Within the collection of William Davison, the famous Alnwick printer, we have some printers’ proofs that relate to George Davison, Gun-Maker, of Alnwick. As someone who has spent a lot of their life in and around Alnwick, I couldn’t recall hearing of Mr. George Davison, and decided to delve a little further. When I googled George and read that his second wife, Mary Anderson, was also described as a gun maker, my interest in the Davison’s was well and truly cemented, and I needed to know more.
After again using the tried and tested historical research method of Googling, I discovered that George Davison was the son of Thomas Davison and Isabel Forrest of Wooler. I have been able to find the marriage of Thomas and Isabella in the records of Wooler St. Mary [ref. EP 33/3], but could not find a baptism of a George Davison that would provide evidence of his parents being Thomas and Isabella. At the moment, this link remains unsubstantiated.
The internet also carried the tale that Thomas Davison was a cutler who later became a gunsmith in Alnwick, and that George, as Thomas’ oldest son, took over the gunsmith business from his father; again, this is unsubstantiated in the research that I have carried out.
On 7 December 1805, George Davison, bachelor, and Margaret Bilton, spinster, were married at Alnwick St. Michael’s by Licence [ref. EP 132/8]. When Margaret died in 1815, aged only 31 years, the couple were living in the Market Place in Alnwick. George re-married in 1817 to a Mary Anderson, spinster, again at Alnwick St. Michael’s.
In July 1820, Davison’s 19 year old apprentice, George Snowdon, ran away from the premises, and we have a printers proof in the collection that gives a description of Snowdon and the reward offered.Â
Using the British Newspaper Archive, I found several adverts relating to George’s business, that spanned several newspapers, right across the north-east. One advert in the Durham County Advertiser on Saturday 21 August 1824 read:
TO GUN-MAKERS
Wanted immediately, a good Workman in the above line; good encouragement and constant employ will be given, by applying to George Davison, Newcastle and AlnwickÂ
N.B. An Apprentice wanted at the Newcastle shop. Pilgrim-street, Newcastle, August 19th, 1824
This backed up the claims I had read online that Davison had premises in the Market Place in Alnwick, as well as within Newcastle.
A theft occurred from Davison’s shop in July 1825, when a pair of twisted copper cap double gun barrels were stolen from the Alnwick shop. The notice of the theft was printed by William Davison, on behalf of the Alnwick Parish Association and George Davison, who were both contributing to a seven guinea reward (about £86 in todays’ money).
Ref. ZMD 167/5/78
In 1826, a notice placed in the Tyne Mercury, as well as other newspapers, reads:
GEORGE DAVISON
GUN-MAKER, Pilgrim-Street, Newcastle, and Alnwick. Has great pleasure in informing his Sporting Friends, that the improvement he has lately made in his PERCUSSION POWDER renders it equally harmless to the gun as common gunpowder, and which he warrants certain fire and water-proof.
An extensive assortment of DOUBLE and SINGLE COPPER- CAPPED GUNS, with the latest improvements, and of superior workmanship, on sale at his shops as above. Pilgrim-street, July 21, 1826
The Durham County Advertiser reports the death of George Davison in their issue on Saturday 24 March 1827, having occurred ‘Saturday last’, and note that he was a ‘…gunmaker, of Alnwick and Newcastle, aged 44.’  It is interesting to note than an Alnwick gunmaker’s death was reported as widely as Durham – I did find mention of the event in several newspapers of the time – and suggests that he was a well-known character in shooting circles.Â
To be continued……
If memory serves I’m fairly sure Thomas Davison was gunsmith/armourer to the Percy Tenantry Volunteers during the wars with France. He had his work shop in the Constable’s Tower at Alnwick Castle and until relatively recently his bench was still in place covered with his tools and equipment.
Thank you for your comment.
Dear Friends at Woodhorn,
Delighted to see this mention of the Davison Gunmakers, which featured in my book “Emily Wilding Davison a Suffragettes family album” which I presented to your archives, now at 84 I am still very happily active and researching this family of gunmakers who were the Suffragettes ancestors.
