 4 Barrack St | ||
| Morton | William | 31 Skinner Row | ||
| Muley | Daniel | 44 Gt Ship St | ||
| Rainsford | James | 102 Grafton St | ||
| Rigby | John | 19 Suffolk st | ||
| Tomlinson | Robert | 123 Capel St | ||
| Wallace | Samuel | 2 William st |
Nicholas Clarke originally listed by M.S. Dudley Westropp, MRIA.
Journal Arms & Armour Society, 1957.
Vol.11. No 1.
In future blogs we will look at this gunmakers work.
Dave Stroud. ramrodantiques.co.uk
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