The history of The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths from 1421 to the present

The Blacksmiths’ Company was originally known as “The Fraternity of St Loie”. The earliest references are to be found in historical records which are not our property and, on behalf of the Company, have never been systematically or industriously explored. Guilds or Associations of Workmen combined for a lawful purpose have always existed, but the origin of the Guilds of the City of London is obscure.

The earliest written manuscript in the possession of the Blacksmiths’ Company bears the date 1421 and consists of an inventory of all the furniture and appointments of the Hall; and this is followed by accounts of receipts and expenditure which continue for several years. The Company had been granted a lease (1494-1495) and as a result considerable repairs and improvements were carried out. That Hall was then an old building and it is noticeable that much of the furniture and appointments had been in the possession of the Company for some time. However, it is not possible to determine whether the Company occupied the Hall before the granting of the lease.

The written records are wonderfully well preserved; there is a vast mass of material and, with the exception of a few gaps, the records are continuous from the end of the Fifteenth Century to the present day. They consist of Minutes, Accounts, Inventories and Records of the Binding of Apprentices. An enormous number of names are inscribed and, in the case of the Apprentices, the names of the boys’ fathers and of the towns or the villages of their origin. It is interesting to note that very few of these boys were born in the City of London.

At the close of the Fifteenth Century the Blacksmiths’ Company was to a large extent a religious body; its members were described as “Brethren” and their wives as “Sisters”. Religion was the ruling purpose of the Craft, and Secular Government was a less prominent feature than it appears in later times. The obsequies of the dead and departed members were faithfully observed and absence from Mass of Requiem resulted in the penalty of a fine, unless a reasonable excuse was forthcoming. Every year on St Andrew’s Day, a solemn “Dirge” was sung of the souls of deceased members. All attended and afterwards a feast was held in the Hall where beer and spiced delicacies of a peculiar character associated with funerals were provided.

The funds of the Company were kept in a Common Chest which was placed in the care of the Wardens – three in number – and only opened in the presence of an assembled body of the members. This chest or a similar, later one is still in the possession of the Company. At that time, the Company had little money and its material possessions were not valuable but there is evidence to show that the Brethren and Sisters were worthy and honourable citizens.

The titles born by the City Guilds in the Middle Ages are often misleading to us because they did not always convey the same association of ideas as belong to such titles at the present day. Crafts differing widely in character were often grouped under the authority of a single Guild; the classification of trades was always a source of contention.

In the Thirteenth Century the Blacksmiths’ Company was also the Tooth-Drawers, and in 1571 the Spurriers were incorporated; the Company being described on the Charter as of “The Art and Mystery de lez Blacksmiths-Spurriers, London”. Clockmakers and Gunsmiths were also Blacksmiths. There was incessant strife with Armourers, Farriers and others, as to branches of the ironworkers’ trade which it was difficult to classify. Ill-will between the Blacksmiths and the Clockmakers was maintained for at least 150 years, although the two Companies are now the best of friends. It was necessary before an apprentice could be admitted to “Freedom” that he should produce a “Proof-Piece” for the inspection of the Wardens and as a mark of his efficiency. Among the articles mentioned in the Records are Guns, Pistols, Daggers, Spurs, Smoothing-Irons and Vices. These were all produced by the Apprentices; makers of all kinds of tools, also Nails, Needles and Salt-Pans were Blacksmiths. The Anchorsmiths of the Royal Dockyard of Deptford were members of the Company.

The records of the reign of King Henry VIII are rather disconnected and on the whole are not so well inscribed as most of the others. Under the autocratic rule of this King, the Company made no progress and was undoubtedly affected by the incidents belonging to the reign which were not favourable to trade prosperity. The Dissolution of the Monasteries completely altered the appearance of the City of London and the disturbance of the religious life of the people is reflected in our records. In view of the great changes that occurred, some account of Blacksmith’s Hall and its surroundings prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries should prove of interest.

Lambeth Hill, or Lambart Hill, as it was originally named, according to Stow, “of one Lambert, “owner thereof” was in Queenhithe Ward. The Salvation Army Headquarters now covers the site of Blacksmiths’ Hall, which was on the west side of the hill. The Hall was not far from the church of St Mary Somerset, destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and rebuilt, of which Wren’s tower is still standing. The Hall was somewhat nearer to the small church of St Mary Monthaw; but the parish church of the Blacksmiths was St Mary Magdalene, Old Fish Street, destroyed in the Great Fire, rebuilt by Wren (1685) and again burnt in 1886. The parish is now united to St Martin, Ludgate.

Other buildings in the vicinity were the great Priory of the Dominicans or Black Friars, which was on Puddle Dock Hill, (now St Andrew’s Hill) from the top of which the beautiful Gothic spire of Old St Paul’s rose more than five hundred feet from the surrounding buildings. Baynard’s Castle was not far from the Hall and near the river. The Steelyard on the site of Cannon Street railway station was a short distance to the east.

The reign of Edward VI could not have been a happy time for the respectable citizens of London for there was much rioting and universal destruction of historic monuments and works of art. Insurrections in various parts of the country produced insecurity. Reformers had not yet developed their new teaching to replace the moral discipline of the old religion so this led to much licence and dissipation. Unfortunately, this is reflected in the Company’s accounts which show adverse balances, largely due to extravagant expenditure on eating and drinking.

Throughout the reigns of Edward VI and Mary, the Company was poorer than at any other time in its history but the early years of the reign of Elizabeth showed a decided improvement. Under the Tudor sovereigns, the City Companies were called upon to spend large sums of money on arming and equipping soldiers and also for the provision of ships of war. These payments are an arresting feature of our accounts and occasionally information is given as to the particular purpose for which these troops or ships were required.

