Happy birthday Brewers!

22 February 2022 is the 584th birthday of the Brewers’ Company. But why this date? In this article, our Archivist tells us about our first charter, granted on 22 February 1438, explains what a charter is and why they are so important.

Charter - the word comes from the Latin charta, meaning a leaf of papyrus. In the past, being granted a royal charter was the only way of incorporating a body – in other words turning a collection of individuals into a single legal entity – but nowadays you can become a registered company, for example.

Being such important documents, charters were written on parchment, often with fine calligraphy and decoration, although the more elaborate this was, the more expensive the charter would have been to procure, as we will see. The monarch doesn’t even have to sign them – instead they are sealed with the Great Seal of the Realm, as can be seen in the image above, hanging from cords sewn into the parchment.

The British monarchy has issued over 900 charters since the 13th century (there is an official list, maintained by the Privy Council Office) with, apparently, some 750 still in existence. They follow a standard formula, unchanged through the centuries:

• written in the first person using the royal ‘We’ throughout;
• open with the name of the monarch followed by his or her titles;
• after the greeting or Salutation (“To all whom the present letters shall come, Greeting!”) the opening section recites details of any previous charters before setting the operative clauses of the new grant;
• the final section is known as the Attestation (“In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent”) followed by the place and date the charter was witnessed.

The image above shows the Company’s first charter, issued in 1438 by Henry VI, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland (no mention of course of Scotland at that date). He witnessed it himself at Windsor. 

This document marked the incorporation of the Brewers’ Company, and gave the Brewers legal protection and security. The list mentioned earlier shows that it was only the eighteenth charter ever granted; just eight livery companies had earlier charters (the first was the Weavers’ Company in 1155).

Written in Latin, it gave permission to elect four wardens each year (which essentially still happens today); powers to control all liquors sold or made from malt in the City and suburbs of London and the right to own property in perpetuity to support poor men and women from among Company members.

We know from the record kept by the then Clerk, William Porlond, that this charter cost £141 and 2 shillings. With inflation, the equivalent today is about £90,000. Nonetheless, it consists of just one sheet of vellum and does look quite plain – with only a few decorative lengthenings of the ascenders (the vertical lines on letters such as d and h) on the top line. There is also something of a gap at the top left – this is where a decorated letter H, and a portrait of the King, could be added to the King’s name, Henricus, but to do so would have cost a lot more, and the Company clearly didn’t manage to get this done….