Sir Edward Austin Stewart-Richardson, 15th Baronet, lived a storied but brief life wrought with war and hunting. Born in 1872 to Scottish nobility, he entered military service at a young age. His biography indicates he was the Aide-de-Camp in Queensland, Australia before entering the Boer War as a Captain leading mounted infantry in the Orange Free State. During that campaign, he earned the Queen’s Medal with five clasps.
Sometime during these years in Australia and South Africa, he developed an obsession with hunting big game that would shape the rest of his life.
Upon his return home to Scotland from his service abroad in 1904, he met a young woman, Lady Constance Stewart, a daughter of an Earl and younger sister to a countess. Lady Constance was a passionate and eccentric hunter in her own right and, within approximately six weeks, she had broken off her engagement, fallen for Sir Stewart-Richardson, and set plans in motion for a wedding and an extraordinary honeymoon.
With a rushed ceremony attended mostly by local townsfolk, they married in March and immediately began planning their honeymoon—one fitting of their shared spirit of adventure. In May, they departed on a coast-to-coast African safari on foot, beginning with a lion hunt in British Somaliland. Their journey, which newspapers of the time followed with interest, concluded by early 1905.
Upon their return, Sir Stewart-Richardson commissioned a bespoke rifle from Charles Lancaster of London. The rifle featured 28” barrels, Lancaster’s patented “foul-less Oval Bore rifling,” a patented assisted-opening mechanism, and a rare bolted safety, which allowed the shooter to lock the tang safety until final approach—preventing any accidental discharge in the field.
The caliber selected was the darling of the sporting world in 1905: Eley’s .450 No. 2 Nitro Express 3.5”. It had been introduced as a solution to recurring issues with the 450/400 NE, notably weak case rims and thin brass that proved unreliable under tropical conditions. The .450 No. 2 addressed these with a much thicker case and longer overall length, operating at relatively low pressures despite driving a 480-grain bullet at approximately 2175 fps. In fact, Kynoch’s original published loads noted the lowest chamber pressures of any of the .450-class stopping rifles.
Because of these attributes, the .450 No. 2 earned a reputation as the softest-recoiling stopping rifle caliber ever made—especially prized among experienced hunters making quick follow-up shots on dangerous game.
The caliber earned tremendous loyalty among elite sportsmen. John “Pondoro” Taylor, famed ivory hunter and author of African Rifles and Cartridges, called it “the perfect elephant caliber,” and owned no fewer than four rifles chambered in .450 No. 2. Even Frederick Courteney Selous, widely considered the archetype of the British safari hunter, used the caliber during his own expeditions.
Sir Stewart-Richardson’s rifle was proofed for the full 80-grain cordite load with a 480-grain projectile, likely regulated for soft-point or solid round nose bullets—the standard of the era. Charles Lancaster was famed for exceptional regulation work, often grouping both barrels within 1.5 inches at 70 yards, a feat uncommon in most other makers.
Yet this particular rifle carries a few mysteries. According to surviving Charles Lancaster ledgers, only one rifle was ordered, but both the forend and top lever are engraved with a gold-inlaid “2.” Lancaster noted that composed pairs—even those with non-sequential serial numbers—would still be recorded as a set, but this rifle was not. It raises several possibilities: perhaps the number was a field-identification mark denoting his rifle, in contrast to hers; or, possibly, it was an elegant, if obscure, reference to the “.450 No. 2” cartridge itself. The true meaning may never be known.
Tragically, it appears Sir Stewart-Richardson never used this exquisite rifle on safari. Delivered after the couple’s lion hunt in Somaliland, the rifle shows virtually no signs of wear: perfect bores, untouched screws, and crisp checkering. It seems to have remained a prized, unused possession.
Bolstering this theory is the fact that by 1907, the rifle and its ammunition were rendered obsolete—banned across the British Empire due to rising fears of rebellion in Sudan and northern India. Because the .450 bore diameter matched that of the Martini-Henry military rifle (.577/.450), the British colonial office feared captured sporting ammo could be repurposed by insurgents. As a result, virtually all .450-caliber rifles, including the .450 NE and .450 No. 2 NE, were banned from use in India, Sudan, and other colonial protectorates. This effectively ended the commercial and sporting life of the .450 No. 2 just as it was reaching its peak.
Between 1905 and 1913, Sir Edward Austin Stewart-Richardson maintained an active yet discreet life typical of a nobleman and seasoned soldier. While detailed records of his day-to-day are scarce, it is likely he held a reserve commission, participating periodically in militia or territorial duties with the Black Watch or local Scottish regiments. Alongside his military connections, he embraced the sporting life, frequenting shooting clubs and hunting societies that were popular among Britain’s aristocracy. He and Lady Constance often appeared together at high-society shooting exhibitions and charity events, capitalizing on their shared reputation as skilled markspeople. Their adventurous pursuits took them beyond Scotland’s countryside: press reports detail their travels to the United States, where they famously hunted alligators in Florida and performed alongside renowned figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody. These years paint a portrait of a couple balancing the duties of nobility with a passion for sport, travel, and public spectacle—laying the foundation for Lady Constance’s growing celebrity and Sir Edward’s legacy as a gentleman hunter.
But the story ends on a somber note. In late 1914, Sir Edward was called to serve in World War I. On November 28th, 1914, during the First Battle of Ypres in Belgium, he sustained fatal injuries while serving with the 1st Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). He later died in a London hospital at the age of 42 and is buried beneath the Stewart-Richardson vault in the churchyard at St. Madoes, Perthshire, Scotland.
