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William Richard Topham Leeson was born in 1851 in Bletchingley, Surrey, England and was the only son of William (born 1803 in Pickill, York) and Emma (born 1821 in Chelsworth, Suffolk)  Records infer that William R. Leeson qualified as an engineer at the railway engineering workshops in Doncaster. In about 1872 he was transferred to London. It is possible that William (elder) was of Irish extraction.

William Leeson’s earliest Ashford business address is listed as 28 George Street; this is confirmed in the Kent Directories – 1824 to 1899, Index of the Ashford entries – Trades.  Later it was thought that William Leeson moved his business premises to 38 Bank Street, Ashford where he may have been able to gain access to shooting grounds within a few minutes walk of this address. However, recent research material including maps and Ashford trade directories have confirmed that 28 George Street became 38 Bank Street during re-arrangements to the street layouts in Ashford. Maps (link to street maps) from 1871 & 1882 show how Bank Street increased in length as it extended away from the main High Street. Records show this change occurred around 1880, one year prior to the 1881 census. When the extension to Bank Street occurred, George Street simply disappeared altogether, in effect William Leeson's address changed but he did not physically move premises. The 1881 census shows the W. R. Leeson gun making business at 38 Bank Street. Subsequent census and directory listings showed the business at least remained at this address until Leeson closed his shop around 1910/1911. It may well prove in time that William Leeson retained 38 Bank Street as a residence even after the shop was closed. 

With the assistance of archivists from Ashford Reference Library, a further and very interesting piece of information has revealed, in part, how William Leeson may have come to become involved in gun making. In the Kent Directories – 1871 to 1924, another gun maker is listed in 1874 and 1878 at the 28 George Street (38 Bank Street) address, this being William Tanton. While Tanton seems little know, he does appear in various gun makers reference books/directories such as British Gunmakers by Nigel Brown and within the Historical Database of the Internet Gun Club. Brown lists William Tanton in business c.1874 in Tenterden, Kent around 10 miles from Ashford. Perhaps, W. R. Leeson was in business for a short while with Tanton or indeed purchased his shop/business in Ashford. Certainly one of the gun case trade labels states that Leeson established his business c.1878 (a recent entry from The Field journal -  see Articles section, shows W. R Leeson corresponding in mid January 1878 - may well prove that Leeson started his business earlier than initially thought). William Tanton himself appears in the 1881, 1891 and 1901 census but no longer associated with 38 Bank Street, Ashford.

Some correspondence in 1886 by William Leeson, in response to an enquiry, indicated that he marked his guns 'W. R. Leeson, Ashford, Kent' on the barrels and 'W. R. Leeson' on the lockplates. Leeson made the point that all his guns were indeed numbered.

Around 1890 W.R. Leeson was appointed Rifle Maker to the Duke of Edinburgh. A photograph (see next page) shows the Bank Street shop at Ashford. Above the door is the Royal Arms stating Rifle Maker by Appointment to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The Duke being the second son of Queen Victoria.

William Leeson married Ellen Matilda Cawston in the parish of Hunton, near Maidstone, Kent in June 1875. Records at the time indicated she was some five years older than William and was born in Shimpling in Suffolk, England around 1846. Later records show that Ellen was in fact somewhat older, the 1911 census shows Ellen’s age as 13 years the senior of William.

William and Ellen Leeson had two sons, the older, Reginald Garrard Leeson in 1875, and another son, Archie St. John Leeson in 1878, both born in St. Johns Wood, Middlesex, London.

Both sons entered the gun trade, Reginald Garrard Leeson (link to further facts) being apprenticed to P. Webley & Son of Birmingham. Following his apprenticeship in 1895, Reginald joined his father only to leave within the year to go to R B Rodda & Co of Calcutta and Birmingham. Records show that he first married Sophie Lashman, an actress, on the 14th September 1907 in India, she is thought to have died shortly after in Calcutta. He then married Edith B Prike, daughter of the owner of R. B. Rodda, F. W. Prike, in 1913. Reginald obtained high office and spent the rest of his working life with Rodda's. Reginald Leeson died in Eastbourne, England on 17th March 1936.

