Friday, 27 November 2015

Nicholas Clarke. Gunmaker.


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:

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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