Purchase of commissions in the British Army
practice of paying money to be made an officer
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, officers' commissions in infantry and cavalry units of the English and British armies could be purchased. This avoided the need to wait to be promoted for merit or seniority, and was the usual way to obtain a rank in both armies. The practice began in 1683 during the reign of Charles II of England. It existed until it was abolished on 1 November 1871 as part of the Cardwell Reforms. Formally, the purchase price of a commission was a cash bond for good behaviour, liable to be forfeited if the officer in question was found guilty of cowardice, desertion, or gross misconduct.
Great Britain and Ireland
Only commissions in cavalry and infantry regiments could be purchased, up to the rank of colonel. Commissions in the Royal Engineers and the Royal Artillery were awarded to those who graduated from a course at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and subsequent promotion was by seniority. Moreover, the Royal Navy never practised the sale of commissions, officer promotion being solely by merit or seniority (at least in theory).
Values
The official values of commissions varied by branch (see below). Payments in excess of regulation (non-official) usually accorded with the differing social prestige of different regiments.
The public source identifies “Purchase of commissions in the British Army” as practice of paying money to be made an officer. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Purchase, commissions and British.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Purchase of commissions in the British Army”, the useful work is to connect “practice of paying money to be made an officer” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q134434855. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1683 and 1871.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Purchase of commissions in the British Army”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Purchase of commissions in the British Army primary sources, Purchase of commissions in the British Army archive and Purchase research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Purchase of commissions in the British Army”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Purchase of commissions in the British Army” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.