History:
The Mercers were originally leading London merchants who dealt in many articles, but particularly in textiles. They exported wool and
woollen cloth and imported linen, silk and velvets. The term 'mercer' is derived from the French word mercier, meaning 'small ware dealer'. The Company's earliest ordinances are dated 1347
and it received its first royal charter in 1394. By the reign of Elizabeth I many Mercers were no longer connected with their original trade. The present Livery numbers about 250. Among famous Mercers were William Caxton, Dean Colet, Sir Thomas More, Sir Thomas Seymour, Richard Whittington (who founded almshouses for 13 poor citizens of London, now transformed into a housing complex for 45 elderly persons at East Grinstead), Sir Thomas Gresham (founder of the Royal Exchange and of the Gresham Lectures, transferred to the City University in 1966), Sir Rowland Hill and Lord Baden Powell. In education the Company has administered Dean Colet's St Paul's School since 1509 and in 1903 opened St Paul's Girls' School on the same foundation. Its own London school, Mercers' School, has had to be closed after 400 years, but it still retains close links with Collyer's VI Form College at Horsham, Dauntsey's School at West Lavington and Abingdon
School, all founded by Mercers. Annual grants are made to the City and Guilds of London Institute and to other educational bodies. The Company administers Whittington College and Trinity Hospital at Greenwich. It also maintains close associations with units of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force. In 1698 the Mercers made the first attempt to run a life assurance scheme, but in 1745 they had to hold a lottery to meet their commitments and the scheme was abandoned.
In medieval times the Mercers lived and worked in the Mercery, the district in Cheapside between
Friday Street and St Mary-le-Bow. By 1347 they had acquired a meeting place in the Hospital of St
Thomas of Acon in Cheapside. The hospital had been founded by the sister of St Thomas Becket on the
site of his birthplace. By coincidence, Thomas's father, Gilbert Becket, was a Mercer. In 1517 the
Company bought the Cheapside frontage from the hospital and built there a 'Rightly good chapel' with
a hall over it, at a cost of £5,000. At the Dissolution the hospital was disbanded, and in 1542 the
Company bought the rest of the buildings for £969. These buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire.
The Hall was rebuilt in 1672-82 by John Oliver who used plans drawn up by Edward Jarman before his death.
The Bank of England rented the Hall in 1694 as their first place of business. The East India Company
used the Hall as their Head Office in 1702. A new façade was added on the Cheapside front in 1879. The
old façade is now part of Swanage Town Hall. The Hall was bombed in May 1941. The Hall and Chapel (which
is the only one in a Livery Hall) was rebuilt in 1954-8 as part of an office block by E Noel Clifton
of Gunton and Gunton, with Sir Albert Richardson as consultant. The Chapel and Hall incorporated
fittings from the old Hall, including some 17th-century woodwork and Victorian stained glass. During
excavations a 16th-century figure of Christ was discovered buried in soft earth, 2 feet below ground.
The mahogany-panelled Large Court Room and Dining Room contain carvings attributed to Grinling
Gibbons. The suite has a series of English crystal 18th- and 19th-century chandeliers. Inside the
Hall is a 1546 portrait of Sir Thomas Gresham and the recumbent effigy of Richard Fishborne. The
dining capacity of the Hall is 150.
Web site: www.mercers.co.uk
For current contact details please go to
The Livery Companies Database, which can be found on The Fishmongers' Company's website.
