A 28 bore side level hammer gun by H. Holland made for Lady Randolph Churchill – mother of Winston Churchill – comes up at Gavin Gardiner’s sale at Sotheby’s in London on April 15. It dates to 1874, the year she married and gave birth to her first son Winston. The American born Jennie Jerome, considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, married Lord Randolph Churchill at the British Embassy in Paris on April 15, 1874. Born in Brooklyn in 1854 she was the daughter of financier, sportsman and speculator Leonard Jerome. The couple became engaged within three days of their meeting, but the marriage was delayed for some months. Winston was born on November 30, 1874.
The lock plates are lightly etched “Lady Churchill” and this is a rare example of an early gun by Holland and Holland. It is estimated at £25,000-30,000. The auction comprises more than 200 lots of vintage sporting guns, rifles and accessories.
Lady Churchill’s gun.
Lady Churchill with her sons Winston and John.