William's younger son, Archie St. John Leeson, was also apprenticed with P. Webley and in 1899 joined his father who had opened Leeson's first London based shop at 29 Maddox Street, Regent Street (a little north of Hamley's toy shop on Regent Street). In the 1901 England census Archie is still in residence at 38 Bank Street, Ashford with his mother. Perhaps during this period he ran the Ashford shop while his father was based part time in London. However, it appears that Archie left the company after only about 18 months to join Thomas Lawrence (ex Purdey) in the gun department of the Army & Navy stores in Bombay, India. He later moved to Calcutta, eventually becoming manager of the Calcutta A&N shop. In the 1911 census he was resident in England and boarding at The Firs, Western Avenue, Ashford. His occupation shown being as “Secretary of Company”. Accompanying him was his wife of some two years, Francis May E. Leeson nee Bates. The marriage took place on Saturday 14th, November 1908 at St. Thomas' Cathedral, Bombay, India. It would seem that Archie later developed Dhengi fever very badly and returned to London to work for The Army & Navy company but shortly after it appears he retired on ill health grounds.  In 1955 until his death in 1965, he lived with his wife in Peasmarsh, near Rye, East Sussex. It is likely that Archie may have been successful on the stock market and made sufficient money to live in reasonable comfort. Archie Leeson died in St. Helens Hospital, Hastings on 22nd February 1965, aged 86 years. Archie and Francis had two children, Malcolm J. Leeson, born 1911 in the Hendon area, died 1919, aged 7 years, possibly drowned and Robert Francis Leeson, born c.1921 possibly in India (currently being researched).

W. R. Leeson became a Limited liability company, W. R. Leeson Limited in 1906. For whatever reason, this change was never reflected on the Leeson gun case labels. Trading as a Limited company appeared to cease after c.1916.

By August of 1904 (date corrected 16th July 2012) the company moves its premises from 29 Maddox Street to the new London address of 31 George Street, off Hanover Square. By 1907 Leeson moves from George Street to 41 -  43 Maddox Street, Bond Street. In 1911 Leeson had moved again, this time to 12 Harewood Place, Hanover Square. The firm must have been at the height of its prosperity since Hanover Square was a prestige address; Joseph Manton had been at no. 11 Hanover Square many years before.

During the aftermath of the First World War business must have been much reduced, since in 1921 the company moved yet again. The new address was Regent House, 1 & 2 Warwick Street, Regent Street, London. Leeson remained at this commercial address until the closure of his business in 1933.

On 17th April 1923 Ellen Matilda Leeson died, her death being registered in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham. Her address at her death was 26 Barnsley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Her last will shows she was formerly of 43 Western Avenue, Ashford, Kent. Interestingly Ellen’s age was registered as 85 years, indicating her birth date as 1838, again supporting evidence that she was 13 years the senior of her husband. Originally it was assumed that William Leeson may have had property in this area and for whatever reason she spent the last of her days away from her Ashford home. However, recent information has brought to light that W. R. Leeson had separated from Ellen prior to her death, perhaps supported further by the fact that Leeson remarried less than six months later in the Hendon area to Clara Matilda Rawbone. It is likely that the Ashford property was owned by Matilda and nothing to do with W. R Leeson by this date. Quite possibly the Edgbaston address may have been property owned by Reginald Leeson since information shows he was resident in the Birmingham area in the 1920's. W. R Leeson's last Will & Testament (link to Leeson Will) states that Clare Matilda was to be his sole beneficiary - further supporting the thought that any relationship with either of his two sons had ceased.

On 5th January 1934 William R. Leeson died in the small village of Stubbs Cross, near Kingsnorth just outside Ashford, Kent. His death certificate shows his age as 79 years old and his occupation as Gun and Rifle manufacturer, Retired. We can assume from this that the business of W. R. Leeson may have ceased trading earlier than originally thought, although he remained listed in the London Post Office & Kelly's Trade directories until 1933. Sadly, it is not currently known what happened to the company's gun records.