Here is what the IGC database has on George Maleham:
George Maleham, Gunmaker 1830-1920
George Maleham was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire in 1812. In 1830, which was the date of establishment later claimed by Charles Henry Maleham, George would have been only 18 years old, so reports that the firm was established by his brother, E Maleham, an ironmonger, may be correct.
George was recorded as an ironmonger from 1847 to 1868 in the directories, so E Maleham had probably died. In the 1851 census George described himself as an ironmonger living at 5 West Bar with an apprentice ironmonger named Arthur Hunt and a young female house servant.
George was not apprenticed to any gun maker but as an ironmonger would have sold guns, powder, shot and wadding. He would have bought guns from the Birmingham trade makers. By 1855 he was listed in the Sheffield trade directory as an ironmonger and gunsmith.
A George Maleham, almost certainly the same person, was married in Sheffield in 1848. The name of his wife was not stated in the record.
In the 1861 census George was recorded at 5 West Bar as an ironmonger and gun maker. He was living with his wife Elizabeth (b.1818 in Middlewood, Yorkshire) and their children Charles Henry (b.1852), Sarah Eleanor (b.1854 and Lucy (b.1860). The family employed two servants.
In 1866 George was reportedly joined in the business by Charles Henry Maleham. George died in 1868.
At some date, Thomas Mirfin (b.1841 in Todwick, Yorkshire) was employed by George Maleham. It is known that he became foreman in the firm, probably in the late 1860s, and it may well be that George's widow, Elizabeth, and Thomas Mirfin, continued the business until 1873, when Charles took over and the name of the firm changed to Charles H Maleham. At some time Charles reportedly opened an additional shop at 13 Rubens Street to sell second quality guns.
There appears to be no record of Charles in the 1871 census.
On 14 March 1873 Maleham and Mirfin patented a top lever cocking action, and cocking and retracting strikers (No. 940). The extremely long top lever, which moved either left or right, operated a Purdey bolt and a slide rather like the Westley Richards top lever. The forward ends of the slide had had two lateral projections which connected to recesses in the large firing pins which were drawn back and cocked the locks. A gun has been seen with this patent. It was fitted with spring assisted gold plated dummy firing pins set in the carved fences which acted as load indicators and were hidden if there was no cartridge in the breech. The top rib of this gun was engraved "Maleham & Mirfin, Inventors & Patentees, 5 West Bar, Sheffield." so it may be that Thomas Mirfin became a partner and that the firm temporarily changed its name to Maleham & Mirfin.
In 1877 Arthur Turner (b.1863 in Sheffield) joined the firm as an apprentice.
In 1878 the firm, obviously very successful and having obtained "Distinguished Patronage", opened a shop at 20 Regent Street, Waterloo Place, London, and Thomas Mirfin went to London to run it. The firm traded as C H Maleham.
In the 1881 census Charles H and his mother were recorded living at 48 Westbourne Road, Sheffield with Sarah Eleanor, Lucy and one servant. Charles H described himself as a gun maker employing 1 man (Arthur Turner) and 1 boy. The 1881 census also records Thomas Mirfin as a gunmaker living in Battersea, London. His address was 26 Octavia Street, and recorded with him were his wife, Maria (b.1844 in Chapeltown, Yorkshire) and their daughters Emily (b.1866), and Lucy (b.1869).
It is reported that Thomas Mirfin and Arthur Turner were approached by the Wallis Brothers, owners of Manton & Co in Calcutta, India, and offered positions there. Thomas Mirfin went but Arthur Turner declined. This is not correct, Thomas Mirfin was approached in 1880 by C J Brookes, the owner of R B Rodda & Co in Calcutta, and he agreed to go to Calcutta as manager of the firm in 1881, so it appears that Mirfin was sidelined by Charles Maleham and the opportunity of a job in Calcutta appealed to him.
On 3 June 1888 patent No. 9677 registered by Charles was for an ejector on an Anson &Deeley boxlock. The cocking lever had a lateral projection near the pivot. As the lock was tripped the projection pushed a vertical lever in the knuckle forwards and this connected with the triangular ejector sear which was tipped forward so that it connected with the bent in the ejector tumbler. As the gun was opened the lower end of the arming lever tripped the sear. The patent also covered a sidelock ejector which used a rod from the tumbler to move the ejector sear. On 21 August 1889 patent No. 13158 covered another ejector mechanism as did patent No. 21900 of 15 December 1891.
