England Livery Companies of the City of London - International Institute

History of Livery Companies
The Saxon and early mediaeval history of guilds have been well-described by Pooley (The Guilds of the City of London. Collins, London, 1947). Much was made of the religious association prior to the Reformation but the trade aspect took precedence thereafter. All but two, (Parish Clerks and Watermen and Lightermen), of the city of London guilds are also known as livery companies from their specific uniforms or liveries worn on special occasions. They acquired premises called halls for business purposes and feasts. Most of the original halls were destroyed during the Great Fire in 1666, and the remaining 35 were destroyed or damaged in WWII, but restoration has been undertaken on a few. There were also other groups similar to guilds but which did not have charters, for example the Association of Fellowship Porters and the Society of Tacklehouse and Ticket Porters.

The earliest charter was for the Weavers in 1130, followed by the Saddlers and then the Bakers. There were 25 guilds with charters by 1500, and twelve of these were powerful enough to have special privileges and electoral powers. They are theGreat Twelve City of London Companies, in order of precedence:

The 13th-14th centuries was the great period of guild prosperity and dominance in city politics, and there were 111 guilds by 1423. In the next century quarrels between the overlapping interests of too many guilds eventually lead to amalgamations, for example the Pursers and Glovers united then joined the Leather-sellers, as did the Pouchmakers, forming a much stronger Leathersellers guild. Many other mergers resulted in more vigorous bodies. There was also a huge influx of men seeking work in the city, creating a large class of journeymen between the masters and their apprentices. Their dues and increased trade contributed to the strength and wealth of many of the companies. However the guilds became divided into two opposing groups—those who lived by crafts and those by merchandising—with bloodshed sometimes resulting.

During the late 14th and 15th centuries the livery guilds were ruled by masters who were generally aldermen with mercantile ambitions. The Mercers and other trading companies were quick to take advantage of the prospects of foreign trade especially by fitting out fleets of ships (merchantmen), the first and most famous being the Merchant Adventurers, a branch of the Mercers Guild trading in Holland and Germany enriching all parties. Other such trading companies were: the Muscovite Company (Russia); Türkiye or Levant Company (eastern Mediterranean); Royal African Company; Merchants of Spain; French Merchants of Virginia; South Sea Company; others trading with Guinea and the Canaries; the Hudson’s Bay Company (Canada); and the greatest of all—the East India Company which was to bring England her Indian Empire. Two less successful ventures in which the City Companies played a prominent, if unwilling, part were the Ulster and Virginia Plantations.

Activities of Livery Companies
The power and wealth of the city livery companies was reflected in their contributions to the army and navy from early times until the 17th century. Crafts declined as mechanization advanced during the 18th century but the wealth of the companies was in London property which had only increased in value so, although they were no longer a vital force in their trades, the companies could still dispense charity and hold festivities, such as the Lord Mayor’s Procession and Banquet. By the mid-20th century only a few of the London livery companies were now involved in their original trades, notably:


 * The Fishmongers continued to manage the Billingsgate fish market, and had important duties regarding freshwater, crab and lobster fisheries.


 * The Goldsmiths still assay and stamp gold and silver articles at their hall, whence the expression hall-marked. They also certify metal used in coinage at the mint.


 * Many of the minor companies have founded scholarships or supported training schools in the technical aspects of their trades, and these include the Spectacle Makers, Carpenters, Leathersellers, Cooks, Farriers and Plumbers.

Perhaps stimulated by a government enquiry in the 1880s the surviving companies applied themselves even more diligently to their charitable purposes. The companies had always been known for the foundation and support of schools which include:


 * Aldenham (Brewers)
 * Aske’s and William Jones’ (Haberdashers)
 * Gresham’s (Fishmongers)
 * Mercers’ and St. Paul’s (Mercers)
 * Merchant Taylors’ (Merchant Taylors)
 * Bancroft’s and Howell’s Girls, (Drapers)
 * Oundle (Grocers)
 * Tonbridge (Skinners)

In higher education the City and Guilds Institute was founded as a joint venture between the Corporation of London and the livery companies in 1880. It promotes technical education and research and has founded a number of technical, engineering and art colleges, many now parts of universities, and runs well-respected certificate programmes. The city guilds have supplied innumerable scholarships, almshouses, pension charities, and apprenticeship trusts and supported others such as hospitals.

Membership of Livery Companies
Each company has two types of members—the livery, entitled to wear the company’s gown on state occasions, and the freemen (yeomen or bachelors), who are not but who may be promoted to the livery as vacancies occur. Freemen of a London company were supposed to be at least 24, (but in practice were often only 21), and have the right to the freedom of the City of London.

Distinctions amongst the freemen include:


 * Journeymen who worked for other freemen by the day for wages. They had less security but some choice as to where and when they worked. This tended to be a stage between apprenticeship and a permanent business of their own.


