John Farquharson

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John Farquharson

John Farquharson was born in Glenfernate, Perthshire in the mid-1830s. He served Lord Rosebery as a gamekeeper, and at this time devoted considerable attention to rifle shooting, also gaining permission to attend rifle meetings. He won many prizes and is notable for shooting from the “back”, or “Farquharson,” position. His skills as a marksman were such that he was selected for the Scottish Eight to compete for the Elcho Shield. The Farquharson breech action, its patent and the attendant court case with Alexander Henry are featured in another post. The Patent was eventually reassigned to John Farquharson, George Gibbs, Thomas Pitt and William Ellis Metford.

After leaving Lord Rosebery, Farquharson became gamekeeper to a Mr. Dalgleish in Argyleshire. Their relationships was not a happy one and Farquharson was not allowed holidays or permission to attend rifle meetings. After two years service this confinement was too much and he gave up his position and started shooting “on his own” amongst his beloved mountains and moors. Thus began his career as a poacher. For many years he took heavy toll on the Perthshire moors and forests, stalking game there on the preserves of the aristocracy. In the end, however, he settled down and passed away in 1893 of heart disease.

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Obituary: George Gibbs

Another aged and respected citizen has been withdrawn from amongst us by the death of Mr. George Gibbs, the well-known gun and pistol manufacturer, of Corn Street and St. John’s bridge, which sad event occurred yesterday, at his residence, Park place, Clifton. The deceased gentleman, who was in his 72nd year, had been ailing for some time, but the painful illness to which he succumbed was of comparatively brief duration.

Gibbs-Farquharson-Metford

The Farquharson breech, which is attached to the Metford rifle as manufactured Mr. Geo. Gibbs, of Bristol, is one of the oldest actions we have among the rifles of the present day. The inventor – Mr John Farquharson – is a Scotchman, and we remember having seen him at Irvine, in 1871, exhibiting the action, which was then fitted to a Henry barrel. Mr Farquharson approached several Governments with the view of getting his invention adopted, but it was just a little too late. Nearly all of them had selected a breech action shortly before, and they were therefore unwilling to re-open the question and incur additional expense before giving the newly chosen weapon a fair trial. Ultimately the action was purchased by Mr Gibbs, who proceeded to perfect it and protect it by letters patent under the Great Seal.

The Gibbs-Metford Rifle

The 1865 Cambridge Cup match in Great Britain, which comprised two days shooting at 1,000 and 1,100 yards, fifteen shots at each range each day, was won by Sir Henry Halford using a Gibbs-Metford match rifle. The Times of 15 June 1865 had this to say of the rifle: “The weapon with which the prize was won, will, it is said, create some stir among those interested in small-bore and long-range shooting, being on entirely new principles.”