Title

The full title of the Drapers’ Company is “The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London”. The word Mystery comes from the Latin “misterium” meaning professional skill.

The Origins

The origin of the City of London guilds or companies is lost in the mists of antiquity. Initially, they acted as mutual protection societies. The trade element was not at first apparent, but was rather an accidental feature, due to the localisation in early times of the various London trades in particular districts. Traders and craftsmen by habit met and transacted business together as neighbours, so that it came about naturally that the first voluntary associations to be formed in London were composed of the members of a particular trade. 

These associations adopted a religious complexion, and were known as fraternities. Having no common meeting house they chose as their nucleus a neighbouring church, monastery or hospital, to which they attached themselves, and whose saint they adopted as their patron, paying subsidies out of a common fund to provide lights for the altar and services for their deceased. 

As the trading element of these associations developed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, so they became known as guilds. In the fourteenth century they began to obtain Charters from the Crown, giving them definite constitutions and rights of holding property, and defining their duties and responsibilities with regard to the trades with which they were connected.
Moreover, the guilds have, from the earliest times, played a vital role in the City. In particular, they have elected the Chief Magistrate or Mayor and his principal officers from among their own members.

The Foundation

The date of origin of the Drapers’ guild is unknown. The guild’s first charter was granted by Edward III in 1364, but it is known to have been in existence at least in 1180, and according to tradition Henry Fitzalwyn, elected the first mayor of London in 1189, belonged to it.

The first contemporary official record of the Drapers’ guild appears at the end of the thirteenth century. This document gives the names of the Wardens who were to govern the fraternity, and their duties: to instruct the members in their trade; and to regulate and settle disputes within the guild. In the preamble to the Drapers’ ordinances of 1405 it is claimed that a fraternity existed in 1332; in 1351 there is evidence of drapers acting in a corporate capacity at the election of Common Council of the City.

Furthermore, a Brotherhood of Drapers is known to have existed in the 1360s. This was primarily a religious fraternity attached to the church of St. Mary Bethlehem. It was founded in honour of St. Mary by ‘good people Drapers of Cornhill and other good men and women’ for the amendment of their lives. Only brethren and sisters ‘of good fame and good condition and behaviour’ could be admitted to the fraternity. The location of St. Mary can hardly have been convenient for the majority of Drapers who lived in and around Cornhill, Candlewick Street (now Cannon Street) and Chepe (Cheapside). Possibly it was for this reason that the Drapers’ Guild transferred its allegiance to St. Mary le Bow in Cheapside and later to St. Michael Cornhill. Despite these changes the guild has retained the Blessed Virgin Mary as patron saint.

Royal Recognition

As the guilds increased in wealth and prosperity, they started to organise their trades, crafts and misteries, as they were called, in such a way as to form monopolies, and prevent all competition from outsiders. The Wardens of the guilds began to draw up ordinances which gave them absolute power over their own house, with a right to institute searches and punish infringement within their own particular trade. It soon became apparent that these monopolies could be affirmed and strengthened by the acquisition of royal charters which gave the guilds definite legal powers over their trades, and complete internal autonomy.

Edward III perceived that the guilds were the mainspring of the trade of the kingdom, which he wished to encourage, and was therefore generous in granting charters to the influential guilds, confirming their privileges and giving them added stability and prestige. The charter or Letters Patent of 1364 officially inaugurated the Drapers’ guild of London as an association of traders who enjoyed the monopoly of the cloth trade, wholesale and retail; it asserted the Drapers’ predominance over the craftsmen allied to the cloth industry; and it gave the Drapers authority to govern their own guild by the election of four of their number to act as Wardens.

In 1438 the guild received their Charter of Incorporation recognizing the Drapers as a legal corporate fraternity a Company which had perpetual succession and a Common seal. Over the centuries the original privileges granted by Royal Charter have been confirmed and amended by successive monarchs. The acting Charter of today is taken to be that granted by James I in 1607, which has been amended by five Supplemental Charters, most recently in 2008.