As for the Charles Lancaster .450 No. 2 Nitro Express double rifle, it remains—a pristine, unused relic of Edwardian adventure, one of the finest examples of sporting craftsmanship from the golden age of safari. It was likely intended for great deeds in the African bush, but instead became a time capsule of a gentleman hunter's unfulfilled ambitions—one stilled forever by war and history.
Sometime during these years in Australia and South Africa, he developed an obsession with hunting big game that would shape the rest of his life.
Upon his return home to Scotland from his service abroad in 1904, he met a young woman, Lady Constance Stewart, a daughter of an Earl and younger sister to a countess. Lady Constance was a passionate and eccentric hunter in her own right and, within approximately six weeks, she had broken off her engagement, fallen for Sir Stewart-Richardson, and set plans in motion for a wedding and an extraordinary honeymoon.
With a rushed ceremony attended mostly by local townsfolk, they married in March and immediately began planning their honeymoon—one fitting of their shared spirit of adventure. In May, they departed on a coast-to-coast African safari on foot, beginning with a lion hunt in British Somaliland. Their journey, which newspapers of the time followed with interest, concluded by early 1905.
Upon their return, Sir Stewart-Richardson commissioned a bespoke rifle from Charles Lancaster of London. The rifle featured 28” barrels, Lancaster’s patented “foul-less Oval Bore rifling,” a patented assisted-opening mechanism, and a rare bolted safety, which allowed the shooter to lock the tang safety until final approach—preventing any accidental discharge in the field.
The caliber selected was the darling of the sporting world in 1905: Eley’s .450 No. 2 Nitro Express 3.5”. It had been introduced as a solution to recurring issues with the 450/400 NE, notably weak case rims and thin brass that proved unreliable under tropical conditions. The .450 No. 2 addressed these with a much thicker case and longer overall length, operating at relatively low pressures despite driving a 480-grain bullet at approximately 2175 fps. In fact, Kynoch’s original published loads noted the lowest chamber pressures of any of the .450-class stopping rifles.
Because of these attributes, the .450 No. 2 earned a reputation as the softest-recoiling stopping rifle caliber ever made—especially prized among experienced hunters making quick follow-up shots on dangerous game.
The caliber earned tremendous loyalty among elite sportsmen. John “Pondoro” Taylor, famed ivory hunter and author of African Rifles and Cartridges, called it “the perfect elephant caliber,” and owned no fewer than four rifles chambered in .450 No. 2. Even Frederick Courteney Selous, widely considered the archetype of the British safari hunter, used the caliber during his own expeditions.
Sir Stewart-Richardson’s rifle was proofed for the full 80-grain cordite load with a 480-grain projectile, likely regulated for soft-point or solid round nose bullets—the standard of the era. Charles Lancaster was famed for exceptional regulation work, often grouping both barrels within 1.5 inches at 70 yards, a feat uncommon in most other makers.
Yet this particular rifle carries a few mysteries. According to surviving Charles Lancaster ledgers, only one rifle was ordered, but both the forend and top lever are engraved with a gold-inlaid “2.” Lancaster noted that composed pairs—even those with non-sequential serial numbers—would still be recorded as a set, but this rifle was not. It raises several possibilities: perhaps the number was a field-identification mark denoting his rifle, in contrast to hers; or, possibly, it was an elegant, if obscure, reference to the “.450 No. 2” cartridge itself. The true meaning may never be known.
Tragically, it appears Sir Stewart-Richardson never used this exquisite rifle on safari. Delivered after the couple’s lion hunt in Somaliland, the rifle shows virtually no signs of wear: perfect bores, untouched screws, and crisp checkering. It seems to have remained a prized, unused possession.
Bolstering this theory is the fact that by 1907, the rifle and its ammunition were rendered obsolete—banned across the British Empire due to rising fears of rebellion in Sudan and northern India. Because the .450 bore diameter matched that of the Martini-Henry military rifle (.577/.450), the British colonial office feared captured sporting ammo could be repurposed by insurgents. As a result, virtually all .450-caliber rifles, including the .450 NE and .450 No. 2 NE, were banned from use in India, Sudan, and other colonial protectorates. This effectively ended the commercial and sporting life of the .450 No. 2 just as it was reaching its peak.
Between 1905 and 1913, Sir Edward Austin Stewart-Richardson maintained an active yet discreet life typical of a nobleman and seasoned soldier. While detailed records of his day-to-day are scarce, it is likely he held a reserve commission, participating periodically in militia or territorial duties with the Black Watch or local Scottish regiments. Alongside his military connections, he embraced the sporting life, frequenting shooting clubs and hunting societies that were popular among Britain’s aristocracy. He and Lady Constance often appeared together at high-society shooting exhibitions and charity events, capitalizing on their shared reputation as skilled markspeople. Their adventurous pursuits took them beyond Scotland’s countryside: press reports detail their travels to the United States, where they famously hunted alligators in Florida and performed alongside renowned figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody. These years paint a portrait of a couple balancing the duties of nobility with a passion for sport, travel, and public spectacle—laying the foundation for Lady Constance’s growing celebrity and Sir Edward’s legacy as a gentleman hunter.
But the story ends on a somber note. In late 1914, Sir Edward was called to serve in World War I. On November 28th, 1914, during the First Battle of Ypres in Belgium, he sustained fatal injuries while serving with the 1st Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). He later died in a London hospital at the age of 42 and is buried beneath the Stewart-Richardson vault in the churchyard at St. Madoes, Perthshire, Scotland.
As for the Charles Lancaster .450 No. 2 Nitro Express double rifle, it remains—a pristine, unused relic of Edwardian adventure, one of the finest examples of sporting craftsmanship from the golden age of safari. It was likely intended for great deeds in the African bush, but instead became a time capsule of a gentleman hunter's unfulfilled ambitions—one stilled forever by war and history.
