TO most people the name of Perrins is synonymous with Worcestershire Sauce, the brown stuff in a bottle that has turned up over the centuries in locations as diverse as the Great Plains of America, the refrectory tables of Tibetan monks and the jungles of Borneo.

However, the explorers who visited these far flung parts would have done equally well arming themselves with another Perrins product – and one which might have been a bit more use – a gun.

Because back in the 19th century Perrins of Worcester was engraved on some of the very best hardware.

The family firm was a prolific maker not only of sporting shotguns and rifles but also of personal weapons such as pistols for protection of both person and property.

The quality and craftsmanship of the Perrins guns were outstanding for a provincial maker and would even rival some of the London firms. Indeed the craftsmanship of the Perrins name can be seen in many of those guns which have survived 100 years or more, some of which are still in use today.

Now, Perrins Gun Makers of Worcester has been brought back to prominence by the research of three Worcestershire vintage gun enthusiasts John Clements, Lynn Hennessy and Vaughan Wiltshire and the creation of a new website dedicated to Perrins Guns and their owners.

Mr Wiltshire said: “Unfortunately research has failed to find any direct link between the families of John Perrins, gunmaker and that of William Perrins, who started the Worcestershire Sauce business but a possible link may well exist dating back to the early 1600s when the French Huguenot family first settled in England.

“It is worth reflecting that these fine vintage guns were made without the advantages of mechanisation. John Perrins and his sons worked at their craft by gaslight using hand tools to produce individual masterpieces of functional design and aesthetic appeal. In this modern age of mass production the guns produced by the Perrins family of Worcester are a great pleasure to own, admire and use today and represent a lasting tribute to the skill and enterprise of a bygone age.”

The story began in 1796, the year John Perrins was born in Kidderminster, one of five children. Interestingly, his elder brother Thomas would also become a successful gunmaker, but in Windsor, Berkshire, making guns for the royal family from 1843 to 1863.

Mr Wiltshire said: “As a boy John would have started in the gun trade, probably as young as 12, gradually working up his skills to become a recognised gunsmith.

“The early guns John would have worked on would have been flintlock mechanism. We do not know with whom young John Perrins learned his craft but in the early 1800s it was common to have boys bound to a seven-year apprenticeship and to live with the family of their masters. It was in 1831, at the age of 35, that John Perrins established himself as gunmaker in Worcester, probably in College Street, by which time flintlock mechanisms had been replaced with the percussion cap.”

The earliest guns of John Perrins are simply marked “Perrins” on the lock plate. One of the Perrins Club members has an early single barrelled 14-bore muzzle loading shotgun with an unusual birds-eye maple stock. Another gun from this time is a pepperbox pistol donated by Mr Wiltshire to Worcester City Museum.

He said: “It is marked Perrins Maker Worcester demonstrating it was important to John Perrins to be seen as a maker and not simply a retailer of well-crafted guns.”

By 1841 John, his wife Hannah and their six children were living “above the shop” at 4 St Swithins Street, Worcester. About 1855 John took his eldest son John into the business and the firm became Perrins & Son.

Mr Wiltshire said: “A superb example of a gun produced at this time is a 12-bore muzzle-loading shotgun. The beautifully browned Damascus barrels are inscribed ‘Perrins & Son Makers St Swithins Street Worcester’ and the furniture on the gun is of German silver. The lock plates are engraved with a sporting scene to a high standard. This is a ‘best gun’ for a Worcestershire gentleman who wanted the best of smart living in the mid-1850s.”

By 1859 John Perrins & Son, Gun & Pistol Makers were at 6 Mealcheapen Street, Worcester.

There are several guns still in use today, mainly on clay and pheasants shoots, which were believed to have been made on the Mealcheapen Street premises, including a 10-bore, 12-bore and 14-bore. They are described as “well-balanced and a delight to handle”. Also of interest is the existence of a 7-shot .32 calibre Tranter revolver retailed by Perrins & Son in an original box with a trade label.

John Perrins senior died in 1862, aged 66, and it was only four years later that John junior died aged 43, never having married. Henry Perrins then took over the business and it was under his ownership that the firm flourished and expanded during the “golden years” of the gun trade. By this time the continuing industrial revolution meant that the money supply in the county had increased and some small fortunes were being made.

Prominent gentlemen of Worcestershire were vying with each other for the prestige of bigger and better bags of game. The railways also made speedy travel available to shooting grounds in other parts of England and Scotland. Officers of the Worcestershire Regiment stationed at Norton, near Worcester, would require reliable sporting guns that they could take overseas.

By 1879 Henry Perrins had moved the business to new premises at 59 Broad Street, Worcester, where he lived with his wife Amy and three daughters.

Mr Wiltshire said: “Several excellent guns made by Perrins & Son from its Broad Street address are still in private hands. John Clements has a nice quality 14-bore hammer shotgun with a top opening lever, a push button fore end fastener and three-iron Damascus barrels. Along the barrel rib is the inscription ‘Perrins & Son Makers, 59 Broad Street Worcester’ and the serial number 3116.

“Proof marks show the gun was made between 1878 to 1887. This gun, some years ago, had been expertly restored by Cary’s of Ledbury and now looks as bright as new. Lynn Hennessey has a 12-bore round action hammer gun serial number 3177 complete in its original case with trade label.”

In 1892 Henry Perrins retired at the age of 60 and handed the business over to his son-in-law Herbert Pollard, who had married his daughter Amy. The firm was then known as Herbert E Pollard & Co and continued trading into the 20th-century.

Mr Wiltshire said: “Perrins Gun Owners Club was only established in the autumn of 2009 but in that short space of time numerous guns have come to light including one in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, and two in America.

“John Perrins first started his Worcester business in 1831. Today, 179 years later, there is a new website dedicated to his name – perrins-gunmaker-of-worcester.org.uk.

“The gun club, of which membership is entirely free, would be delighted to hear of any Perrins guns in existence locally and it is hoped to have a shoot for members in Worcestershire during 2010.”