The Grant of Arms

On receiving their grant of incorporation, the Drapers swiftly acquired their Coat of Arms. This was granted by the Garter King of Arms in 1439. The blazon devised refers to the Virgin Mary, under whose protection the Brotherhood of Drapers was founded. The Garter King explained the derivation of the arms as follows:

‘That is to say in honour of the very glorious Virgin and Mother Mary who is in the shadow of the sun and yet shines with all clearness and purity. I have devised in the blazon three sunbeams issuing from three flaming clouds crowned with three Imperial crowns of gold on a shield of azure’.

In 1561 the Arms were inspected, confirmed and amended with the additions of a helm and crest with a golden ram upon it, and two supporters in the shape of lions (or and pelleted) replacing the earlier angel supporters. Further amendments were made in 1613 when the crowns were slightly altered in shape and the motto ‘Unto God only be honour and glory’ was added.

The Members of the Company

The Company consists of Freemen (men and women), who are the ordinary members; the Livery, or those entitled to wear the livery or clothing of the Company; and the Court of Assistants, or Governing Body, headed by the Master and Wardens.

Originally, apprenticeship to a master Draper was the usual means of gaining the Freedom of the Company. Members are now admitted by Redemption (after an interview) or Patrimony (by virtue of a parent being a Draper) and in both cases a fee is due. Occasionally, individuals are granted the Honorary Freedom such as William, Prince of Orange; Lord Nelson; HRH Prince Charles; HRH The Duchess of Gloucester; and Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Boyce KG, GCB, OBE, DL.
Looking back over the centuries the Drapers’ Company can claim many famous names among the membership – royalty, politicians, merchants, authors, a succession of Lord Mayors of London, and men as diverse as Grinling Gibbons the wood carver and sculptor, and Hugh Dalton the socialist Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The Company’s Hall

As the trading aspect of the guilds expanded, members required a Hall where they could meet to discuss and co-ordinate business. Initially individuals’ houses were used but in the 1420s the Drapers’ Guild decided to build its own Hall. This first Hall was in St Swithin’s Lane.

The present Hall, situated in Throgmorton Street, was bought from King Henry VIII in 1543. This had been the house of Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex and Chief Minister to Henry, but had been forfeited to the King on Cromwell’s attainment and execution in July 1540. The Hall was entirely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It was re-built, and again seriously damaged by fire in 1772, since when it has from time to time been reconstructed and altered to its present form. A small part of the old garden still remains, and contains mulberry trees whose predecessors go back three centuries.

The Company possesses many works of art ranging from furniture and carpets to paintings, including portraits of the royal family, Lord Nelson and distinguished Masters and Clerks of the Company. It also possesses a valuable collection of plate and a unique archive.

The Development of the Company

In the Middle Ages the Company possessed great powers of control over the woollen cloth trade in the City. At one time no dealer could sell cloth to anyone but a member of the Company, the Company controlling the sale of cloth at great fairs in the City; and with the “Drapers’ ell”, or standard measure, all the cloth was marked and its measurements checked. The ram with the golden fleece, seen in many guises, from the architectural ornaments at Drapers’ Hall to the motif on members’ ties, is the constant reminder of the origins of the Company’s wealth.
Like other guilds, the Drapers’ Company was from the first a benevolent institution, helping those of its members who fell into distress; it also had a religious side, its patron saint being the Virgin Mary; and in its Hall it gave dinners and entertainments.

With the passage of time, the Company’s connections with the cloth trade have altogether ceased; but it still assists its members, worships annually at the church of St. Michael, Cornhill, and is privileged and delighted to show hospitality. Links with the cloth industry have recently been re-established by the sponsorship in the field of textile design, conservation and technology.

