 Leathersellers' arms | |
| Motto | Soli Deo Honor et Gloria |
|---|---|
| Location |
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| Date of formation | 1444 |
| Company association | Leather industries |
| Order of precedence | 15th |
| Master of company | Mark Williams |
| Website | www.leathersellers.co.uk |
TheWorshipful Company of Leathersellers is one of thelivery companies of theCity of London. Theorganisation originates from the latter part of the 14th century receiving itsRoyal Charter in 1444, and is therefore the senior leather industry-related City Livery Company.
The Leathersellers' Company ranks fifteenth in theorder of precedence of City livery companies. Itsmotto isSoli Deo Honor et Gloria,Latin forHonour and Glory to God Alone.
The Leathersellers' Company, which originally regulatedleathermerchants, continues to act as an advocate for theUK leather trade, together with its leather-associated City livery partners: theCordwainers,Curriers,Girdlers,Glovers andSaddlers. Like these other livery companies, today it is primarily involved in philanthropic, charitable and educational activities.
Thelivery company is very closely linked with the Leathersellers' Federation of Schools (formerly Prendergast School),[1] now comprisingPrendergast Ladywell School,Prendergast School andPrendergast Vale School, all located within theLondon Borough of Lewisham. Since the mid-seventeenth century the Company has also been closely associated withColfe's School,[2] today an independent co-educational school located atLee, nearLewisham,London. In addition the Company supports and maintains its longstanding connection with the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (now a part of theUniversity of Northampton),[3] successor to the college which the Company founded atBermondsey in 1909 as Leathersellers' Technical College. The Company continues to supporthigher education throughexhibitions (grants) to university students, a practice which began in 1603 when four 'poor scholars', two atOxford and two atCambridge, were awarded five pounds and five shillings eachper annum. Today around 100 students receive exhibitions which enable them to study at various universities.
The Leathersellers' Company is affiliated with the Royal Navy's submarineHMSAudacious, the1st Queen's Dragoon Guards[4] and with230 Squadron RAF.
Like many other City livery companies, the Leathersellers have a long tradition of maintainingalmshouses. The first almshouses run by the Company were built circa 1543-44, close to Leathersellers' Hall, on a site behindSt Ethelburga's Church and housed seven elderly people. In 1837 the Company also built almshouses atBarnet innorth London; these were extended in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1866 it was decided to close the almshouses in the City and remove the residents from there to join those already at Barnet. The Company continues to maintain almshouses at Leathersellers' Close in theLondon Borough of Barnet, home to about 20 residents and managed by Harrison Housing on behalf of the Leathersellers' Barnet Charity.[5]
The Company had six previous halls throughout its history, and is now based at its seventh hall, which was officially opened by theEarl of Wessex in May 2017. Its first hall was onLondon Wall but in 1543 the Company acquired theformer Benedictine convent of St Helen's, offBishopsgate, and the subsequent halls have all been on that site, nowSt Helen's Place. The fifth hall was destroyed in May 1941 during theLondon Blitz. Its sixth hall officially opened in 1960 and was demolished in 2011, though thefaçade of the building has been saved. The new, seventh hall, has been designed byEric ParryRA.[6]
51°30′37″N0°04′52″W / 51.5102°N 0.0812°W /51.5102; -0.0812
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