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Boss & Co., Ltd. was founded in 1812 by Thomas Boss, who apprenticed under his gunmaker father, William, from 1804-1812, while working for Joseph Manton. Thomas left Manton in 1816 to set himself up as an independent gunmaker. Success soon followed, and after several relocations, Boss moved in 1839 to 73 St. James' Street. Thomas died in 1857, and the firm was managed by his widow Emma and managing partner Stephen Grant (who would later become an independent gunmaker in 1867). Boss & Co. continued to produce guns under nephews Edward and James Paddison.
After approximately 80 years of Boss family ownership, by 1891, Boss & Co had a new owner - Scottish-born inventor and craftsman John Robertson. Robertson was the factory manager for several years before buying the business. Many of the company's hallmarks that are still in use today are due to Robertson's inventive talents. Robertson was responsible for the Boss single trigger in 1894, the spiral spring driven ejectors in 1897, and the patent for the first O/U with a reliable single trigger in 1909. Robertson also cemented Boss' reputation for world class gunmaking with rounded action sidelocks, distinctive rose and scroll engraving, and the mechanical design of the sidelock O/U. Practically every best-quality gunmaker building O/Us today uses some aspect of Robertson's design.
The Robertson family retained control of the company for nearly 110 years, when it was sold to an investment group headed by Kenneth Finken in 1999 and moved to Mayfair's 16 Mount Street. In early 2001, Boss changed hands again and was sold to the Halsey family. Under managing director Graham Halsey, Boss & Co. expanded to include a 3,000 square foot factory and production was moved to near Kew Gardens in 2008, with retail offices remaining in Mayfair.
Boss & Co. continues to produce some of the world's finest SxS and O/U rifles and shotguns, with a maximum production of 20 guns annually.
Information appears courtesy of Vic Venters, David Grant, & Graham Halsey.