290 
THE HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY. 
Formation 
of Artillery 
Bran cli;, 1781 
■ Gordon 
Riots. 
Horse Artil. 
lery Troop. 
were borrowed from the Master of the Ordnance, as in 1671 a train of 
artillery was hired for a march through the City, and in 1674 the Court 
of Assistants ordered a “ train of artillery consisting of six field pieces 
and two wagons ” to attend a field parade. Again six field pieces 
were lent by the Tower authorities in 1682, for the days of exercise. 
No doubt there were in the Company skilled and competent men to 
work the ordnance thus borrowed, and a very natural desire seems to 
have existed among them to be formed into a distinct branch of the 
Regiment; accordingly on the 22nd November, 1781, over sixty years 
after the organisation of the Royal Artillery, the gentlemen practis¬ 
ing the field pieces ” petitioned the Court of Assistants to be allowed 
to form a division of their own, to be termed the Matross Division. 
They were told off into two companies, one for each gun, and each 
under a Captain and a Sergeant; and they received instruction from 
the Master-Gunner of the Tower who was employed by the Company 
in 1794 giving twelve drills a year. 
The armament in the matter of field pieces is not easy to trace. In 
1779, the Company applied to His Majesty for two brass field pieces, 
and they were ordered to be cast by Messrs. Kinsman & Co. 
In 1780, the Honourable Artillery Company, assisted by the gentle¬ 
men of the London Foot Association, rendered signal service in sup¬ 
pressing the dangerous riots known as the Lord George Gordon Riots, 
which in six days brought death or serious injury to 458 persons in 
London. For these services the Court of Common Council presented 
the Honourable Artillery Company with the above-mentioned brass 
field pieces. These were 3-pounders and are still in the Company’s 
possession. 
In 1803 the armament was increased by two 6-pounders which were 
presented by Sir William Curtis, President of the Company, and the 
old brass 3-pounders were recast. The Matross Division was increased 
correspondingly, and no important addition or change took place after 
that until I860. 
Reverting to the records of the end of last century we find that on 
July 21st, 1781, the Honourable Artillery Company had a field-day be¬ 
tween Sydenham and Dulwich in which a battery of nine light pieces 
of cannon and three cohorns took part. These were probably lent to 
the Company. In 1799 the Honourable Artillery Company paraded 
421 strong at the great review held by King George III. in Hyde Park, 
when the guns of the Matross Division which had been brought on to 
the ground by hand, fired a Royal salute of 21 guns. 
In 1860 a Horse Artillery Troop was formed at the instigation of 
Captain-General H.R.H. The Prince Consort, who took a deep interest 
in its progress, and in June of that year a uniform for the troop was 
sanctioned which was of Royal Horse Artillery pattern but with silver 
lace. After a short but successful career of nine years under the 
leadership of Captain Jay, it was disbanded by order of the Court of 
Assistants of the Company, on the ground of the great expense of its 
maintenance. 
At first the troop had been to a great extent horsed and kept up by 
Captain Jay, but latterly the expenses were equally divided between 
