{"id":33438,"date":"2023-07-23T21:08:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-23T21:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/?p=33438"},"modified":"2023-07-23T21:08:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-23T21:08:06","slug":"worshipful-company-of-gunmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/?p=33438","title":{"rendered":"Worshipful Company of Gunmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:1888,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\\\/the-livery&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20240616155238\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\\\/the-livery\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-15 20:51:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-19 23:05:31&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-24 04:20:05&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-29 01:25:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-29 01:25:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1889,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.gunproof.com&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1890,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/liverycommittee.org&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260217154038\\\/https:\\\/\\\/liverycommittee.org\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-15 20:52:09&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 08:35:23&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-29 01:25:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-29 01:25:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:206},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1891,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\\\/about-us\\\/law-historic-governance\\\/livery-companies&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1892,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Ale_conner&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260312015711\\\/https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Ale_conner&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-15 20:52:58&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:429},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 08:35:27&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 08:35:27&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1893,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Livery_company&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1894,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Worshipful_Company_of_Mercers&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260204200757\\\/https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Worshipful_Company_of_Mercers&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-15 20:53:05&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:429},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 08:35:25&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 08:35:25&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1895,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\\\/about-us\\\/councillors-committees-meetings&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1896,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\\\/the-charitable-trust&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.gunmakers.org\\\/the-charitable-trust&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1897,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\\\/back-from-mali-update-on-the-light-dragoons\\\/09&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.gunmakers.org\\\/back-from-mali-update-on-the-light-dragoons\\\/09&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1898,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.africahunting.com&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.africahunting.com\\\/&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1899,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.google.com\\\/maps\\\/place\\\/The+Worshipful+Company+of+Gunmakers\\\/@51.5148158,-0.0684405,20z\\\/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x487603352db18fcd:0x2fd0b3565faef406!2sThe+Worshipful+Company+of+Gunmakers!8m2!3d51.5148158!4d-0.0681669!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F1tgtdzpm!3m5!1s0x487603352db18fcd:0x2fd0b3565faef406!8m2!3d51.5148158!4d-0.0681669!16s%2Fg%2F1tgtdzpm?hl=en&amp;entry=ttu&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:1900,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Aldgate&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<p>The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1637 to promote and regulate gunmaking. Unlike many of the old guilds and livery companies, it still performs that role through its management of The Proof House which is also known as the London Proof House.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"235\" height=\"166\" src=\"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33440\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\/the-livery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to its history<\/a><\/strong>, King Charles I bestowed the Royal Charter upon the Company. There had been an argument going back to the 1300s over which guild or company should govern gunmaking. The Blacksmiths and the Armourers each thought they should be the ones in charge. A royal commission was established and its recommendation was that an independent company be given the charter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The Charter defined the role that the Gunmakers still play today. It created a proof mark, a stamp of the letters \u2018GP\u2019 surmounted by a crown. The mark is stamped on guns that meet the statutory safety  requirements. Only the Company can bestow it, and it is illegal to sell a gun without a recognised proof mark. To administer proof, the Company was given broad powers of \u201csearch, gage, proof, trial and marking of all manner of hand guns in London or \u2026 imported from foreign parts\u201d.\u00a0 The power to search (with a constable) for unproved guns and seize them is still vested in the Company today.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The Proof House along with the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunproof.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Birmingham Proof House<\/a><\/strong> has the responsibility to proof barrels, to improve gun safety, and to certify de-activation of certain firearms. Proofing a barrel involves firing a proof cartridge through it that exceeds the maximum theoretical service pressure by anywhere from 25% to 50%. This is done remotely. After a reinspection of the barrel and making sure its measurements are still within spec, then it has the proof mark affixed.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33441\" width=\"670\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-6.png 670w, https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-6-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-6-640x426.png 640w, https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-6-440x294.png 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From Worshipful Company of Gunmakers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers also certifies those that through training or apprenticeship can be called Gunmakers. The Gunmakers&#8217; Certification requires a minimum of four years work in a specific gunmaking craft such as barrel making, engraving, or stockmaker. The candidate submits a portfolio of his or her work  along with other evidence to a committee of Master Gunmakers for evaluation. If they pass, they are awarded the Certification. The Company also recognizes Master Gunmakers who usually have 20 or more years in the trade. Like the apprentices, they submit a portfolio. If they pass, they are deemed Master Gunmakers and can affix the title &#8220;MAsR.G&#8221; after their names. For example, it would be Mr. John Bull, MAsR.G.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mentioned <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/liverycommittee.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guilds and livery companies<\/a><\/strong> earlier. While many no longer serve to govern a trade, they still have a legal role in the governance of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\/about-us\/law-historic-governance\/livery-companies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">City of London<\/a><\/strong>. They elect the Sheriffs, the Bridgemasters, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ale_conner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ale Conners<\/a><\/strong> of the City of London and endorse the election of the Mayor of the City of London. As an aside, the term &#8220;livery&#8221; comes from the clothing and regalia adopted by the guilds and companies to distinguish themselves in times gone by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers ranks <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Livery_company\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">number 73 in precedence<\/a><\/strong>. The oldest is the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Worshipful_Company_of_Mercers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Worshipful Company of Mercers (general merchants)<\/a><\/strong> whose charter dates to 1394. Gunmakers rank ahead of lawyers, insurers, lightmongers, and tax advisors in terms of age and precedence. The responsibility for approving new livery companies is that of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\/about-us\/councillors-committees-meetings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Court of Alderman<\/a><\/strong> who act like an upper chamber in the legislative administration of the City of London. The primary role for most livery companies now is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\/the-charitable-trust\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charity <\/a><\/strong>and education. Many also have affiliations with British military units. The Gunmakers, for example, are affiliated with the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunmakers.org.uk\/back-from-mali-update-on-the-light-dragoons\/09\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Light Dragoons<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I stumbled across a link to the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers from a posting on the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.africahunting.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AfricaHunting.com<\/a><\/strong> forum. There had been a discussion of what gun shops and gunmakers to visit while in London.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"763\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-7.png 763w, https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-7-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image-7-640x346.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 763px) 100vw, 763px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>One last note: the Gunmakers have been in their present location on <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/The+Worshipful+Company+of+Gunmakers\/@51.5148158,-0.0684405,20z\/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x487603352db18fcd:0x2fd0b3565faef406!2sThe+Worshipful+Company+of+Gunmakers!8m2!3d51.5148158!4d-0.0681669!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F1tgtdzpm!3m5!1s0x487603352db18fcd:0x2fd0b3565faef406!8m2!3d51.5148158!4d-0.0681669!16s%2Fg%2F1tgtdzpm?hl=en&amp;entry=ttu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Commercial Road<\/a><\/strong> in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aldgate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aldgate<\/a><\/strong>, London since 1675. They were one of the few guilds or livery companies to have been located outside the old walls of the City of London but this was presumably done for safety reasons back in the day.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1637 to promote and regulate gunmaking. Unlike many&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6529,6530,6528,6526,1487,6527],"class_list":["post-33438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-city-of-london","tag-guilds","tag-livery-companies","tag-london-proof-house","tag-united-kingdom","tag-worshipful-company-of-gunmakers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33438"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33443,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33438\/revisions\/33443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}