Being heavily involved with researching her life from a Family Historians point of view has been a pleasure and an honour for me to tell her story from the family archives of her present day family members from around the world. I suppose that the staff who were at Woodhorn when I was working on this project may now have all retired. Her parents were related to each other Margaret Caisley and Charles Edward Davison shared the same Anderson family line. Best wishes to you all kindest regards Maureen Howes
Thank you very much for your comment & kind words.
Interesting comments on the Davison Gunmaking family.
My understanding was that George employed Mary in the business as a finisher, subsequently married her, and upon his death she carried on the business.
I am fortunate to have acquired three excellent examples of Davison Guns, one single barrel sporting gun by George Davison indeed came from Alnwick Castle itself some 40 years ago so it was good to see that link. It had been wall-hung for longer than anyone knew and was thickly coated with a tar like covering. The most gentle and sympathetic conservation clean revealed a practically brand new weapon to an extremely high commercial quality for a provincial gun with its barrel by William Fullard of London and a London made lock as well. The chequering is as crisp as the day it was done.
I also chased down an officers pistol by George which has seen a lot of use, and another single barrel sporter in good condition by William Davison of Newcastle.
I would be happy to share this information and photographs should anyone else be documenting the family’s work and history.
Barry Davison.
Buckinghamshire
(My grandfather, another George Davison was a very successful businessman in the area, but brought the family South in the mid 1910s along with his children, yet another George and a William)
Thank you very much for all the information & your kind offer. We will pass this information on to the person who wrote the blog.
Hi, I am researching an article for the Caps & Flints Journal in Australia concerning George Davison of Alnwick who made particularly nice cased pair of pistols in the early 1800’s. The pistols have Forsyth sliding primers and bear a crest with a Falcon (?peregrine) standing erect. Are there more details on George Davison available or can you suggest a pathway to finding more?
Thanks
Fred Bienvenu – fred@bienvenu.id.au
Hello, unfortunately, we don’t have any further information. It may be advisable to contact dealers or auction houses who have dealt with examples of his work such as Holts – https://www.holtsauctioneers.com/
Dear Mr Barry Davison, I have just come across this chain of emails and read your entry. I understand that the Leeds Armoury has a Davison gun, but it was in storage when I visited earlier this year, and I was unable to see it. I’d be interested to see photographs of your Davison items. My maiden name was Davison and George Henry Davison was my gggg-grandfather. My dad was Cecil Davison(1927-1972), his father was Thomas Henry Davison(1899-1952), his father was Bilton George Davison (1875-1944), then another Thomas Henry Davison who was the son of Bilton Davison, who I think was the youngest of George’s 5 sons with his first wife, Margaret Bilton.
Are you a descendant of George’s first family, or his second set of sons with Margaret Anderson? interesting to know your connection to George. Thank you, Hilary Slater
Hilary hi,
Please contact me on bdhistoricracing@gmail.com and I’ll ping you some pix of the Davison guns and history from my side of the family.
My grandfather (another George) was an interseting entrpreneur who was instumental in bringing all the friendly societies and agencies (street by street) into what we would now know as an insurance group which eventually morphed via The United Friendly Society over decades into Pearl Assurance. He subsequently founded Plessey (Now GEC) I have the share certificates, sadly now worthless, but he fell foul of the locals when they discovered one of the partners was German, he had travelled there often before and early days of WW1 and he subsequently declared Conciencious objection to WW1.
With lamentably poor timing he sold-out and abandoned both companies and then lost the lot in an madcap scheme in London when he used his not inconsiderable wealth to take on J.Lyons and Co Teashops in the city of London.
He lost.
As a child, in the late ’40’s and early fifties, all of our tablecloths and tableware at home had the beautiful “London Teashops” logo, embroidered, engraved, or decorated on them but nobody EVER explained why or even talked about it.
It was absolutely NOT a topic for discussion or spoken about, and I now can find no trace of the business.
Barry Davison
Buckinghamshire.