The Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights is one of the
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 ...
, England.
An organisation of Wheelwrights and
Coachmakers petitioned for incorporation in 1630. The petition was granted forty years later, in 1670, when 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, but ...
was granted to the Wheelwrights. (The Coachmakers were separately incorporated in 1677.) The Wheelwrights' Company was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1763. Over the years, wheel making has largely changed from being hand-made by craftsmen to being made by machines. Whilst there are a number of working wheelwrights still practising the ancient craft, which the company actively supports through its apprenticeship scheme, the company is no longer a trade association for wheelwrights. Instead, it functions largely as a charitable body focusing on mobility.
The Wheelwrights' Company ranks sixty-eighth 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 ...
for Livery Companies. Its motto is ''God Grant Unity''.
See also
*
Wheelwright
A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...
s
Further reading
* Bennett, Eric. ''The Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights of the City of London 1670-1970'' (David & Charles, 1970)
* Birch, Clive. ''Wheels and Wheelwrights'' (Hawkes, 2022)
* Scott, James Benjamin. ''A Short Account of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights'' (1884; revised 1961)
External links
The Wheelwrights' Company
{{authority control
Wheelwrights
1670 establishments in England
Wheel manufacturers
Charities based in London