The Purchase System of acquiring a commission is probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of the British Army. It probably originated at the time of the Black Prince and the English Free Companies in 14th Century. These mercenary units were formed on the model of the existing trade guilds. Adventurers invested in raising and training bodies of fighting men. In return they received a share of the profits from hiring out the unit and from any plunder they gathered. They could “sell out” only if they could find a purchaser for their share.
In consequence, the Purchase System was not unique to the British but was in use by a number of European countries. Indeed, in France before the Revolution when the practice was discontinued, the price of a Colonelcy of an older Infantry regiment was around 75,000 livres.
The system as employed in the British Army was reformed and amended over the years and became quite complex. This was partly because various Monarchs didn’t approve of the system and tried to amend it with a view to ending it. Regulations were put in place regarding the length of service required at any given rank before an application for the purchase of promotion could be made. Towards the end of the system, in 1850, examinations were implemented for promotion for junior officers.
As a general rule, an officer advancing one step was only required to pay the difference between the rank he held and that which he was advancing to; a Captain in the infantry advancing to Major would only pay £1,400.
The above is quite a simplified account of the system and I would recommend Anthony Bruce’s “The Purchase System in the British Army 1660-1871” for those who are really interested in learning how it worked.
The following table shows the price of the commissions that I have been able to find, from 1854 to the systems end in 1871.
| Price of Commissions | |||
| Rank | Full Price (£) | Difference in value between the several commissions in succession (£) | Difference in value between Full and Half pay (£ S d) |
| Life Guards | |||
| Lt Col | 7250 | 1900 | |
| Maj | 5350 | 1850 | |
| Capt | 3500 | 1715 | |
| Lt | 1785 | 525 | |
| Cornet | 1260 | ||
| Royal Regiment of Horse Guards | |||
| Lt Col | 7250 | 1900 | |
| Maj | 5350 | 1850 | |
| Capt | 3500 | 1900 | |
| Lt | 1600 | 400 | |
| Cornet | 1200 | ||
| Dragoon Guards and Dragoons (former price) | |||
| Lt Col | 6175 | 1600 | 1533 0 0 |
| Maj | 4575 | 1350 | 1352 0 0 |
| Capt | 3225 | 2035 | 1034 3 4 |
| Lt | 1190 | 350 | 632 13 4 |
| Cornet | 840 | 300 0 0 | |
| Foot Guards | |||
| Lt Col | 4800 | ||
| Maj with the rank of Col | 4800 | ||
| Captain with the rank of Lt Col | 4800 | 2750 | |
| Lt with the rank of Capt | 2050 | 850 | |
| Ensign with the rank of Lt | 1200 | ||
| Cavalry and Infantry of the Line | |||
| Lt Col | 4500 | 1300 | 1314 0 0 |
| Maj | 3200 | 1400 | 949 0 0 |
| Capt | 1800 | 1100 | 511 0 0 |
| Lt | 700 | 250 | 365 0 0 |
| Cornet and Ensign | 450 | 150 9 0 |
Note: The table above is in “old Money” i.e. Pounds, Shillings and pence. For those who are unfamiliar with this form of money, there were 20 shillings to the pound and 12 pence to the shilling thus One pound, ten shillings and sixpence is indicated as £1 10s 6d while 10 shillings and sixpence would be shown as 10/6
British Army Historical Database 