Officer’s Commission Term Analysis

An officer’s commission is a position of higher rank in the British army purchased with a cash bond, skipping the lower ranks entirely. The practice of purchasing commissions was in place from the 17th through 19th centuries, and while it maintained social and class homogeneity among the officers of the British army, it also stymied the ambitions of those without means. Squire Thornhill’s seemingly generous offer of a commission purchased on loan for George grants him an opportunity that the Primrose family could never have provided themselves as they lack the necessary funds, a fact which will come back to haunt them when the Squire has Dr. Primrose imprisoned for the debt.