At 6’s and 7’s: The livery companies of the City of London.
- Aug 4
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
You may be asking what are Livery companies and why am I interested? Well you should be interested as its all very old, gives us a peek into our medieval history when men wore tights.
In a nutshell the livery companies of the City of London are ancient guilds and fraternities that have governed the City’s trade, commerce, and craft standards for over 700 years. Not all are ancient some are really modern with a total of 111 but perhaps the most important are the big 12. When I say important I mean immensely powerful, lands and fortunes have been amassed during the centuries and they play a big role in the ’state within a state’ City of London. Livery companies give lots to charity which is lovely and gives quite some visibility in social and public affairs. They also have some kick ass halls and I have painted all 12 and so I wrote this blog to celebrate and am of course open to any charitable donations!
So here are a 12 fascinating facts about these organisations and their impact on our history and culture.
1. We get the 6’s and 7’s saying from a Livery company dispute.
All the livery companies are ranked in seniority in what is called the 'order of precedence’. The importance of this ranking was so high that it led to centuries of disputes, most notably between the Skinners and Merchant Taylors, I mean fights actually broke out and people killed. Their rivalry was only resolved in 1484 by a Lord Mayor's decree that they must alternate their 6th and 7th positions annually at each easter. They have a banquet every year as well to keep the peace and so are at 6s and 7s!
2. They pay rent in roses
Well the Company of Watermen and Lightermen does. The story dates back to 1381 while Sir Robert Knollys, a prominent knight and commander was away at war his wife Constance bought a property. It. Sat just across the street (Seething Lane) from their house and Constance was to use the land as a garden. Not wishing to get her dress muddy she built a footbridge over the road which didn’t actually belong to her but the City. The City deemed that Sir Robert and his heirs therefore had to pay an annual rent of one red rose, plucked from the garden and delivered on a velvet cushion to the Lord Mayor on St John the Baptist's Day (June 24). The garden, house and bridge are long gone but to this day the ceremony still takes place at Mansion house in the City.
3. “Italian trickery’
Inside Saddlers’ Hall sits one of the oldest secret ballot boxes in England, dating to 1619. A revolutionary device at the time which we all use today but before this voting was public affair and very intimidating. King James I was so suspicious of this new way of voting without the influence of the powerful that he derided it as "Italian trickery”, whatever that means. Despite its age and the fact its the oldest box in the world Remarkably, it is not in a museum and remains still in use today for Company elections
4. Poisoning and assassination with daggers
Livery companies can be dangerous places.
The Poison Expert: Apothecaries’ Hall was where the "Queen of Crime," Agatha Christie, took her pharmacy exams. The deep knowledge of poisons she gained here informed many of the lethal plots in her famous mystery novels.
The Assassin’s Dagger? Fishmongers’ Hall houses a legendary dagger said to have been used by Lord Mayor Walworth to kill the rebel leader Wat Tyler during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, Ouch.
5. Animals which are impervious to fire and eat iron.
The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers is decorated with 123 Salamanders and 1 Ostrich. These strange creatures were beleved to possess certain powers to the Medieval English. salamanders were believed to be born in fire and immune to its heat, further reinforcing the connection to the ironmongers’ trade. The "Iron-Eating Ostrich” is actually the mascot and was actually believed to eat iron, why and actually where it found iron to eat is a mystery.
6. Why does the Worshipful Company of Grocers have a camel as a mascot?
Not something you typically see in the countryside of England, camels. This refers back to the company’s origins as the Guild of Pepperers in 1180, when exotic spices were brought by caravan across vast distances to reach the London markets. Pepper was an important spice across Europe. Indeed Pierre Poivre, an 18th-century French horticulturist actually smuggled spice plants to break the Dutch monopoly in the 18th century. Pierre Poivre means Peter Pepper in English so Peter Pepper did actually pick a peck of pickled pepper.
7. Hats & the Hidden Haberdashers Hall (Okay perhaps the Peter Pepper fact got me rhyming a bit)
Haberdashers’ Hall, was only completed in 2002 and is a masterclass in modern discretion. Hidden behind gates in West Smithfield, it is arranged around a quiet, cloistered courtyard that feels like a private sanctuary in the heart of the bustling City. Unlike during the plaque in 1665 when everything was on display for then Lord Mayor was Sir John Lawrence, a Haberdasher. He famously stayed in the city to keep order and conducted official business safely from inside a quarantined glass case. The Haberdashers important fancy goods from Italy and so where often called Milan’ers, its where we get ‘Milliner’ for hat makers today.
8. The importance of Salt.
Today we take salt for granted but for much of history it was very important. In fact the word "salary" directly derives from the Latin sal (salt), because Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt rations. Salt was used for preserving food and its use in chemistry means the Salters are all over industry and science. It’s no wonder that their hall mimics an actual salt cave with rock salt crystal lights and geometric carpets, like a posh set of the crystal maze. In another interesting plot twist its sits directly over a part of London’s Roman wall where solders would have kept guard. These walls giving us the common phrase "not worth his salt” a Roman saying for soldier who fell asleep on guard duty and forfeited his salt allowance.
9. They own all the Swans.
Bizarrely the Vintners (wine merchants) and Dyers (fabric dyers) share ownership of all wild swans on the River Thames with the British Monarch. Every July, they conduct "Swan Upping," a week-long medieval census where officials row up the river in traditional uniforms to catch, check, and mark the swans. You would think that this level of recording makes the Companies' amazing at bookkeeping but read on to the next fact.
10. The bankers who found billions
As the undisputed number one company in precedence, the Mercers (textile merchants) are unbelievably wealthy. The Mercers did not just have regular bank accounts; they practically hosted and nurtured the system. When the Bank of England was founded in 1694 with an initial capital of £1.2 million, it did not have its own building. The Bank held its very first meetings inside Mercers’ Hall meaning the Mercers acted as the primary financial hub for the City of London. They held massive corporate funds across multiple overlapping accounts and then the fire of London happened and boom chaos. In the rebuilding effort a few accounts simply fell off the ledger. In 1894, they accidentally discovered a dormant bank account that had been untouched since the 17th century, which had quietly accumulated a massive fortune in compound interest. How much we won’t know as these organisations are notoriously secretive, but I wonder how much is still out there?
11. They can sell alcohol without a liquor license.
The Worshipful Company of Vintners (ranked 11) historically held the supreme monopoly over wine imports. To this day, full Freemen of the Vintners' Company enjoy a highly unusual, ancient legal privilege: the "Vintner's Privilege." This allows them to sell wine anywhere within three miles of the City of London boundaries without having to apply for or hold a standard local authority liquor license. By my reckoning that means you could flog boils of Echo Falls in Shoreditch, that must be a good earner.
12. So Awesome
The secrecy, age and bizarre rituals bely what are incredibly generous institutions which focus on the greater good. The entire network of London’s 113 livery companies donates an astounding £81 million every single year to good causes. The "Great Twelve" hold the vast majority of centuries-old land and financial endowments, so are responsible for the lion's share of this multi-million-pound philanthropic output. Elderly care, education and apprenticeships underline their mission to look after the old and support the young. A young who need help now more than ever, so raise a (unlicensed) glass of wine to the Livery companies of London
See the great 12 Livery companies and a few more in my gallery.
About the Artist Christian Coop, MSAI, is an architect and artist documenting the UK’s built heritage through one of the largest contemporary collections of architectural watercolours. With 30 years of experience an architect and a Design Director at leading global firms, his work has been featured by CNN, the BBC, and the RIBA Journal. He is currently an Associate Partner and Design Director at HTA.
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