Melissa Rigby, the great-great-great-granddaughter of John Rigby, who founded John Rigby & Co Gunmakers in 1775, is to work on Rigby’s range of Rising Bite, London Best and Big Game rifles.
London-based Melissa recently visited the Rigby premises in London for a tour of the workshop and showroom with Rigby’s Manging Director Marc Newton. In a touch of serendipity Marc found out during the meeting that Melissa works as a goldsmith and enameller and immediately invited her to produce some enamel work to feature on the company’s renowned range of rifles.
Marc Newton commented: “Meeting Melissa who actually resembles some of her Rigby ancestors gives me an enormous sense of being able to touch the past. The fact that she is a goldsmith and enameller is amazing and to have someone with direct links to Rigby’s founders contributing to our rifles is absolutely momentous. Moreover, it is clear that Melissa has inherited her ancestor’s passion for excellence, attention to detail and perfectionism.”
Melissa added: “It was incredibly exciting to visit Rigby’s premises, to meet the team and to learn about the range of rifles they make. To be asked to produce some enamel work for these rifles is a great honour and I am sure my ancestors would be immensely proud to know someone from the Rigby family is still involved with the business.”