Often known as “Worshipful Companies”, livery companies were historic, trade-based associations operating within the City of London. They originated from medieval guilds which began appearing from the 12th century onwards.

These associations were originally set up to regulate the trades within the City but by the 14th century, they were becoming more structured and politically important.

By the late 14th and 15th centuries the guilds had evolved into livery companies. The name came about from the distinctive clothing, or livery, worn by senior members of each guild. These ‘elites’ formed a “livery” initially as a governing body within the guild. They would wear formal robes on ceremonial occasions and gained the right to vote in civic elections, including the election of the Lord Mayor of London.

Livery companies didn’t emerge at a single moment but rather developed gradually over several centuries. They reached the height of their influence by the late 1500s and early 1600s. By this time, they had evolved into powerful civic institutions, which were:

• central to the governance of London
• responsible for the training of apprentices
• key players in trade and finance
• important in charity, education and social welfare
• often had a religious as well as economic role

Being a member of one of these companies gave merchants:

• a legal right to trade
• a political voice in the City
• access to powerful commercial networks

In essence, they were the pillars of London’s political, economic, and social order, shaping the lives and careers of families

The Great Twelve

At the time of the series in the 1640s, there were approximately sixty to eighty livery companies with approximately ten to twenty newer or smaller companies. Only the Great Twelve dominated City politics, however. This meant that in practical governance terms, London was ruled by a relatively small elite within the larger guild system.

The “Great Twelve” Livery Companies were not just trade bodies, they were the backbone of power, wealth, and identity in the City of London. Their order of precedence mattered deeply and reflected centuries of rivalry, royal favour, and economic influence.

By the 17th century, the hierarchy of the Great Twelve had become a fixed social and political order, symbolising far more than trade specialisation. To belong to one of these companies, especially the higher-ranked, was to participate in the governance of the City itself.

At the top stood the great mercantile bodies; below them, still prestigious but slightly less dominant, were companies rooted more firmly in particular trades. Yet even the lowest of the Twelve remained elite institutions.

1. Worshipful Company of Mercers

The Mercers stood unequivocally at the summit.

Originally dealers in fine textiles such as silks and velvets, by the 17th century they had evolved into international merchants and financiers. Their wealth, royal connections, and deep involvement in overseas trade made them the most powerful company in London.

Membership signified entry into the highest tier of urban elite society, and Mercers frequently rose to the Lord Mayoralty and national political influence.

2. Worshipful Company of Grocers

The Grocers who had started as dealers in spices and imported goods, became central to the expanding global economy.

Their trade connected London to:

• the Mediterranean
• the Levant
• eventually the East Indies

They were heavily involved in joint-stock ventures, and many members were leading investors in overseas companies. Their position reflects London’s transformation into a global trading hub.

3. Worshipful Company of Drapers

The Drapers dominated the cloth trade, England’s most important industry.

They were closely tied to:

• the export of woollen cloth
• the economic lifeblood of the kingdom

By the 17th century, many Drapers were merchant capitalists rather than cloth dealers, and their wealth rivalled that of the Mercers.

4. Worshipful Company of Fishmongers

An ancient and powerful company, the Fishmongers controlled:

• the vital supply of fish to London
• river and coastal trade

Their importance was both economic and regulatory, as fish was a staple food (especially in a still partly observant religious culture). They retained high status through tradition and control of essential provisioning.

5. Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths

The Goldsmiths combined craftsmanship with finance.

They were:

• makers of precious objects
• early bankers and money handlers

By the 17th century, many goldsmiths were effectively proto-bankers, safeguarding deposits and extending credit. Their role placed them at the heart of London’s emerging financial system.

6. Worshipful Company of Skinners

The Skinners traded in furs a luxury commodity tied to:

• northern European and Russian trade
• aristocratic consumption

They shared a long-standing rivalry with the Merchant Taylors, which resulted in alternating precedence from the late 1400s (see below for more details). By the 1600s, their position was secure but slightly less dominant than the top five.

7. Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors

Alternating with the ‘Skinners’ for position six in the hierarchy, the Merchant Taylors were once central to the clothing trade but by the 17^th century had evolved into a broad mercantile body.

By this time many members were:

• merchants
• investors
• civic leaders

Their importance lay less in tailoring itself and more in their networks and political presence within the City.

8. Worshipful Company of Haberdashers

Originally dealing in small goods like ribbons and accessories, the Haberdashers became:

• significant merchants
• active participants in overseas trade

They were particularly prominent in colonial ventures, including involvement in early English expansion abroad.

9. Worshipful Company of Salters

The Salters had evolved far beyond the salt trade.

By the 17th century, their members included:

• chemical traders
• apothecaries
• dye specialists
• sugar bakers

Their lower ranking did not imply poverty; rather, it reflected their later rise and more specialised economic base. A successful Salter could still be extremely wealthy and influential within the City.

10. Worshipful Company of Ironmongers

The Ironmongers dealt in iron goods and materials essential for:

• construction
• tools
• weapons

Their trade was crucial to infrastructure and industry, though less associated with elite luxury or global commerce than higher-ranked companies.

11. Worshipful Company of Vintners

The Vintners controlled the wine trade, with strong links to:

• France
• Iberia

Despite the profitability of wine, their rank reflects the specialised and somewhat regulated nature of their trade rather than broad mercantile dominance.

12. Worshipful Company of Clothworkers

The Clothworkers were involved in the finishing stages of cloth production (fulling and shearing).

Though essential to the cloth industry, they ranked lowest among the Twelve because:

• their work was more industrial and process-based
• they were less directly involved in high-level trade and export

In Summary

The order of the Great Twelve reflects a deeper truth about 17th-century London:

• Top companies (1–3) reflected international merchants and financial power
• The middle tier companies (4–8) reflected the wealthy, influential, but more trade-rooted companies
• The lower companies (9–12) were involved with specialised trades. They were still elite but less dominant politically

Fun Fact:

The long-standing dispute between the Worshipful Company of Skinners and the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors centred on a deceptively simple question: which company ranked sixth, and which seventh?

In a society where precedence governed everything from processions and seating to civic dignity and political influence, this was no trivial matter. Rank was identity.

Both companies had strong claims to the sixth ‘spot’ and by the late 15th century, tensions had escalated into open conflict. Reported incidents included:

• physical altercations during civic processions
• disputes over positioning in ceremonial events

The issue was not merely symbolic—it reflected competition for status, influence, and prestige within the City hierarchy.

The dispute was finally settled by the Crown in 1484 during the reign of King Richard III.

Rather than awarding permanent precedence to one side, it was decreed that the two companies would alternate their precedence each year.

From that point onward:

• In one year, the Skinners would rank 6th, and the Merchant Taylors 7th
• The following year, they would swap positions

This arrangement became known as being “at sixes and sevens”, a phrase that survives in English to this day, to mean confusion or disorder.