The Worshipful Company of Pewterers is one of the 110 Livery Companies of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. It ranks 16th in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

of City Livery Companies and has existed since at least 1348. Like all the other City Livery Companies, the Worshipful Company of Pewterers has four main pillars of activity: Charitable endeavour, assistance to education, support for its trade and profession, and being a convivial and caring social community. The Company has been based at Pewterers' Hall, Oat Lane, near

London Wall The London Wall was a defensive wall first built by the Romans around the strategically important port town of Londinium in AD 200, and is now the name of a modern street in the City of London. It has origins as an initial mound wall and di ...

, since 1961. It is its third livery hall, the first having been destroyed in the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...

and the second, also by fire, in 1840.

Support for the pewter trade, profession and education

As a Livery Company, a cornerstone of the Pewterers' activity is to support its trade and professions, and inspire young craftspeople and those in education working with pewter. It annually runs Pewter Live, a three-day crafts exhibition, competition for craftspeople and those working with pewter, and shop selling pewter ware by leading manufacturers and craftsmen.

Pewter Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades of ...

is still a thriving UK industry, though smaller than the major industry it once was in centuries past.

Charity

One of the original purposes of The Worshipful Company of Pewterers was for mutual help and charitable work; today the Company awards educational grants and supports a range of charitable causes through two Charitable Trusts: The 500th Anniversary Trust and The Seahorse Trust. The Company's two Charities currently give, in aggregate, some £200,000 in grants each year. All the grants are made within the UK and to UK registered charities. The Worshipful Company of Pewterers 500th Anniversary Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales: 267420. The Pewterers Seahorse Charitable Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales: 261889.

Coat of arms

The earliest record of heraldic arms in use by the Pewterers' Company is dated 1451. These first arms depict a representation of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

, recalling the Company's origin as a fraternity in honour of the Virgin Mary. The Pewterers, like other Livery Companies, found it politic to eliminate religious symbolism during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

; thus, in 1533, new arms were granted, followed forty years later by its crest and supporters. The Company's present

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

are

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

ed: ''Arms'': Azure on a Chevron Or between three

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

Limbeck Limbeck is an American rock band that formed in Laguna Niguel, California in 1999. The group featured Robb MacLean on lead vocals and guitar, Patrick Carrie guitar and backing vocals, Justin Entsminger on bass, and Jon Phillip, who replaced Matth ...

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

as many Roses

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

. ''

Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

'': A Mount Vert thereon two Arms embowed Proper vested Argent cuffed Gules holding in both Hands erect a Dish of the Third. ''

Supporter In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coro ...

s'': Two Seahorses Or their Tails Proper.

References

External links

* Pewterers 14th-century establishments in England Corporatism Pewterers Charities based in London History of the City of London {{London-stub