Livery Companies are trade associations based in the City of London. They originally developed as guilds. They were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling, for instance, wages and labour conditions.
At present, some Livery Companies continue to have a regulatory role. For instance, the Scriveners' Company regulates and oversees Notaries Public of the City of London. Other companies, where the profession has become obsolete, exist as charitable foundations. The livery companies also play an important part in social life and networking in the City. Still others, such as the Longbow Stringmakers' Company and the Hatbandmakers' Company, have become inoperative. Some recently founded groups such as the Information Technologists have been charitable in nature for the whole of their existence.
Livery Companies are governed by a Master (known in some Companies as the Prime Warden), a number of Wardens (who may be known as the Upper, Middle, Lower, or Renter Wardens), and a Court of Assistants, which elects the Master and Wardens. The chief executive officer of the Company is known as the Clerk.
Members generally fall into two categories: freemen and liverymen. One may become a freeman, or acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria; traditionally, one may be admitted by "patrimony" if either parent was a liverymen of the company, by "servitude" if one has served as an apprentice in the trade for the requisite number of years, or by purchase. (The Company may also vote to admit individuals as honorary freemen.) Freemen generally advance to becoming liverymen by a vote of the Court of the Company. Only liverymen may take part in the election of the Lord Mayor of London.
There are currently one hundred and five Livery Companies in the City of London. In 1515, after years of dispute, an order of precedence was settled for the Livery Companies of the time based on the Companies' economic or political power.
The Merchant Taylors and Skinners dispute their precedence, and so annually alternate between sixth and seventh place, the change occurring each Easter. This is one of the theories for the origin of the phrase "at sixes and sevens", as the master of the Merchant Taylors has asserted a number of times, although the first use of the phrase may have been before the Taylors and the Skinners decided to alternate their position [1] (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-six1.htm) (However, both companies had been founded before the birth of Chaucer, who was one of the first people to use the phrase, so this may have dated from before him).
The origin of the city companies is to be found in the craftgilds of the middle ages.
The origin of the Grocers Company is thus described: Twenty-two persons, carrying on the business of pepperers in Sopers Lane, Cheapside, agree to meet together, to a dinner, at the Abbot of Burys, St Mary Axe, and commit the particulars of their formation into a trading society to writing.
The liverymen of the companies, beingfreemen of the city, have still, however, the exclusive power ofelecting the lord mayor, sheriffs, chamberlain and other corporateofficers.The contributions made by the companies to the publicpurposes of the state and the city are interesting points in theirearly history.
liverycompanies, London trade guilds incorporated by royal charter, deriving their name from the assumption of distinctive dress (livery) by their members.
Edward III granted the first charters in the 14th cent., and most of the existing companies had been incorporated by the 17th cent.
The Mercers founded St. Paul's School as early as 1509, and to the present day the companies continue to endow colleges and scholarships, particularly in the field of technical education.
Feeds |
Contact