Our Heritage

Expertise acquired over nearly 400 years!

The Company was granted its Charter on the 14th of March 1637 during the reign of King Charles I. At that time gunmaking had been a well-established trade in the City of London for over a century, and gunmakers were enrolled in various City Livery Companies, principally the Armourers and the Blacksmiths. However, there was no one Company responsible for the interests of the gunmakers or gun users.

The Charter gave control to the Gunmakers Company both over the gunmakers craft, and over the safety of small arms, through the powers of search, view, gauge, proof and marking. These powers were granted to the Company over all small arms made in London and its environs, and over those imported from overseas.

The Company’s powers over the gunmakers craft were subsequently discontinued, although the Company does accredit gunmakers and Master gunmakers through its Certification Panel.

The power to prove small arms has continued unchanged since our founding, and has been confirmed in various Gun Barrel Proof Acts. The Gunmakers Marks, the letters ‘GP’ crowned and ‘V’ crowned, originally approved by Charter, is still used today and will be found on all small arms proved in London.

The Company’s powers over proof have since been modified, first by the establishment of a second proof house in Birmingham 1813, where small arms many also be proved to the Acts noted above, and second by an international treaty which recognises many other European proof marks.

The London Proof House is a Georgian building located in Whitechapel, and it is the historic home of British proof, inspection, ammunition control and deactivation of firearms.

The Proof House and its Proof Assistants work for the civilian, uniformed services and military sectors. All overseen by the Proof Master, the Master and Wardens, and Court of assistants, as defined by our Royal Charter granted on the 14th of March 1637 by King Charles the 1st during his reign.

Our Heritage