Purchase of commissions in the British Army

Commissioned office in the English and later British Army could be purchased for either infantry or cavalry regiments from the 17th to 19th centuries. This avoided the need to wait to be promoted for merit or seniority, and was the usual way to obtain a commission in the Army. The practice began in 1683, during the reign of King Charles II, and continued 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 found guilty of cowardice, desertion, or gross misconduct.