Arms of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers

The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers is one of the

Livery Companies A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...

of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. It was incorporated by

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1528, following the merger of two older guilds: the Fullers (incorporated in 1480) and the Shearmen (incorporated in 1508). As the successor to the Shearmen's Company, it ranks twelfth in the order of precedence among City livery companies. The Clothworkers’ original craft was the finishing of woven woollen cloth. This process included

fulling Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate ( lanolin) oils, ...

—to mat the fibres and remove grease—drying on tenter frames, raising the nap with fuller's teasel, and

shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (depending upon dialect, a sheep may be sai ...

the surface to a smooth, even finish. The company's ordinances, first issued in 1532 and signed by

Sir Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry V ...

, were intended to regulate the trade, uphold standards, and protect approved practices. From the late Middle Ages, cloth production gradually shifted away from London, a trend accelerated by the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

and the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

in the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite this decline in the trade, the company's charitable functions persisted, supported by generous donations of money and property from members and benefactors. Today, the company's primary role is philanthropic, conducted through the Clothworkers’ Foundation, an independent charity. The Foundation awards grants aimed at improving quality of life, particularly for disadvantaged people and communities. The company also generates revenue by renting out Clothworkers’ Hall for private events. Both the company and the foundation are based at Clothworkers’ Hall, located in Dunster Court, between

Mincing Lane Mincing Lane is a short one-way street in the City of London linking Fenchurch Street to Great Tower Street. In the late 19th century it was the world's leading centre for tea and spice trading. Etymology Its name is a corruption of Mynchen ...

and Mark Lane in the City of London. The site was acquired by a group of Shearmen in 1456. The current building, completed in 1958, is the sixth on the site. Its immediate predecessor, designed by Samuel Angell and opened in 1860, was destroyed during the Blitz in 1941. Notable members of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers have included King James I,

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, th ...

, Baroness Burdett-Coutts,

George Peabody George Peabody (; February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an American financier and philanthropist. He is often considered the father of modern philanthropy. Born into a poor family in Massachusetts, Peabody went into business in dry goods ...

, Sir Sydney Waterlow,

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (26 June 182417 December 1907), was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer. Born in Belfast, he was the Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), professor of Natur ...

Viscount Slim Viscount Slim, of Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory, Yarralumla in the Capital Territory of Australia and of Bishopston, Bristol, Bishopston in the City and County of Bristol, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was creat ...

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

, and the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwa ...

References

External links

*
ROLLCO
{{authority control Clothworkers 1528 establishments in England History of the textile industry in the United Kingdom Textile industry associations Charities based in London