The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers 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 84th in the order of precedence for the livery companies.

History

The Company was originally formed in 1956 when science and manufacturing were key to the UK economy and the memory of war time defence requirements were still fresh and the UK was a large-scale manufacturer of specialist electronic and mechanical scientific instruments. It is one of the Modern Livery Companies formed since 1926 having been granted its livery status by the City in 1963. It is hoped a

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, bu ...

may be granted in 2019. As with the original Livery Companies it supports the profession and the craft of

scientific instrument A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research. History Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...

making, this is achieved through the exchange of ideas and information between members and guests, and also by its charitable donations supporting those in or retired from the profession. The Company shares Glazier's Hall with two other Companies. The Hall was originally a tea warehouse and is built into the structure of

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

. Along with the Gunmakers it one of only two Livery Halls outside the boundary of the City of London, albeit only a short way outside. The Livery has a long-standing connection with the

Institute of Measurement and Control Founded in 1944 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1975, The Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC) is a professional members institution for individuals and companies that operate within the measurement and control industries. Its aims a ...

, th
Scientific Instrument Society
and a number of other bodies related to measurement. It is also linked to th
Bridge Ward Club
The history of the Company has been documented in two publications created by Past Masters and these can be downloade
here

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms includes two key figures from the area of scientific instrument making,

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the great ...

and

Michael Faraday Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic inducti ...

. The crest is

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

the Roman Goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare. It is featured in a stained glass window in the Company church

St Margaret Lothbury St Margaret Lothbury is a Church of England parish church on Lothbury in the City of London; it spans the boundary between Coleman Street Ward and Broad Street Ward. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of ...

Membership and Governance

Members, although from diverse areas such as nanotechnology, mechanical engineering, genetics and astronomy, industry and academia, must be connected to science or engineering in some way in order to join. The Company has five levels of membership. Younger members (from 16 years old) who are still studying or in training can be Apprentices. This enables them to receive financial and/or mentoring support. The next level of membership is Scholar for those in Higher education researching instrumentation. The next is Freeman, usually someone who is early in their career; then up to Liveryman who are established in their profession and eligible to serve on the Court and progress to Master. Occasionally Honorary Freemen are admitted as a result of serving the Company or profession in some significant way.

References

External links

The Scientific Instrument Makers' Company website
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Scientific Instrument Makers Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

1956 establishments in England