Manton, John – One of UK’s top gunmakers

Manton, John (1742-1834)

SPITTLEGATE brothers John and Joseph Manton left an indelible mark on gunmaking the world over.
The Manton family ran a corn-milling business at Swallow’s Mill, Bridge End Road, Grantham.

John, established himself as a reputable gunsmith in London.

The brothers worked with his brother for a short period before they split to form their rival gunsmithing firms, and after that, their rivalry was often rancorous, even to the point of a lawsuit being filed by Joseph against his older brother for patent violation.

Perhaps because of John’s innate conservatism, he produced flintlocks until 1825, when he reluctantly switched to percussion.

It was because of his pursuit of excellence in flintlock arms that we owe his last and most popular invention, the V-pan lock, patented in 1815, a time when percussion arms of various types were coming into use.

This may have been the reason his business picked up to about 300 guns per year for the next seven years; thereafter it dropped to about 100 a year until his death.
The firm continued on as Manton and Hudson.