Unfortunately, the widest gap in our history occurs in the reign of Elizabeth. Under this great queen, the Nation made astonishing progress; although we have no written records of events during this interesting period, we have convincing proof that the Blacksmiths’ Company advanced in wealth and influence to a remarkable extent.

The Company was prosperous for the first half of the Seventeenth Century. At this time, National disturbances did not affect the lives of the citizens of London as they do today. Passing events and circumstances, which would provoke intense alarm and distress among the people of the Twentieth Century, were not considered worthy of more than passing comment. When James I came to the throne there was a severe outbreak of Plague in the City and arrangements for his coronation had to be modified in view of the risks of infection. Four Wardens of the Blacksmiths’ Company and their clerk died in the space of four years, but apart from entries recording the fact that their places were filled, there is nothing at all to indicate that anything very unpleasant had occurred. Neither did these visitations place any undue pressure upon their finances; much money was given to the cause of charity, but the yearly average never varied to any considerable extent.

At the time of the accession of Charles I there was an even worse outbreak of Plague; but it is not until later, when the Civil War was in progress, that marked signs of distress are noticeable in the accounts. Entries in the Minutes and Accounts show that the craftsmen of London suffered acutely from lack of trade and many concessions were asked of the Wardens which were, as a general rule, freely granted. Under the Protectorate, the life of the Company continued as usual; the Court and Livery joined in the Civic reception of the Lord Protector when he rode through the streets of the City to dine with the Lord Mayor at Grocers’ Hall. There are no hints of any strong political or religious leanings; the Blacksmiths’ Company was always law-abiding and obeyed the commands of the Lord Mayor. At the time of The Restoration, an occasion of great rejoicing, the Wardens and Court of Assistants displayed their loyalty in no uncertain fashion and spent lavishly to welcome the new King.

References to the Plague of 1665 appear in the accounts, but they are brief and the Company does not appear to have suffered very seriously; the four Wardens, the Clerk and the Beadle all survived, although the Porter was stricken and sent to one of the Pest Houses. Applications for relief from the Poor Box were normal and there is no reference to heavy mortality among the Assistants and Livery. However, the Great Fire of 1666 was disastrous to the Company, for not only did it destroy the Hall but also all the leasehold property as well; the Company never recovered its former prosperity and continued heavily in debt for many years.

The short reign of James II was remarkable for the dismissal of Wardens, Assistants and Liverymen as a result of the “Quo Warranto” filed in the Kings’ Bench against the Corporation of London. In obedience to the orders of the Privy Council, the Lord Mayor dismissed all members from office who belonged to the Established Church and were deemed unfavourable to the King’s policy. These were troubled times and the Blacksmiths were still suffering from the results of heavy expenses incurred by the building of the new Hall, which seemed to have been on a more extravagant scale than was justified.

They were still heavily in debt during the reigns of William and Mary, and William III; when Anne came to the throne they were involved in Lawsuits and were so hard pressed that they were forced to appeal to the Lord Mayor for exemption from erecting their stands and banners to greet the Queen when she attended the thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral after the Battle of Blenheim.

The early years of the Eighteenth Century showed a slight improvement. Already there were signs of change: the Mediaeval conditions, under which the Company had formerly operated and which the provisions of the Charters were designed to meet, were giving way to conditions approaching those with which we are familiar today. The population of the City was still fed from the country districts and the death rate in the City was still abnormally high. London was expanding and the population was increasing; there was general improvement and the craftsmen became more impatient of the old conditions and strove for a wider measure of freedom. Signs of this movement are discoverable in our records and as time went on it was found that the enforcement of restrictions upon strangers could no longer be maintained.

About the year 1781, it was realised that social conditions had undergone a change and that the City was on the eve of still greater changes. A Century earlier, the City was giving us wholehearted support in an Act of Common Council dated 9th June 1658 whereby all persons carrying on the trade of a Blacksmith or Spurrier were compelled to be free of the Company. One final effort was made: legal opinion was sought from three learned Counsel who agreed in advising the Company that Parliament would entertain no proposals nor confirm any ancient statutes which in their application would force restrictions upon trade. Smiths from all parts of the country had settled within the liberties and refused to pay Quarterage or conform to the rules or by-laws of the Company. Consequently, it was decided that as the headquarters of the governing body of a trade, Blacksmiths’ Hall was of no further use and that the expenses of its upkeep for social and charitable purposes was no longer warranted. The lease with the City Corporation terminated at Michaelmas, 1785, and was not renewed. The plate was sold and the sum realised was invested for the institution of pensions.

Since that date the Wardens and Court of Assistants have existed as trustees to administer the funds of the Society. Ancient customs and traditions have always been respected and the honour and prestige won by past generations have always been maintained. In recent years a new movement has arisen – the Company’s activities have increased and are again being directed towards the advancement and improvement of the various branches of the trade which the Company represented in the past. We are not rich in material possessions, but the honour and esteem which belong to all ancient institutions that have weathered the storms of time and given their service to the general community are the most valuable heritage of the Blacksmiths’ Company.

Recent experience has shown that the prizes, medals and diplomas which we offer for workmanship of the very highest standard have been accorded a degree of esteem and appreciation which any modern institution might envy. It is felt that in the course of time, the Company may be enabled to resume some of its ancient activities, of necessity in an attenuated form, and adjusted to conform with modern conditions and its present resources.

High principles have always been the leading purpose of the City Livery Companies and education has been in the forefront of their activities. Recognition of the past is valuable in that it provides experience for the future and although this is a City Company, the encouragement of the craft in more remote places is the aim of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths.