Worshipful Company of Gunmakers
Encyclopedia
The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers is one of the 108 Livery Companies
of the City of London
.
The Gunmakers' Company received a Royal Charter
of incorporation in 1637. The Company was, and still is, responsible for proof-testing gun barrels/actions for safety. Thus, unlike many Livery Companies, the Gunmakers have retained a link to their trade. The barrel testing technique involves test-firing a gun barrel/action whilst loaded with an extra-powerful charge of ammunition (the test cartridge develops two-and-a-half times the service pressure of the cartridge intended for the gun in question), held in a special carrige. The barrel and action are then inspected and, if they have maintained structural integrity, they will be stamped with proof marks indicating the test pressure, bore diameter in millimetres at 9" from the breech face, chamber length, suitability for use with steel shot in the case of a smoothbore shotgun, a date stamp or code and the mark of the house (London or Birmingham
).
Since 1675, the Company has been located at Proof House on Commercial Road
, just outside Aldgate and the old walls of the City.
The Gunmakers' Company ranks seventy-third in the order of precedence
of the Livery Companies.
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
The Gunmakers' Company received a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of incorporation in 1637. The Company was, and still is, responsible for proof-testing gun barrels/actions for safety. Thus, unlike many Livery Companies, the Gunmakers have retained a link to their trade. The barrel testing technique involves test-firing a gun barrel/action whilst loaded with an extra-powerful charge of ammunition (the test cartridge develops two-and-a-half times the service pressure of the cartridge intended for the gun in question), held in a special carrige. The barrel and action are then inspected and, if they have maintained structural integrity, they will be stamped with proof marks indicating the test pressure, bore diameter in millimetres at 9" from the breech face, chamber length, suitability for use with steel shot in the case of a smoothbore shotgun, a date stamp or code and the mark of the house (London or Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
).
Since 1675, the Company has been located at Proof House on Commercial Road
Commercial Road
Commercial Road , in length, is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. It runs from "Gardener's Corner" , through Stepney to the junction with Burdett Road , Limehouse from which point the route becomes the East India Dock Road...
, just outside Aldgate and the old walls of the City.
The Gunmakers' Company ranks seventy-third in the order of precedence
Order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments...
of the Livery Companies.