Worshipful Company of Brewers

Last updated

Brewers' Company
Brewers' Hall, City of London.jpg
The present Brewers' Hall in London
MottoIn God Is All Our Trust
LocationBrewers' Hall,
Aldermanbury Square,
London EC2
Date of formation1438;587 years ago (1438)
Company association Brewing
Order of precedence14th [1]
Master of companyJames Staughton OBE DL
Website www.brewershall.co.uk

The Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of the ancient livery companies of the City of London.

Contents

History

Coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Brewers Arms of the Worshipful Company of Brewers.svg
Coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Brewers

At the end of the 12th Century there was a Guild of Our Lady and St. Thomas Becket linked to brewers. [1] The first written of London brewers was in the City Letter Books in 1292 [1] the Guild of Brewers can trace their organisation to a religious guild founded in 1342 based in All Hallows-on-the-Wall. [2] Its first royal charter was granted by Henry VI in 1438. [1] In 1643, Parliament imposed excise taxes on beer, ale, and malt, steadily increasing them until gin became cheaper, causing the growth of unlicensed breweries and, in 1685, James II extended the Company's jurisdiction to eight miles around London and its suburbs.

In 1739 it adopted new by-laws, which included the requirement for its liverymen to "enter into a bond [...] with the Company against any expenses of their being elected to the office of Sheriff or Lord Mayor", [3] but as the population of London spread outwards from the City, the Company's industry influence continued to decline.

Current Activities

Trustees of the Dame Alice Owen Foundation, which supports Dame Alice Owen's School, [4] the Brewers' Company ranks 14th in the order of precedence of City Livery Companies. Its motto is In God Is All Our Trust.

Former Brewers' Hall, destroyed in 1940 Brewers'Hall.jpg
Former Brewers' Hall, destroyed in 1940

The Company's first hall was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, [5] and its second was bombed during the Blitz in 1940. Rebuilt in 1960, the present Brewers' Hall is located at Aldermanbury Square in the City of London, being the Company's HQ as well as available on a private hire basis for events. [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "History of the Company". Brewers’ Company. The Worshipful Company of Brewers. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  2. ↑ Barron, Caroline M. (1985). "The Parish Fraternities of Medieval London". In Barron, Caroline M.; Harper-Bill, C. (eds.). The Church in pre-Reformation society: essays in honour of F. R. H. Du Boulay. Woodbridge, Suffolk; Dover, New Hampshire, USA: Boydell Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN   9780851154213 . Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  3. ↑ "Documentary History of the U.S. Brewers' Association with a Sketch of Ancient Brewers' Gilds: Modern Brewers' Associations, Scientific Stations and Schools, Publications, Laws and Statistics Relating to Brewing Throughout the World..." U.S. Brewers' Association. 4 December 1896. p. 24. Retrieved 4 December 2018– via Google Books.
  4. ↑ www.damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk
  5. ↑ "History of the Hall - Brewers Hall". Brewershall.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "Brewers' Hall London Venue Hire City Of London | eve". Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.

51°31′02″N00°05′33″W / 51.51722°N 0.09250°W / 51.51722; -0.09250

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.