The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 111

livery companies A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...

of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, being an incorporated

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

of sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks fourth in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

of City Livery Companies, thereby making it one of the

Great Twelve City Livery Companies A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the "Wors ...

History

The Company records an unbroken existence for 750 years, forming as City fishmongers began to collaborate for mutual benefit, developing into a guild which managed London's fish trade according to their defined set of rules and regulation. The earliest evidence of such a group dates back to 1154, when a number of London fishmongers were fined for trading without Royal Warrant with the Company receiving its first Royal Charter from Edward I in 1272. The Company's regulation of the fish trade were formalised by the 1272 Royal Charter which "secured approval of their ordinances" and was further reinforced by the 1383 Charter from King Edward III which stipulated that "anyone wishing to sell fish were required to lodge with a Fishmonger during their stay in the City". Although

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

 John Comberton de Northampton (a Draper) persuaded the  City Common Council to declare that the Fishmongers should no longer have the power to monopolise trade in fish, and this was reaffirmed by Parliament, a Royal Charter granted by Richard II in 1399 restored all privileges. The same Charter states they should elect six Wardens annually, the number which continues to the present day. The most famous City fishmonger is Sir William Walworth who, as

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

in 1381, helped bring the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

to an end by stabbing the rebel

Wat Tyler Wat Tyler (1341 or – 15 June 1381) was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in Kingdom of England, England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to City of London, London to oppose the collection of a Tax per head, poll tax and to dem ...

at Smithfield in the presence of

King Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

. In the early 17th century, the Company was granted lands at Ballykelly and

Banagher Banagher ( or ) is a town in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located in the midlands, on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. The town had a population of 3,000 at the height of its ...

in modern-day

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, by the Crown. It remained a major landowner there until the 20th century, and the villages contain some of the most interesting buildings erected in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

by the Plantation companies. In 1714, the Irish actor

Thomas Doggett Thomas Doggett (or Dogget; 20 September 1721) was an Irish actor. The birth date of 1640 seems unlikely. A more probable date of 1670 is given in the Encyclopædia Britannica. Biography Born in Dublin, he made his first stage appearance in Lon ...

provided money to endow a boat race called Doggett's Coat and Badge Race in honour of the new king, George I of Hanover. The race was originally to be rowed annually on 1 August on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, by up to six young watermen per boat who were not to be out of their apprenticeship by more than twelve months. The prize for the champion oarsman is a fine red coat embellished with a large silver badge on one arm, depicting the

White Horse of Hanover The Queen's Beasts are ten heraldic statues representing the genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II, depicted as the Royal supporters of England. They stood in front of the temporary western annexe to Westminster Abbey for the Queen's coronation in 1 ...

with the word 'liberty' underneath. Since Doggett's death, the Fishmongers' Company continues to organise this event each year, and it is now believed to be the world's longest continuously-running sporting event as well as being the longest boat race in the world – 4 miles, 5 furlongs (7,400 m).

Functions

The Company is governed by its Prime Warden, five other Wardens and its Court of Assistants, comprising 28 appointed Livery members. The Company comprises about 700 members, including a good representation from the seafood trade, UK fisheries and marine and freshwater conservation. All City liverymen can attend  Common Hall to vote each year in the election of the 

. The Company's Fisheries Charitable Trust maintains its link with its namesake trade, working to "build and safeguard a prosperous and sustainable fishing industry, for the benefit of those engaged in it, the environment and our island nation". Supporting a range of projects across UK fisheries, the Trust works with universities, government and third sector organisations to support, through charitable giving, a sustainable fishing industry, healthy rivers and oceans and thriving coastal communities. The Company's Charitable Trust responds to a range of social issues, focusing on mental health, food and nutrition and education in prisons. It has also long supported the 

City and Guilds of London Art School Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit ...

 and the 

City and Guilds of London Institute The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has be ...

Hall

The Company's

livery hall A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the "Wors ...

in the City of London is known as

Fishmongers' Hall Fishmongers' Hall (sometimes shortened in common parlance to Fish Hall) is a listed building, Grade II* listed building adjacent to London Bridge. It is the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, one of the 111 livery companies of ...

(sometimes shortened in common parlance to Fish Hall); its earliest recorded hall was built in 1310. A new hall, on the present site, was bequeathed to the Company in 1434. Together with 43 other livery halls, this one was 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 Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

in 1666 and a replacement hall designed by the architect Edward Jerman opened in 1671. This hall by Jerman was demolished to facilitate the construction of the new

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

in 1827. The Fishmongers' next hall was designed by Henry Roberts (although his assistant, later the celebrated Sir Gilbert Scott, made the drawings) and built by William Cubitt & Company, opening in 1827. After severe bomb damage during

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

, Fishmongers' Hall was restored by Austen Hall (of Whinney, Son & Austen Hall) and reopened in 1951.

