Product Details
W. KAVANAGH & SON
A .410 (2 1/2IN.) BOXLOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 11228,
for 1923/4, 26in. nitro reproved barrels, the rib engraved 'W. KAVANAGH & SON, DAME ST. DUBLIN.' (refreshed), 2 1/2in. chambers, bored approx. true cyl. choke in both, automatic safety with inlaid 'SAFE' detail, border and acanthus scroll engraving, retaining traces of original colour-hardening and finish, 14 1/2in. figured stock, fore-end finial with repair, weight 4lb. 1oz., in its lightweight leather case with gold-tooled William Kavanagh (Dame Street) trade label, the lid outer initialled 'R.L. McC.', the end of the case with a vintage William Evans storage label hand written 'R. R. Leeper'
Provenance: The vendor has kindly informed us of the following:
"The connection with RL McClelland is that he was my uncle. He gave me the gun and I learned to shoot with it when I was a boy living in the west of Ireland.
The gun was initially given to him by his father or maybe his grandfather, Richard Leeper. There is a sticker from a gunsmith on one end of the case that has Richard Leeper's name on it. Richard Leeper was an avid shooter and had many guns which were all well looked after and serviced regularly"
Richard Leeper McClelland (stage name Richard Leech) (b.1922. - d.2004) was a medical doctor and an actor.
He was born into a family of extraordinary talents, Isabella Mulvany, his Great Aunt being one of the first women to graduate both the University of Ireland and Dublin University and who would go on to be headmistress of Alexandra College. Elizabeth Leeper, his Grandmother was one of the founders of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and his Grandfather, Richard Robert Leeper was a doctor who specialised in psychiatry and was responsible for many groundbreaking reforms and initiatives to improve the care and treatment of mental patients, including provision for both dental and medical care hitherto unavailable to the mentally afflicted. In his later years he was widely regarded as the leading psychiatrist in Ireland.
Richard Leeper McClelland followed in his Grandfather's footsteps by studying medicine and was a qualified surgeon in Dublin before eventually following a successful career on stage and screen, securing roles in the West End and Broadway. His screen acting saw him feature in many well-known television series such as Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars, Dr Who, The Avengers, The Saint, Smiley's people and on the big screen he had over forty film credits, including such classics as The Dam Busters, Ice Cold in Alex, Ghandi and The Shooting Party.
An extensive biography of his life can be found on the Dictionary of Irish Biography website under 'McClelland, Richard Leeper ('Dick')('Richard Leech')
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Estimate £1,200-1,600
S2 - Sold as a Section 2 Firearm under the 1968 Firearms Act