The origin of the Livery Companies is lost in the mists of antiquity but their descent can be traced from the medieval "misteries" or guilds which were to be found in many of the leading cities of Europe. They were craft or trade societies, whose members tended to congregate in a common area for both practical and material convenience. Since their members were engaged in, and controlled, most forms of trade and commerce, the guilds were wealthy and, as a consequence, they came to exercise considerable power and influence. The Guilds and Livery Companies of the City of London were no exception. There is also a significant number of Guilds outside London.
The social and economic conditions which gave birth to the old guilds have long been superseded by the development of industry and commerce in modern form, but it says much for the inherent vitality of the Livery Companies that they have survived these changes and the loss of most of their former privileges and powers.
Their survival has been achieved by fostering their trade or craft in a wider context, acting as patrons, involvement of their members, increasing their power for good by service to the community, and by introducing modern skills and professions to their ranks.
It is a tribute to the success of those who have guided Livery Companies to their new roles that, since 1932, when the Honourable Company of Master Mariners received the first grant of Livery for 223 years, twenty five new companies have been established with Livery status, each with a Constitution and Ordinances agreed by the Court of Aldermen.
The modern companies cover trades and professions which did not exist or were not formally recognised in bygone days, such as Air Pilots and Navigators, Scientific Instrument Makers, Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Accountants, Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, Information Technologists, Actuaries, Insurers and Engineers. Comparatively recently other older callings have formed a Livery Company, such as Master Mariners and Farmers. These and other recent companies are restricted in their enrolment to members of their profession or professional body: thus returning to the original purpose of guilds.
A number of Livery Companies have retained a degree of control over their original trade or profession. Among these, the Goldsmiths still run the London Assay Office where they "hallmark" gold, silver and platinum and also test the coin of the realm at the annual "Trial of the Pyx"; the Fishmongers daily inspect fish sold in the London market; the Gunmakers "prove" hand guns and mark them (hence the phrase "lock, stock and barrel"); the Apothecaries and the Spectacle Makers set examinations; the Brewers are active through the Trade Committee; the Vintners with our wine industry; the Scriveners' Company examine and qualify Notaries Public in the City of London; the Farriers hold examinations and grant diplomas; the Stationers still bind apprentices to the printing trade; the Carpenters support their craft through a Trade Training School, and similarly the Leathersellers. Other companies, such as the Saddlers and the Cordwainers, are closely associated with the City and Guilds qualifications, and the Loriners award National Certificates for competence. Ancient companies whose original craft has vanished have allied themselves with modern industry and professions, for example, the Carmen with transport; the Fanmakers with air conditioning; the Barbers with surgeons and dentists; the Horners with plastics; and the Farriers with veterinary surgeons.
The Livery Companies still have the same organisation as of old - Master or Prime Warden or Upper Bailiff, Wardens, Court of Assistants, Clerk and Beadle. Past Masters have usually retained membership of the Court, though there is a tendency for them to withdraw from the active life after, say, five years in order to open a regular avenue of promotion for other Liverymen. Whilst the new companies only recruit members from their particular occupation, the ancient Livery Companies in many cases draw only a proportion of their members from their trade or profession, as well as admitting members by patrimony - the right of the child to Freedom and Livery of a Company of which the parent was Free or a Liveryman at the time of the child's birth.
Membership is strictly controlled by all the companies - the customary steps being Freedom of the Company, Freedom of the City and then admission to the Livery - but some candidates may never progress beyond being a Freeman of their company, owing to restrictions on numbers of full Liverymen.
In brief, the Livery Companies are vigorous, self-contained societies of professional and business people, bound together by traditional customs which have been handed down for generations, including a strong commitment to charitable causes; all under the direction of their Master, Prime Warden or Upper Bailiff and Wardens; with allegiance to the Sovereign, and an avowal of obedience to the Lord Mayor to maintain the franchises and customs thereof and to keep this City harmless, in that which in me is.
The Livery Companies also play an important part in the system of local government in the City of London, reflecting their historical roots. The constitution of the Corporation of London differs from that of other municipalities in a number of ways, and the voting rights of the Liverymen are perhaps the most striking example. Outside the City of London councillors are elected by the local government electors, and the Mayor is elected by the council. Sheriffs are appointed by the Crown.
