Seargent Troy & Military Setup of The Victorian Era - What Attracted Wealthy People To Military

For the Victorian wealthy, military service was less a job and more a primary path to power.  It became a social custom for the wealthy. The British army's purchase system ensured the officer corps remained an exclusive club for those with significant private means. 

The Attractions 

° Status Symbol: Holding a commission was seen as a status symbol.  Even for the wealthy merchant class buying a son a commision was the fastest way to a higher social standing.

° Ladder to Upper Circle:  An Officer's uniform was a powerful social asset. A man attained the level of a desirable suitor for wealthy families and enter into higher circles of Victorian society.

° The System of Primogeniture and the distressed younger sons.

Under the system of Primogeniture, the eldest son inherited the entire family estate.  The younger sons needed a respectable profession that didn't involve manual labour. The army was found the most attractive choice compared to other options like Church or the Law.

° The government preferred wealthy officers because they wanted to maintain the existing order.

° The aristocracy viewed themselves as the additional fighting class of society, so they wanted to fight for the nation.

° Many families had served in the local country regiments for generations viewing the regiment as an extension of their own family and tradition.

° For the young men raised in the stifling environment of country estates, the prospects of  colonial campaigns in India, Africa and Crimea offered a sense of adventure.

The  Booty

The army had a separate legal mechanism called "Prize Money" or "Booty of war" for distributing wealth 

taken from occupied territories. Legally all captured property belonged to the crown, but it was a common practice of the monarch  to grant these booty back to the troops as a reward for their service. Prize agents are appointed to collect and auction the captured valuables. The proceeds were then distributed according to a strict hierarchy 

Purchase and sale of Commission 

Between 17th and 19th century Officer's Commission in infantry and cavalry in English and British armies could be purchased.  This was a usual way to obtain a rank in both armies.  The practice began in1683 during the reign of Charles II of England. The purchase price of commission was a cash bond for good behaviour, and liable to be forfeited if the officer in question was found guilty of cowardice, desertion or misconduct.

Bounty was a one-time payment to the new recruitee.  This was an incentive to join the army.  Booty was a share in the looted wealth of the occupied territory, an incentive to join the force. Commission was the sale or purchase of post. It acted as a pension to the seller and a job to the buyer.