Our Plate Collection
The Company possesses one of the oldest and largest collections of plate in the City of London. Although much of the collection was sold to pay off debts in 1643, we have, over the centuries, continued to acquire plate – sometimes through purchase or commission, but principally by way of gift from Clothworkers past and present.
Our extant collection dates from the early 17th century and includes a number of important silversmiths, such as Richard Blackwell II, Samuel Courtauld, Eliza Godfrey and Omar Ramsden. Particular treasures include the rosewater dish, ewer and loving cup presented by Samuel Pepys, Master 1677 – the latter was described by Pevsner to be ‘perhaps the most magnificent cup in the City’.
Much of our plate is still used regularly, for its original purposes, and today we actively commission pieces for ceremonial and functional use in order to build a collection representative of the best of contemporary silver made in Britain. We are fortunate to have works by such talented designer silversmiths as Gerald Benney, Christopher Lawrence, Rod Kelly, Jane Short, Hiroshi Suzuki, Theresa Nguyen, Angela Cork, Rauni Higson and Yusuke Yamamoto in our collection.
As part of its commitment to support the development of skills and fostering of talent in key selected crafts, and in keeping with a centuries-long interest in education, The Company provides bursaries towards the cost of raw materials, tools and travel for educational visits to postgraduate silversmiths at Bishopsland.
Please consult our online catalogue for further details of our holdings.
Who We Are
Mission Statement
Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals and communities through action, partnership and financial support. We are particularly focused on UK textiles, charity governance, and philanthropy – through The Clothworkers’ Foundation and beyond. We achieve this through:
Championing Textiles: We are a leading supporter of UK textiles, developing partnerships that enable us to invest in and support education, academic research and innovation, skills development, training, textiles design, heritage and conservation.
Fostering Community: Our Members come together in friendship, giving their time and expertise to serve others and to make a positive and sustainable impact in the City of London and beyond – by serving on our Court, as trustees or school governors, and volunteering.
Making a Difference: We direct our resources towards promoting opportunity and empowering people and communities. We are able to achieve this through our own initiatives and partnerships with appropriate organisations.
Vision Statement
Our vision is to build on our history and heritage of philanthropy and fellowship, becoming increasingly responsive, adaptive to change, outward looking and ambitious.
Values Statement
We want our members to be proud of being part of our livery company and to see the need to encourage and nurture the next generation of Clothworkers while inspiring each other to deliver our best. In all the work that we do, internally and externally, we aim to be PROGRESSIVE, COLLABORATIVE, and SUSTAINABLE.
Our Past
The Clothworkers’ Company was founded in 1528, following a merger of The Fullers’ Company and The Shearmen’s Company. One of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ of the City of London, our original aim was to promote the craft of clothworking, supervise the training of apprentices and welfare of members, and protect standards of workmanship.
Our Past
The Clothworkers’ Company was founded in 1528, following a merger of The Fullers’ Company and The Shearmen’s Company. One of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ of the City of London, our original aim was to promote the craft of clothworking, supervise the training of apprentices and welfare of members, and protect standards of workmanship.
Our Work
While few members are now involved in The Company’s root trade, we continue to support textiles by funding technical education, skills development, innovative design, the conservation of textiles heritage and craft skills, and more. Additionally, we have directed a significant amount of our grant making in recent years towards championing good governance and trusteeship, and fostered a more resilient non-profit sector in the UK. We have nurtured a common purpose among members by encouraging them to participate in trusteeship and school governance, sharing their experience and expertise with their communities.
Throughout our history, we have remained committed to supporting educational and philanthropic initiatives in the Square Mile and beyond. Although we deliver some of our charitable support directly, the primary vehicle for our philanthropy is The Clothworkers’ Foundation (registered charity no. 274100). Founded in 1977, The Clothworkers' Foundation has awarded grants in excess of £165 million to support people and communities throughout the UK, particularly those facing marginalisation or disadvantage.