In the City of London, where local government and administration are exercised by the Court of Common Council, consisting of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Common Councilmen, both Aldermen and Common Councilmen are chosen by the local government electors of the Wards of the City, while the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, as well as certain other officers, are chosen each year by another body, consisting of the Liverymen of the City's Livery Companies, in Common Hall.
The Livery Companies thus remain an integral part of the governance of the City to this day.
As has already been shown, the roots of the oldest companies go back to the ancient City Craft Guilds, some of which date back to the thirteenth century. Companies evolved from Friendly Societies created in Saxon times, often from among the congregation of a particular church, where members of a craft met and formed a guild. Originally, membership was voluntary but in time it became a pre-requisite for practicing a particular trade.
Companies reached the height of their powers in Tudor and Stuart times. Most were granted Royal Charters and their members assumed a distinctive form of dress or livery.
However, with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and huge population increases in London, crafts which were previously vertically divided and practised were rearranged across the board and, in some instances, lost. Companies such as the Fustarers and the Megusars ceased to exist and others such as the Fletchers, Tallow Chandlers and Loriners, virtually stopped practising their craft.
By the nineteenth century, many Livery Companies had become "dining clubs", with membership being sought more for sentimental reasons, perhaps a past family connection, than for their present day craft needs.
Although the seeds of decay for Livery Companies had been sown by the Industrial Revolution, it was also this revolution which sowed the seeds of the modern professions. Whilst mechanisation had replaced many an old craft, new "arts and mysteries" began to be practised by suitably qualified experts.
The Honourable Company of Master Mariners, which had been formed in 1926, awarded its distinctive appellation of "Honourable" by George V in 1928 and granted a charter of incorporation in 1930, became the 78th Livery Company in 1932, the first to be so formed for 223 years. In 1944 the Solicitors became the 79th Livery Company, followed by the Farmers in 1952, the Air Pilots and Navigators in 1956, the Tobacco Pipe Makers in 1960, the Furniture Makers in 1963 and the Scientific Instrument Makers in 1964.
During the 1970's leading figures in the City became concerned that despite the formation of new Livery Companies the one-time close relationship between the Livery Companies and the City had been seriously weakened. Many Companies were no longer closely connected with the trades or crafts which had formed the basis of the wealth and influence of the City, and indeed some of these trades had ceased to be practised altogether. Some of the major Livery Companies had not produced a member of Common Council or an Alderman for a long time. Faced with political threats to dismantle the historic government of the City, there was no certainty that support would be forthcoming from those who comprise the commercial heart of the City in modern times and who would carry influence in any effort to maintain the independence of the City.
Largely at the instigation of the prominent chartered accountant, Alderman Kenneth Cork (later knighted on becoming Lord Mayor), the Court of Aldermen were persuaded to act to rectify this state of affairs. They agreed to encourage the formation of new Livery Companies more closely connected with the City of today and to simplify and accelerate the processes by which such companies are formed. The aim was to ensure that the Court of Common Council and Court of Aldermen would again contain significant numbers of people representing current business life in the City, thus re-forging the link between the Mayoralty and the commercial strength of the City of London, through the medium of the Livery Companies.
This initiative resulted in the granting of Livery status to six new companies in 1977: Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Accountants, Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, Builders' Merchants, Launderers and Marketors. During the next seventeen years a further ten Companies were granted Livery status (Actuaries, Insurers, Arbitrators, Engineers, Fuellers, Lightmongers, Enviromental Cleaners, Chartered Architects, Constructors and, finally, Information Technologists), the last of which, granted Livery status in January 1992, became the 100th Livery Company of the City of London.
The old century finished with the World Traders and the Water Conservators being granted Livery status in 2000.
The newest and 103rd company is the Firefighters, granted Livery status on 23 October 2001.
In the "pipeline" are further City Companies which have yet to be granted Livery status: Hackney Carriage Drivers, Tax Advisers and Management Consultants. In due course these Companies will join the Firefighters as the first new Livery Companies of the 21st Century.