The Worshipful Company of Skinners (also known as the Skinners' Company) is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies 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 ...

. Originally formed as an association of those engaged in the trade of skins and furs, the Company was granted a Royal Charter in 1327. The Company's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

is ''To God Only Be All Glory''. The Master Skinner for 2024/25 is the Earl of Woolton and, since 2015, Major-General Andrew Kennett serves as

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

to the Skinners' Company.

History

Under an order issued by the

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 ...

on 10 April 1484 (known as the Billesdon Award), the Company ranks in sixth or seventh place (making it one of the "Great Twelve City Livery Companies") in the order of precedence of City Livery Companies, alternating annually with the

Merchant Taylors' Company The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prior to 1300, first in ...

; these livery companies have borrowed

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...

's phrase "

at sixes and sevens "At sixes and sevens" is an English idiom used to describe a condition of confusion or disarray. Origin and early history It is not known for certain, but the most likely origin of the phrase is the dice game "hazard", a more complicated versio ...

" to describe their rivalry over precedence – specifically which company was entitled to be 6th in order of seniority – being a source of trouble between the Skinners and the Merchant Taylors for some time during the 15th, and perhaps even 14th centuries. Both companies received their first Royal Charters in 1327, but the dispute erupted into lethal violence at the 1484 Lord Mayor's river procession, an occasion which the two guilds treated as their own private boat race. After justice was administered to some of the offenders the then-Lord Mayor,

Haberdasher __NOTOC__ In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a men's clothing st ...

Sir Robert Billesdon, mediated between the two companies at the request of their Masters, and he resolved that each company should have precedence over the other in alternate years and that each company's Master and Wardens should be invited to dine at the other's Hall every year. The Skinners are normally sixth 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 ...

in even numbered years, and at seven in odd numbered years, but as the

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 ...

( Sir David Brewer) for 2005/06 was a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company they kept precedence. The Merchant Taylors retained precedence in 2006/07, their regular turn.

Education

In the present day the Skinners' Company is primarily an

educational Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education also fol ...

and

charitable institution A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

, supporting the following schools: *

Tonbridge School Tonbridge School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for boys aged 13–18) in Tonbridge, Kent, England, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the Eton Group and has clo ...

and

The Judd School The Judd School (often known simply as Judd) is an 11–18 voluntary aided, grammar school and sixth form in Tonbridge, Kent, England. It was established in 1888 at Stafford House on East Street in Tonbridge, where it remained for eight years bef ...

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

; *

The Skinners' School The Skinners' School (formally The Skinners' Company's Middle School for Boys and commonly known as Skinners'), is a British Grammar School with Academy (English school), academy status for boys located in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent ...

, Skinners' Kent Primary School and

The Skinners' Kent Academy The Skinners' Kent Academy (formerly Sandown Court then later Tunbridge Wells High School) is a mixed secondary school with academy status in Royal Tunbridge Wells, England. Tunbridge Wells High School became The Skinners' Kent Academy in Sep ...

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sand ...

; *

Skinners' Academy Skinners' Academy (formerly The Skinners' Company's School for Girls) is a school in the Manor House, London, Manor House (Woodberry Down) area for boys and girls aged 11–19. The academy opened in 2010 and is supported by the Worshipful Compa ...

, Hackney; *

The Marsh Academy The Marsh Academy, formerly Southlands Community Comprehensive School,Romney Marsh Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about . The Marsh has been in use for centuries, though its inhabitants commonly suffered from malaria until the ...

; *

The New Beacon The New Beacon Preparatory School is an independent all-boys Preparatory school (UK), preparatory school, located at Sevenoaks in the English county of Kent. It admits both day students and boarding school, boarders aged between 4 and 13. The sc ...

Preparatory School,

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...

.www.newbeacon.org.uk
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References

Notes

External links

The Skinners' Company
{{coord, 51.51111, -0.09119, display=title 1327 establishments in England Educational charities based in the United Kingdom Charities based in London Educational organisations based in London Fur trade Skinners Trading companies established in the 14th century

History

Education

See also

References

Notes

External links