Worshipful Company of Gunmakers

Worshipful Company of Gunmakers
	The London Proof House in 2023
Company type	Livery company
Industry	Gun proving
Founded	14 March 1637
Headquarters	Whitechapel, London, England
Website	www.gunmakers.org.uk

The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers,^[1] which oversees the work of the London Proof House, is one of the 113^[2] livery companies of the City of London.

History

The Gunmakers' Company received its royal charter of incorporation in 1637 during the reign of King Charles I.^[3] 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'^[4]. 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, just east (outside) of Aldgate and the old City walls, in Whitechapel. 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 of the livery companies.

References

^ "Livery Company Homepage". Worshipful Company of Gunmakers. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
^ Livery Committee https://liverycommittee.org. Retrieved 15 April 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Worshipful Company of Gunmakers". Archives in London and the M25 area. London Metropolitan Archives. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
^ Greener, William Wellington (1881). The Gun and Its Development: with notes on shooting. Cassell, Petter Galpin & Co. p. 274. Retrieved 23 April 2025.

External links

[1] "Livery Company Homepage". Worshipful Company of Gunmakers. Retrieved 16 April 2025.

[2] Livery Committee https://liverycommittee.org. Retrieved 15 April 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[3] "Worshipful Company of Gunmakers". Archives in London and the M25 area. London Metropolitan Archives. Retrieved 28 February 2019.

[4] Greener, William Wellington (1881). The Gun and Its Development: with notes on shooting. Cassell, Petter Galpin & Co. p. 274. Retrieved 23 April 2025.

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v t e Livery companies and guilds in the City of London
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Companies without livery	Parish Clerks (Worshipful Company of) Watermen and Lightermen (Company of) Public Relations Practitioners Entrepreneurs HR Professionals
Category:Organisations based in the City of London

History

See also

References

External links