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| Motto | Unto God Only be Honour and Glory |
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| Location | Drapers' Hall, Throgmorton Avenue,London EC2 |
| Date of formation | 1361; 664 years ago (1361) |
| Order of precedence | 3rd |
| Master of company | Morag Shiach |
| Website | www |
TheWorshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 111livery companies of theCity of London. It has the formal nameThe Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of theBlessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London. More usually known simply as theDrapers' Company, it is one of the historicGreat Twelve Livery Companies and was founded during theMiddle Ages.[1]
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An informal association ofdrapers had organized as early as 1180, and the first(Lord) Mayor of London in 1189,Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone, was believed to have been a Draper. The guild was formally founded in 1361; it received aRoyal Charter three years later. It wasincorporated as acompany under a Royal Charter in 1438 and was the first corporate body to be granted acoat of arms.[2] The charter gave the company 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 that granted byJames I in 1607, amended by four supplemental charters, most recently in 2008.
The brotherhood of drapers, a religious fraternity attached to theChurch ofSt Mary Bethlehem inBishopsgate, was founded in honour of the Virgin Mary by "good people Drapers of Cornhill and other good men and women" for the amendment of their lives.[3] The majority of drapers lived in and aroundCornhill, Candlewick Street (nowCannon Street) and Chepe (Cheapside). Possibly it was for this reason that their allegiance was transferred toSt Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside and later toSt Michael, Cornhill, where the company continues to worship today. Despite these changes, the drapers retain theBlessed Virgin Mary as their patron saint.
Originally, the organisation was a trade association ofwool andclothmerchants. It has been one of the most powerful companies in London civic politics. Over one hundredLord Mayors have been members of the company; the first, Henry Fitz-Ailwyn, progenitor of theEarls of Arundel, was a draper. During thePlantation of Ulster, the company held land aroundMoneymore andDraperstown inCounty Londonderry.
Amongst the royalty who have been members of the company, three had not been expected to become amonarch at the time of their admission to the company but were later crowned:
Other well-known members have includedPrince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (aka The Grand Old Duke of York),Sir Francis Drake,Admiral the Viscount Nelson,The Marquess of Ripon andGrinling Gibbons.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (who was elected to the Court of Assistants in 2017, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of her membership of the Company),King Harald V of Norway,King Charles III,The Duchess of Gloucester,Admiral the Lord Boyce, andLady Victoria Leatham (elected as the first female Master of the Company in 2012) are among the many distinguished recent members of the company.
Professor Morag Shiach serves as Master Draper for 2024–25.[4]
Today, the company operates as a charitable, ceremonial and educational institution. This has included providing the site and some of the buildings ofQueen Mary University of London, the library atBangor University, theRadcliffe Science Library andTownsend Building in Oxford, the Science Library atCardiff University, and the site and the original nineteenth-century buildings ofBancroft's School. It also administers threealmshouses: Queen Elizabeth CollegeGreenwich, Edmanson's CloseTottenham and Walter's CloseSouthwark. It provides the chairman and four other governors of Bancroft's School, who display the Drapers'coat of arms andmotto. It is the co-sponsor ofDrapers' Academy inHarold Hill, which uses a similar logo.
It has maintained long-standing close ties withKirkham Grammar School near Preston, Lancashire, founded inTudor times.
The Company founded two girls' schools: inLlandaff andDenbigh,Wales, using the endowment of Welsh merchantThomas Howell, who bequeathed a sum of money to the foundation.[5] Both schools were independent and separate institutions but the Company still has a representative in the governing body of the former. The company also has close links with some eighteen other educational establishments, ranging fromOxbridgecolleges to a primary school. It administers charitable trusts relating to relief of need, education and almshouses; it provides banqueting and catering services; and it fosters its heritage and traditions of good fellowship. TheCourt of Assistants is its governing body.[6]
The Drapers' Company continues to play a role in the life of theCity. Itsliverymen carry out important functions in the elections of the governance of the City and its civic offices.
The Drapers' Company is based at Drapers' Hall located inThrogmorton Street, nearLondon Wall. The company has owned the site since 1543, when it purchased the London mansion ofThomas Cromwell, ofAustin Friars, fromKingHenry VIII. Cromwell had beenattainted and executed in 1540.
The building was destroyed in theGreat Fire of London and rebuilt to designs by Edward Jarman. After another fire in 1772, it was rebuilt again. This time the architect was John Gorham. Further extensive alterations were made in the 19th century. The Hall survivedthe Blitz during theSecond World War.
The Hall includes four finely decorated main rooms used for the company's functions. The largest room is the Livery Hall, which can accommodate up to 276 guests for dinner.[7] These rooms are also available for hire[8] and have often been used for film locations, including forThe King's Speech,GoldenEye,The Lost Prince andAgent Cody Banks 2: Destination London.[9][10] Groups may book a guided tour of Drapers' Hall; a donation to the company's charitable work is requested. The main rooms in the Hall are usually also open once a year as part ofOpen House London.[11]
The company's archives, works of art, silver and artefacts are in the care of itsarchivist. Thedocumentcollection has items dating to the 13th century, including charters and coats of arms, charity records and records of the company's landholdings, including the Londonderry estates. The silver collection includes an ancient Celtic decorative collar found on the Londonderry estate and pieces of the company's own silverware from the 16th century onwards. There is also a collection of paintings, mostly of former members. Researchers may view its collections by appointment.
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