The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers, which oversees the work of the London Proof House, is one of the 113
livery companies
A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...
of the
City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
.
History
The Gunmakers' Company received its
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
of incorporation in 1637 during the reign of King Charles I. The Proof House has statutory duties to regulate the safety of firearms in the United Kingdom. To administer proof, the company was given broad powers of 'search, gage, proof, trial and mark'. The power to search (with a police constable) for unproved guns and seize them is still vested in the company today.
The first proof house was built in 1657 and located near the Tower of London in Aldgate on land owned by John Silke.
Since 1675, the company has been located at the London Proof House on
Commercial Road
Commercial Road is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. It is long, running from Gardiner's Corner (previously the site of Gardiners department store, and now Aldgate East Underground station), throug ...
, just east (outside) of
Aldgate
Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London.
The gate gave its name to ''Aldgate High Street'', the first stretch of the A11 road, that takes that name as it passes through the ancient, extramural Portsoken ...
and the
old City walls, in
Whitechapel
Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
. It is unique amongst livery companies for always having been located outside the City Wall.
The Gunmakers' Company is one of the Ancient Livery guilds and ranks seventy-third in the
order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...
of the livery companies.
See also
*
Birmingham Proof House
The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House is a weapons proving establishment in Banbury Street, Birmingham, UK. The building was designed by John Horton and consists of a centre bay, emphasised by a segmental parapet, which contains trophies by ...
References
External links
*
The Gunmakers’ Company’s Proof House complex, 46–50 Commercial Road, Whitechapel ''
Survey of London
The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of central London and its suburbs, or the area formerly administered by the London County Council. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an A ...
''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worshipful Company of Gunmakers
Gunmakers
1637 establishments in England
Charities based in London