Alexander Henry, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Alexander Henry

Alexander Henry (1818-1894) was an Edinburgh gunmaker of muzzle and breech loading rifles including the Henry Fraser two position rifle. Henry’s rifling was famously used on the Martini-Henry rifle, adopted by the British Army.

Picture right from – Edinburgh Museums & Galleries: The Museum of Edinburgh (courtesy Richard Brown)

  • The Henry Rifle – A. Henry’s “entirely new principle in rifling fire-arms” [1861]
  • The Henry Rifle – Description of the Henry muzzle loading rifle [1862]
  • Obituary: Alexander Henry – A selection of obituary notices following the death of Alexander Henry on 27 January 1894

Alexander Henry Inventory – On the creation of an “inventory” of Alexander Henry’s rifles and shotguns, to gain an understanding how many are still in existence.

Henry Rifles

  • Rifle No. 824 – Cased match rifle complete with original accessories
  • Henry-Fraser Two Position Rifle – A.Henry & D.Fraser: Improvement in Fire-Arm. United States Patent Office. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,524, dated 19 March 1878. (nb. the British Patent was applied for on 21 April 1877 and granted on 6 July 1877, under Patent No. 1559). Muzzle and breech loading versions of this rifle are known.

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The Henry Rifle

At the latter end of 1860, a short paragraph “went the round of the papers,” to the effect that a new rifle had been patented by an Edinburgh gunmaker. It was further stated that the inventor had, in a recent trial of his rifle, scored as many as eight points out of six shots at 1100 yards, the first shot being a miss, and the remaining five being made, up of three centres and two outers. To say that this statement took the whole rifle world – makers and marksmen, by surprise, would give but a faint idea of the effect produced.

The Henry Rifle

Alexander Henry’s Patent for barrels is number 2802, dated 15 November 1860. In brief the patent abridgement reads: “The rifled bore is of polygonal cross-section, and is provided, in addition, with curved, square, or angular spiral projections or grooves, so as to increase the bearing points of the projectile.”