The Company of today

The main function of the twentieth century Drapers’ Company is the administration of trusts.
The charitable and corporate wealth of the Company is derived from the bequests of individual Drapers who over the centuries have left money, land, rents, plate, paintings, documents or instructions. An example of one such benefactor is the Elizabethan antiquary, William Lambarde. He entrusted the Drapers with the governorship of the almshouses, Queen Elizabeth’s College Greenwich; he also presented the Company with a handsome silver gilt cup and four gallons of ippocras (a spiced wine cordial). Other benefactors specified that rents from property should pay for candles at an altar in the parish church, a sermon every Sunday or the distribution of penny loaves to the poor. Today, such wishes are interpreted in a modern context by grants for the relief of need.

In more recent times, to improve effectiveness and efficiency, the many bequests left in the Company’s care have been pooled together into seven charities, all administered in accordance with Charity Commission Schemes, which are grouped: general charities, the almshouse charity and education charities.

The principal general charity, The Drapers’ Charitable Fund, has wide objectives and purposes supporting causes which fall into three main categories: education and young people; social welfare (homelessness, prisoners, ex-service men and women, welfare and disability); and textile and heritage.

Through the Almshouse charity the Company acts as trustee of three groups of almshouses in London (Tottenham, Greenwich and Southwark) which provide sheltered homes for some two hundred elderly men and women.

Supporting education, however, has been one of the primary aims of Company for centuries and continues to be the main focus of the Company’s grant making today. Historic links with a number of educational establishments have been maintained and the Company continues to assist schools, colleges and universities in many ways, from serving on the governing body to providing grants for scholarships, prizes and research. Those institutions with which the Company has historical links include Bancroft’s School in Essex; Howell’s School Llandaff, Kirkham Grammar School in Lancashire; The Thomas Adams School, Wem in Shropshire; Blundell’s School in Tiverton; Sir George Monoux College in Walthamstow; and Thomas Russell Infant and Junior Schools and John Taylor High School in Barton-under-Needwood. In 2014, the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) was established by the Company with Queen Mary, University of London. The MAT provides a formal, legal entity that is able to sponsor Academies and Free Schools under the Government programme. The schools currently governed within the MAT are Drapers’ Academy, Drapers’ Brookside Infant and Junior Schools, Drapers’ Maylands Primary School and Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School, all in Harold Hill, Havering. The Company also supports a number of universities and colleges of higher education such as Queen Mary, University of London; Pembroke College, Cambridge; Hertford College, Oxford; St Anne’s College, Oxford; Bangor University; The College of William & Mary in Virginia, USA; and City & Guilds of London Art School.

The Company has been particularly determined to adapt its resources (charitable and corporate) to meet the changing needs of society. The Company’s involvement with Queen Mary, University of London is a fine example of this determination. Apprenticeship declined as an effective means of training during the nineteenth century, being replaced by technical education taught through purpose built colleges. The Company, therefore, looked for ways in which it could continue its support for practical training away from the apprenticeship schemes. In the 1870s the Company duly became heavily involved in the foundation of the City and Guilds of London Institute. Ten years later it turned its attention to the People’s Palace in Mile End, which with the Drapers’ Company ongoing and generous support developed into Queen Mary, a recognised college within the University of London.

Conclusion

From its medieval origins as a religious fraternity, the Drapers’ Brotherhood has evolved into one of the wealthiest and most influential of the City of London Livery Companies. The position of the Drapers as third in the order of precedence, after the Mercers and Grocers, was formally established in 1516.

The Company has moved with the times and evolved into an organisation that addresses contemporary issues, gaining a new relevance through its philanthropic role. Its activities range from the commercial management of its own substantial endowment, which includes a directly owned property portfolio in the City of London, to being the corporate trustee of charities and participating in the life of the City. The Company’s membership fulfils a variety of corporate governance roles for the Company and certain external organisations, and directs its philanthropic initiatives.

The continued prosperity and influence of the Drapers’ Company, and the other medieval guilds of the City of London, is unique in the world; it is a remarkable instance of the continuity of English history and the stability of English institutions.