THE CLOTHWORKERS' COMPANY
CITY OF LONDON
GOVERNANCE
MEMBERSHIP
CHARITABLE GIVING
MILITARY AFFILIATES
PUBLICATIONS
CURRENT VACANCIES
The Court and Committees
The Court of Assistants is our governing body, akin to a board of trustees. The Court is headed by the Master, who serves as chair for one year and represents The Company on ceremonial occasions. The Master is assisted by four Wardens, the two most senior are the prospective Masters for the following two years; Assistants must have served a term as Warden to be eligible to serve as Master. A variable number of Assistants, promoted from among the Livery, fill the remaining seats on the Court. The work of the Court is assisted by a number of subsidiary committees. Clothworkers can find out more about the Court of Assistants and committee participation from the Members’ Area.
Professional Staff
A professional team supports the Court and manages our day-to-day operations. The Clerk is the equivalent of a chief executive. The Director of Finance, Property and Investments is the Clerk's deputy and deals primarily with investment, property, legal and personnel issues. The Beadle manages ceremonial events and the operations of the livery hall. Staff support the conservation and care of our archive and collections, finance, membership communications and events, office administration, maintenance, and more.
Current Master
Past Masters
The Great Twelve
The Clothworkers’ Company, in Tower Ward, is one of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ in the City of London. Following the order of precedence set down in the 16th century, we are twelfth. There are 110 livery companies in the City, all of which are or were involved with a particular trade or craft. The oldest company is generally believed to be The Weavers’ Company, which was granted a Royal Charter in 1155. The youngest company is The Arts Scholars’ Company, which received its Letters Patent from the Court of Aldermen in 2014.
Civic City
In order to become a livery company, a guild needs to satisfy the Court of Aldermen that it supports a profession, trade or craft that is not already represented, and that it has an endowment to support charitable and educational activities. The majority of companies still support their historic trade, craft or profession in one way or another although they may no longer control or regulate it. Many companies whose original craft has disappeared – or moved outside of London – have adapted and now support the modern industries or crafts related to their historic trades as well as a variety of philanthropic objectives across the City of London and beyond.
Members of livery companies are eligible to become Free of the City of London, which in the past was an essential prerequisite for trading or voting within the City. Members of livery companies still play a role in electing The Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London.
2023 Charitable Impact
Charitable Giving and Grants
The wealth of The Clothworkers' Company is built upon our historic property assets, and has continued to grow through generous bequests and responsible stewardship. The Court of Assistants (and supporting committees), staff and professional advisers work hard at maximising our resources to cover the cost of our operations and fund our ambitious charitable objectives.
Each year, we donate our surplus income (usually £1 to £3 million) to The Clothworkers' Foundation and direct additional charitable grants towards textiles, trusteeship, support for our military affiliates, and more.
We also direct funds towards a variety of other community projects and inter-livery initiatives, and we commission contemporary silver and designer bookbindings as a means of supporting endangered crafts.
Industry Mission
2023 Impact in Textiles
Textiles: Our 'Industry Mission' refers to our annual contributions towards textiles. We make strategic grants toward four key areas to support the UK textiles industry:
1. Academic Research and Innovation
2. Technical Education and Vocational Support
3. Textiles Design and Craft, and
4. Textiles Heritage and Conservation.
2023 Impact of Other Grants
Charitable Mission
Trusteeship: We encourage trusteeship among our members, and make strategic grants to organisations and projects aiming to improve charity governance across the UK. Find out more about our activities in Trusteeship.
Military Affiliates: We have long-standing relationships with a number of military affiliates, and fund work to support the service men and women and their communities. Find out more about our Military Affiliates.
Misc Giving: We use our position and our wealth to fund a number of other causes in the City of London, and beyond. In 2023, this included sponsorship for No Going Back as well as the City & Guilds Foundation Intertrain programmed (both are aimed at providing training and rehabilitation services for prisoners and ex-offenders). We made grants to St Paul's Cathedral to support a bursary for a chorister at the Cathedral School, to the Creative Dimension Trust, the Camden School for Girls, and the Aldgate School – among others.
We also funded bursaries for Bishopsland Educational Trust and the South House Silver Workshop Trust, supported the Licentiate Pilot Scheme to support a mentoring and training programme with Designer Bookbinders, and sponsored a new award for the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Competition (among others).
The Clothworkers' Foundation
We make substantial annual donations to The Clothworkers' Foundation. In 2023, this was approximately £1.06 million.