Gresham's School

Since 1555, the Company has acted as the

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a private school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) in Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Baccalaureate schools in England. The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a f ...

Holt, Norfolk Holt is a market town and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town has a population of 3,550, rising and including the ward to 3,810 at the 201 ...

, in accordance with the wishes of Lord Mayor Sir John Gresham (1492–1556), who endowed the school to the Company upon his death. Among other responsibilities, the Company now focuses on providing "life changing" bursaries for students.

List of Prime Wardens

''(Selection)'' *''c.'' 1370: Sir William Walworth *1664/1665: Abraham Johnson *1676/1677: William Allington *1721/1722: Sir John Fryer *1810–1812: Richard ''"Conversation"'' Sharp *1834–1836: Sir Matthew Wood *1863/1864:

William Cubitt Sir William Cubitt FRS (bapt. 9 October 1785 – 13 October 1861) was an English civil engineer and millwright. Born in Norfolk, England, he was employed in many of the great engineering undertakings of his time. He invented a type of windmil ...

(''et al.'' George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe) *1874/1875: Sir William Lawrence *1880/1881: Jethro Hornblower *1883/1884: Sir Thomas Dakin *1887/1888: Sir Andrew Lusk *1888/1889: Sir James Clarke Lawrence *1893/1894:

John Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley John Byrne Leicester Warren, 3rd Baron de Tabley (26 April 1835 – 22 November 1895) was an English poet, numismatist, botanist and an authority on bookplates. Life He was eldest son of George Fleming Leicester (afterwards Warren), Lord de Tabl ...

*1899/1900: Sir Richard Biddulph Martin *1901/1902:

George Frederick Bodley George Frederick Bodley (14 March 182721 October 1907) was an English Gothic Revival architect. He was a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott and worked with C. E. Kempe. He was in partnership with Thomas Garner for much of his career and was ...

*1902/1903: Edward Rawlings *1921/1922: Lothian Demain Nicholson *1925/1926: Lothian Demain Nicholson *1961/1962:

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

*1969/1970: Sir John Carew Pole'CAREW POLE, Col. Sir John (Gawen)', in ''Who Was Who'' (London: A. & C. Black, 1920–2008
online edition
(subscription site) by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, December 2007, accessed 20 April 2012 *1972/1973: David, 5th Earl Cairns *1977/1978:

Kenneth Mackay, 3rd Earl of Inchcape Kenneth James William Mackay, 3rd Earl of Inchcape (27 December 1917 – 17 March 1994), was a businessman and an earl in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He became Earl of Inchcape on 21 June 1939 after the death of his father, Kenneth Mackay ...

*1979/1980: Peter James Scott Lumsden *1980/1981: John Eyre Norton *1989/1990: Robert, 3rd Baron Kindersley *1995/1996:

Alexander McDonnell, 9th Earl of Antrim Alexander Randal Mark McDonnell, 9th Earl of Antrim, (3 February 1935 – 21 July 2021), known as Alexander Dunluce, was a landowner, hereditary peer, artist, and art restorer. He lived mostly at his ancestral home, Glenarm Castle, County Ant ...

*1998/1999: The Hon. Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd *2000/2001:

Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll Merlin Sereld Victor Gilbert Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll (born 20 April 1948), is a crossbench member of the House of Lords, chief of the Scottish clan Hay, and hereditary Lord High Constable of Scotland. Early life and education Lord Erroll, ...

*2001/2002: Sir Thomas Stockdale *2017/2018:

Princess Anne, The Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

*2019/2020: David Jones *2020/2022: Sir Alan Yarrow *2022/2023: Charles Spicer *2023/2024: Andrew Sutcliffe

Guild Church

St Magnus the Martyr St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge, is a Church of England church (building), church and parish within the City of London. The church, which is located in Thames Street (London), Lower Thames Street near Monument to the Great Fire of London, Th ...

Arms

Sources

External links

*
Fishmongers' Hall and Fish Street Hill at www.british-history.ac.uk

Gresham's School
Official site {{authority control 1272 establishments in England 1537 establishments in England Fishmongers Companies of medieval England Charities based in London Corporatism Worshipful Prime Wardens of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers Great Twelve City Livery Companies