Product Details
FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF RICHARD BINGHAM, 7TH EARL OF LUCAN
J. PURDEY & SONS
A PAIR OF 12-BORE SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTORS, serial no. 16121 / 2,
30in. nitro chopperlump barrels, ribs engraved 'J. PURDEY & SONS. AUDLEY HOUSE. SOUTH AUDLEY STREET. LONDON. SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH'S FLUID PRESSED STEEL.' 2 1/2in. chambers, bored approx. imp. cyl. and 1/2 choke, self-opening actions with removable striker discs, automatic safeties with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' details, arrow cocking-indicators, best fine bouquet and scroll engraving, retaining some original colour-hardening and traces of finish, 15in. well-figured replacement stocks with leather cheekpieces and including 7/8in. wooden extensions, weight 6lb. 13oz., in their brass-cornered oak and leather case
Provenance: This pair of guns were built for George Bingham, G.C.V.O., K.B.E., C.B., P.C., T.D., D.L., the 5th Earl of Lucan and completed circa 1898.
Lucan, also known as Lord Bingham from 1888 to 1914, was born 13th December 1860 to Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan, and Lady Cecilia Gordon-Lennox. He was schooled at Harrow and finished at Sandhurst before being commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1881. He spent 15 years with his regiment before retiring in 1896 with the rank of captain. After a gap of 4 years he joined the 1st London Rifle Volunteers as a Major but had attained the rank of Colonel at point of leaving.
He was also a Conservative politician and became M.P. for Chertsey in the 1904 by-election. He held this post only until 1906 when he was defeated in the general election by the local Liberal candidate. This was by no means the end to his political career and in 1914 he was elected an Irish Representative Peer. He served as Lord-in-Waiting under David Lloyd George, Andrew Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin. He also held the post of Captain of the Honourable Gentleman-at-Arms at various stages in his later life. He married Violet Spender Clay who bore him four children, and the eldest of these, George Bingham, succeeded to the Earldom on his father's death in 1949.
George Bingham, 6th Earl of Lucan, also entered politics but on the opposite side of the house as a Labour M.P. His wife, Kaitlin Stanley Dawson, also bore him four children and the title passed to their son, Richard John Bingham, in 1965.
Richard Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, or "Lucky Lucan" as he was sometimes known needs little introduction. He was Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, before joining the Coldstream Guards as Lieutenant. He was a keen sporting man and this pair of guns had been passed down to him. In addition to driven shooting he was an avid, but largely unsuccessful gambler, and by the early 1970s had amassed large debts.
He disappeared on 7th November 1974 and has not been seen since, although there have been several unconfirmed sightings. His disappearance coincided with the murder of his childrens' nanny, and his estranged wife, Veronica Mary Duncan, claimed her husband was the culprit. Her statement was described as "always slightly muddled" but despite this Lucan was found guilty of Sandra Rivett's murder by the inquest jury in 1975. He was the last person to be judged such before the procedure was outlawed in the Criminal Law Act of 1977.
In 2004, Scotland Yard reviewed the case using modern techniques but these failed to provide any conclusive evidence, despite the use of D.N.A. testing. However, D.S. Lewis Benjamin said at the time that he thought Lucan had been helped by friends to escape the country and set up a secret life abroad.
It is probable that we shall never know the full story and Lord Lucan's disappearance will forever remain a mystery. These shotguns remained with the family until sold by Lord Lucan to the vendor.
Estimate £25,000-35,000
THE ABOVE LOT WILL REQUIRE THE BUYER TO PRODUCE A RELEVANT BRITISH SHOTGUN CERTIFICATE OR REGISTERED FIREARMS DEALER LICENCE BEFORE IT MAY BE RELEASED.