The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers is one of the 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 f ...

. The Pattenmakers, who were incorporated by

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

in 1670, were makers of wooden-soled overshoes.

Pattens Pattens are protective overshoes that were worn in Europe from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century. Pattens were worn outdoors over a normal shoe, had a wooden or later wood and metal sole, and were held in place by leather or cloth ba ...

in previous times were helpful to pedestrians negotiating the muddy streets of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. However, with the advent of paved streets and

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...

galoshes Galoshes, also known as dickersons, gumshoes, rubbers, or overshoes, are a type of rubber boot that is slipped over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet. In the United States, the word ''galoshes'' may be used interchangeably with boo ...

, pattens became obsolete by the end of the 19th century. Thus, the company's main function is now as a charitable body rather than a

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

or trade association for pattenmakers. The Pattenmakers' Company ranks seventieth in the order of precedence of City Livery Companies. Its motto is ''Recipiunt Fœminæ Sustentacula Nobis'',

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Women Receive Support From Us". Since the 15th century, the Pattenmakers have been affiliated with

St Margaret Pattens St Margaret Pattens is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on Eastcheap near the Monument. The dedication is to St. Margaret of Antioch. History The church was first recorded in 1067, at which time the church was probably ...

, a Wren church located in Eastcheap.

References

External links

The Pattenmakers' Company
{{authority control Pattenmakers 1670 establishments in England Shoemakers