 * Masters or householders ran their own business and took apprentices.


 * Foreign brothers were those admitted from the provinces by redemption.


 * Stranger brothers or alien brothers were those admitted by redemption from overseas.

A company is run by a master and two to four wardens, together with a court of assistants composed mainly of ex-wardens and masters, whose chief executive officer is the clerk and having a general factotum called the beadle. The Lord Mayor of London is the chief liveryman of the city.

The company’s charter will indicate the geographical area from which it could admit members. Some only took those in the City of London, others within a radius of two to ten miles, whilst at least the Apothecaries, Barber-Surgeons, Framework Knitters, Goldsmiths, Gunmakers, Stationers, and Tobacco Pipe Makers took provincial members. These rules were not always adhered to, but few craftsmen and tradesmen who lived outside London would have been members of London companies even if they had apprenticed there. In some companies women could be bound as apprentices, single women (particularly milliners) and widows (especially those carrying on their husband’s business) could be admitted to the freedom, but lost it upon marriage. Widows of freemen were free by courtesy without formal admission.

Until the early 18th century a man would have been a freeman of the company representing his own trade, but this gradually changed until by the mid-19th century it was common for a man wishing to run a business within the city to belong to any company. He might be Thomas Brown, butcher on a census, but in his will described as Thomas Brown, citizen and draper of London, the latter indicating that he had the freedom of the city by being a member of the Drapers’ Company. Wealthy men, especially merchants, favoured the twelve great companies and some companies, such as Wheelwrights and Spectaclemakers in the early 19th century, attracted men from a wide variety of occupations, perhaps because their fees were lower. Smaller companies have amalgamated or been dissolved over the years, and in addition and rarely, a man could be a freeman of more than one company, or change (translate) from one to another. It is therefore not a simple matter to find records of his apprenticeship, freedom or annual company activities.

Records of Livery Companies
The Guildhall Library Guide (1989) details surviving records of every company, and they have a good leaflet. Aldous (My Ancestors were Freemen of the City of London. Society of Genealogists, 1999) has much useful material and there are a number of published histories of the individual companies in London and elsewhere. With respect to records the companies can be divided into four groups:


 * Nine retain their own records . Clothworkers, Drapers, Goldsmiths, Leathersellers, Master Mariners, Mercers, Saddlers, Salters, and Stationers (some records for Stationers are at St. Bride Printing Library).


 * Two companies’ records no longer exist—Silkthrowers, and Soapmakers.


 * 25 companies have been created since 1940 and retain their own records. Actuaries, Air Pilots and Air Navigators, Arbitrators, Builders Merchants, Chartered Accountants, Chartered Architects, Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, Chartered Surveyors, Constructors, Engineers, Environmental Cleaners, Farmers, Firefighters, Fuellers, Furniture Makers, Hackney Carriage Drivers, Information Technologists, Insurers, Launderers, Lightmongers, Marketors, Scientific Instrument Makers, Solicitors, Water Conservators, and World Traders.

The most useful records for genealogy include:


 * Apprenticeship enrollments in the register books.


 * Records of admission to membership usually give the name of the freeman, the date and method of admission, and sometimes his address. If admission was by servitude details of master, dates etc. may be given; if by patrimony the father’s name; and if by redemption the fee paid.


 * Lists of freemen are usually alphabetical and may have address, occupation and numbers of apprentices taken.


 * Quarterage books recording membership fees paid each quarter are typically alphabetical and may also have address, occupation, period of membership and date of death.
 * Most companies kept a separate series of stamp duty freedom registers 1694-1949 recording name, date and method of admission and duty paid.
 * Lists of liverymen, court of assistants and officers such as masters, wardens and stewards.
 * Biographical dictionaries of company freemen and officials (Aldous lists many in My Ancestors were Freemen of the City of London. Society of Genealogists.).

There are many other records such as court minutes and wardens’ accounts which may give more details about specific men, and may pre-date or fill gaps in the registers. A minority of people would be found in records of the regulation of the company’s trade which refer to a man’s workmanship or conduct, or in records of pensioners and almspeople giving details of those who needed assistance later in life.

Researchers should be aware that these records are voluminous and not always indexed, so lengthy searches may not always be rewarded. Some of the company records are on film, for example those of the Carmen’s Company 1666-1942 on 7 films starting at ; and the Pewterers’ Company 1451-1934 on 31 films starting at. Other lists of Londoners can be useful, for example, the members of the city livery companies for London have been extracted from the returns of the 1641 Poll Tax, (nothing to do with the Poll Books mentioned earlier), at the Public Record Office (Dale and Barrington). Records of others, such as the merchant trading companies, are located at the Public Record Office, for example the Levant Company is in SP 105.

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