Ask a Liveryman in a City of London Livery Company anything
Discussion
There are currently 110 livery companies.
In 1515 The Lord Mayor set the order of precedence for the companies then extant. The order of precedence for companies created since then - the 'modern companies' as they are known - is chronological based on when they received their ordinances
In 1515 The Lord Mayor set the order of precedence for the companies then extant. The order of precedence for companies created since then - the 'modern companies' as they are known - is chronological based on when they received their ordinances
wisbech said:
My BIL is a leather seller, due to family business. It has come in useful as a reasonably priced place for wedding receptions for the extended family...
What benefits have you got from being in one?
A conduit for supporting a number of causes that are important to me, access to a number of interesting activities with likeminded people (really good wine soc, shooting soc etc) ability to network with clients and contacts in the industry in a really enjoyable way, ability to do events and activities that have a link to work jointly with my wifeWhat benefits have you got from being in one?
Plymo said:
goldar said:
What is a livery?
What is a liveryman?
What is a livery company?
What are you talking about?
I was thinking similar...What is a liveryman?
What is a livery company?
What are you talking about?
It might p
s off certain Masons on here, as their secret society is pretty much common knowledge, and seemingly less secret than the Liverymen 
Alorotom said:
Plymo said:
goldar said:
What is a livery?
What is a liveryman?
What is a livery company?
What are you talking about?
I was thinking similar...What is a liveryman?
What is a livery company?
What are you talking about?
It might p
s off certain Masons on here, as their secret society is pretty much common knowledge, and seemingly less secret than the Liverymen 
Whilst in the past, certainly pre war to become a Mason, you had to be asked if you would like to join. Nowadays most provincies have open days and will accept applications. Ido livery companies have the same parameters.. *
Are Livery companies restricted to professions, and if so what would be the minimum requirement of membership?. Eg there is grocers company ( not sure if there really is) but could a barrowboy in a London Market be eligible?
The Lord Mayor of London iirc is certainly always a liveryman and could well be a Mason.
Are Livery companies restricted to professions, and if so what would be the minimum requirement of membership?. Eg there is grocers company ( not sure if there really is) but could a barrowboy in a London Market be eligible?
The Lord Mayor of London iirc is certainly always a liveryman and could well be a Mason.
- Expanded in the freemasons thread so not to divert this one
wolfracesonic said:
Are the Paviors open to any profession, your profile says you’re a chartered surveyor and not an actual pavior, though both trades are construction affiliated I suppose. Could a lawyer join the Paviors for instance?
some livery companies are still very trade focused, (they are effectively the old City of London trade unions), the Fishmongers (the Debretts of the livery companies) own and run Billingsgate fish mongers, the Butchers run Smithfield meat market, the Goldsmiths are still involved with all the assay offices… rough rule of thumb is that the newer ones tend to be more industry focused, the older ones less so…this is partly to do with how you join, three entry routes generally:
- apprenticeship, easy to keep to an industry if you wish, a younger person is apprenticed to their apprentice master who tends to be a more established member… the apprenticeship is still formally carried out at Guildhall and consists of two corresponding pieces of parchment
- patrimony - the right to become a freeman if a parent was a liveryman when you were born (originally male only, now generally male or female)
- redemption - you pay a fine to join, generally kept as a route for the livery company to add people they want…
because of patrimony and the right to join that some have, it is possible for a livery company’s members to move away from all being in one industry… as such many of the older ones while retaining their historical interest tend to also now be more of a charitable organisation and perhaps less involved in the trade they once controlled…
as an example, mine was involved in the trade of Haberdashery, still has some involvement with textile prizes for students in London etc. but probably doesn’t count many ‘haberdashers’ in trade amongst its members… instead it has a number of schools around the country and is heavily involved in education due in principle to three liverymen in the 1600s leaving endowments for schooling to the company.
They are nothing like masonic lodges, most being firmly founded in church foundations, that some have associations is similar to schools, simply that a number of members have that parallel interest. The livery companies are not secretive however they tend to get on with life in the background and don’t tend to be shouty about who they are - they are very service orientated so most who are involved are there to serve others, not to get out of it for themselves what they can…
they are also still a core part of the City of London, so for those who work there, they are a natural link to others… for those of us who live elsewhere they city connection is perhaps less relevant, though we still have rights around electing offices such as Alderman and the Lord Mayor of London
marksx said:
Alorotom said:
Plymo said:
goldar said:
What is a livery?
What is a liveryman?
What is a livery company?
What are you talking about?
I was thinking similar...What is a liveryman?
What is a livery company?
What are you talking about?
It might p
s off certain Masons on here, as their secret society is pretty much common knowledge, and seemingly less secret than the Liverymen Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff