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GRANT, STEPHEN STEPHEN GRANT COMPANY HISTORY

Stephen Grant was born in 1821 in Tipperary, Ireland. Young Grant served his apprenticeship with Dublin's William Kavanaugh before moving to London in 1843 to work with Charles Lancaster. In 1850, Grant moved to Thomas Boss and when Boss died in 1857, his widow made Grant a managing partner. In 1867, Grant decided to work for himself, taking pains in 1871 to publicly disassociate himself with Boss. That same year he was appointed gunmaker to the Prince of Wales, and over the next quarter century, he would establish the Grant name as one of the finest gunmakers in London. Grant and his two sons were clever inventors and were also quick to adopt promising patents by other talents. By the time of his death in 1898, Stephen Grant was one of London's most respected gunmakers.
Grant's widow and family continued the business, but by the early 1920s, deaths in the family and associated tragedies meant the business had to be sold. In 1923, the firm was purchased by Scotsman William Robson, who amalgamated it with Joseph Lang & Sons in 1925. Under Robson's tutelage, Grant & Lang went on to absorb many of its competitors during the Depression, including Harrison & Hussey, Charles Lancaster, Watson Bros, and Frederick Beesley. The company merged with Henry Atkin Ltd. in 1960 and then became Churchill, Atkin, Grant & Lang in 1971. The name lanquished for a time until Cyril Adams of Texas purchased Atkin, Grant & Lang in the mid-1980s and best quality gunmaking resumed. In 1999, Ken Duglan purchased the firm and moved it to Broomhill Shooting Grounds north of London. In 2011, Duglan sold the company to Diggory Hadoke.
Today, Grant remains best known for its elegant sidelever sidelocks. The firm also restores vintage Grant guns.
Information courtesy of David Grant & Vic Venters.