The Duke of Edinburgh at the time of this presentation was Prince Alfred (1844-1900), second son of Queen Victoria, who held the title from 1866 until his death in 1900. He served in the Royal Navy and was well travelled becoming the first British Royal to visit Australia (where he narrowly survived an attempt on his life), Japan, Hong Kong, and India which he visited in 1869-70. It was during this ground breaking trip undertaken not so long after the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and the establishment of the British Raj that he presented this rifle. His elder brother Albert, the Prince of Wales, would undertake a tour of India beginning in 1876 where it is known he took several Purdey firearms to present as gifts. The makers have kindly confirmed that this rifle was completed in 1868 for the “Government of India” with a note in the stock book stating “Gold Inlayed”, an extremely rare feature for this period of British gunmaking. With browned damascus barrels signed “J. PURDEY. 314 1/2 OXFORD STREET. LONDON” on the partially matted file cut rib and fitted with bead front sight and rear sight of one standing and three folding leaves calibrated from “70” to “250” yards. Action with carved percussion fences, long top strap and Jones type rotary underlever forming the trigger guard, extending into a pistol grip with checkered finger rest and forming a grip safety. Floating back action non-rebounding island locks each signed “PURDEY”. The action, locks, underlever trigger guard, trigger plate and forearm furniture all finely engraved with scrollwork heightened with gold inlaid scrolls finely engraved with foliate detailing, the iron butt plate cut with checkering and engraved with the loading instructions “CHARGE 4 dms / NO. 6 POWDER”. Well figured straight hand stock with raised cheekpiece, checkered grip and forearm, and with applied silver presentation plaque to the right side of the butt engraved “From/H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh/K.G. G.S.S.I. & c./TO THE HON.BLE THE MAHARAJAH/SIR [indistinct] BAHADOOR/Maharajah of Balrampore/March 1870." The underside of the butt and barrels with sling eyes and the barrel flats and the water table struck with London black powder proof marks.

The barrels retain nearly all of their expertly applied rebrowned finish showing an attractive twist pattern. The engraved signature on the rib is crisp. The action, locks and furniture have a light grey patina with some patches of scattered surface discoloration. The engraving is clear throughout including the delicate engraving to the gold inlaid scrolls. The stock has numerous minor storage and handling blemishes and bruises, with some chipping around the locks and forend edges. The silver presentation plaque has had the family name rubbed out, a commonly encountered occurrence from when the recipient’s family sold the rifle, but many of the details as noted in the description remain clear and readable. Mechanically excellent. Provenance: The Malcolm King Collection.