In 1889 Charles registered a "stopwatch-like" design for a game counter which was made for him by James Dixon of Sheffield.
Maleham guns had, of course, been made from parts made in the Birmingham area, and as time passed an increasing number of complete guns were bought from Birmingham trade manufacturers. As was normal in the trade, these guns were engraved with Maleham's name and serial numbers. Increasingly, from about 1894 the firm occasionally bought guns from Thomas Wild and Rowland Watson.
In 1901 the firm moved its London shop to 3 Conduit Street, and in 1903 it moved again to 12 Princes Street, Hanover Square.
In the 1901 census Charles Henry and his mother Elizabeth (now aged 82) were recorded still living at 48 Westbourne Road with Sarah Eleanor and Lucy and two servants. Charles Henry described himself as a sporting gun and ammunition trader. The 1901 census also records Arthur Turner as a gunmaker's manager living at 99 Carr Road, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, with his wife, Harriet (b.1873 in Sheffield), their daughter, Jenny (b.1899), and their son, Charles H Turner (b.1900).
In 1910 Charles retired and Arthur Turner took over the business. The name of the firm changed to C H Maleham & Co, and they continued to trade from 5 West Bar. In London, the company moved the shop to 29 Duke Street, St James's, but this shop closed in 1914 because of the commencement of the First World War.
The 1911 census records Charles Henry as a retired gun and ammunition dealer living at 12 Endcliffe Crescent, Sheffield with Sarah Eleanor, Lucy and a cook and a housemaid. Arthur Turner was recorded as a gun maker living at 99 Carr Road with Harriet Louisa, Jenny, Charles Henry, Louisa and one servant.
In 1920 the firm changed its name to Arthur Turner (late Maleham & Co) and only traded from 5a West Bar, Sheffield (presumably the shop had been divided into two, and 5b West Bar was rented out).
In the 1920s (some reports say 1914 but this date is certainly incorrect) Arthur's son, Charles Henry Turner, then aged 20 or 21, joined the firm. In 1924 Louisa Turner, Charles' daughter, also joined the firm.
From 1932 the reference to Maleham in the name of the firm was dropped and it traded simply as Arthur Turner.
Charles Maleham died on 11 June 1934 at 12 Endcliffe Crescent, reportedly a very wealthy man but this is somewhat relative. His estate was valued at £41,178 4s. 9d. He made most of his money on the London stock market rather than in the gun making business.
In 1940 the 5 West Bar premises were bombed and the firm moved to 35 West Bar.
Arthur Turner died in 1941 and Charles Henry Turner took over.
In 1944 additional premises were taken at 33 West Bar, it may be that the firm was involved in work for the ministry of War.
In 1946 the firm became a limited liability company, Arthur Turner (Sheffield) Ltd.
At some time, John Clarke joined the company, he married Judith Ann Turner (daughter of Charles Henry and grand-daughter of Arthur Turner), and in 1953 she joined the firm as well.
When Charles Henry Turner died in 1966, Louisa Turner became chairman and company secretary, Judith Clarke was appointed a director, and John Clarke became manager.
In 1975 John Clarke was appointed managing director.
In 1985 John and Judith Clarke closed the business.
The records of Maleham and Turner were destroyed in December 1940. Some records of the company after 1944 survive, but the serial numbers were in codes known only to Charles Henry Turner who died without revealing them. It is known that the serial numbers of pairs of guns commenced with a double digit e.g. 11######. Such records as exist are (or were) held by John and Judith Clarke C/O The Gun Trade Association Ltd, 111 Darnick Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6PG.
At an unknown date, a new business named Arthur Turner (Sheffield) Ltd was established by a Mr M Dixon. It trades at 166 Infirmary Road, Philadelphia, Sheffield.
Other:
The firm sold cartridges under the names "Empire", "Field", "Special Brown" (post 1910), "Wing", "Double Wing", "Wing Twenty" (1900-1927), "Regent", "Clay Bird", and "Steeltown".
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