Online Collection

The Online Collection showcases a selection of our objects for you to discover and explore. This resource will grow as the Museum's Collection is catalogued and computerised, and as new acquisitions are added.

'The Recruiting Serjeant', 1769

Engraving by J Collett after J Goldar, published by Thomas Bradford, No 139 Fleet Street, and Henry Parker, No 82 in Cornhill London, 1 September 1769.

During the eighteenth century Army recruiting officers would often use unscrupulous methods to persuade men to enlist. Potential recruits would be seduced with misleading tales of the glamour and glory of army life and would also be offered the enticement of a 'bounty'. This was a large sum of money, supposedly paid to the new recruit when he enlisted. In fact most of it disappeared in various 'deductions' and the recruit was lucky to see any of it.

NAM Accession Number

NAM. 1999-04-141-1

Copyright/Ownership

National Army Museum, Out of Copyright

Location

National Army Museum, Study Collection

Object URL

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1999-04-141-1

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