When Air Ministry specification F.9/26 was issued in 1926, calling for a replacement for the RAF's numerous Siskin and Gamecock fighters, many manufacturers responded and nine were rewarded with prototype contracts.

[1] The company was an early adopter of metal airframe construction and the Partridge was built this way, with many of its structural components common to the RAF's Boulton Paul Sidestrand bomber.

[1][2] The Partridge[1][2] was a single bay biplane with the unswept constant chord square tipped wings characteristic of Boulton & Paul at this time.

[1] The major failure of the Partridge was its poor longitudinal stability and control, which led to heavy stick forces and made aerobatics difficult.

Boulton & Paul had always intended the Partridge to be powered by the new but unavailable Bristol Mercury and the designation Mk III was reserved for this unbuilt version.