HISTORY OF ROBERTSON

John Robertson was born in 1839 in Haddington, Scotland into a gunmaking family with a noted reputation for top class workmanship. John was apprenticed to his father, “Gunner” Robertson, and together they produced fine quality sporting guns for the gentry. John, however, had his sights set a little higher and was not content to simply continue his father’s business. Wishing to better himself and learn all aspects of gunmaking, he travelled south, and it was in Manchester in 1858 that he joined the famous firm of Joseph Whitworth. Whitworth was another innovator and held numerous patents and designs for firearms. He led development in barrel making and rifling, and produced the standards for screw threads which remain to this day. John rose to a level of prominence at Whitworth and helped build the rifle that Queen Victoria shot at the first NRA shoot in Wimbledon, England. After four years John again headed south and in 1862 joined Westley Richards in Birmingham. This was an exciting time in gunmaking: “Westley’s” were producing new locking systems for the development of breech loaders, which required skills of the highest standard.

John Robertson’s final journey south was to the centre of gunmaking, London, but he would not sever his links with the Birmingham Gun Trade. As a “journeyman”, Robertson worked in London for every quality gunmaker and was renowned for his high standard of workmanship. In 1891 he finally achieved his ambition and purchased Boss & Co, builders of best guns only. Under his guidance, Boss went on to produce not only superb quality guns, but also mechanically ingenious ones; when they patented the single trigger, double gun and even single trigger guns with three barrels. Robertson’s finest legacy has to be the perfection of the over and under sporting shotgun, unquestionably regarded as the grandfather of the modern over and under gun. These hand crafted Boss guns were, and still are, immensely valuable and few could afford them. Many customers would ask for more affordable guns, often for keepers and young sons. Robertson realised the importance of fulfilling these requirements, but at the same time did not want to compromise the reputation of Boss & Co. He therefore, outsourced boxlocks in Birmingham carrying his name on the gun, Robertson.