In "The Livery Companies of the City of London", The Princess Royal writes, "the core of the Livery's ethos is timeless: fellowship, welfare, education, supporting trade and at all times working in the best interest of the communities in which they operate"

The Pewterers’ Company is an ancient and continually evolving foundation with medieval origins as a City Guild.  The earliest documented reference to it is in the records of the Corporation dated 1348 and the Company’s own records are extant from 1451.  The first charter was granted by King Edward IV in 1473.  It is number sixteen in the order of  civic precedence among over a hundred livery companies.

The Company has an active, involved and diverse membership of over 250 people, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds.  Of these, some 120 men and women are members of the Livery.  The Company’s principal activities are the support of the pewter trade in this country, the management of its charities, supporting the government of the City of London and the Armed Forces of the Crown and maintaining a lively and enjoyable corporate social life.  COMPANY STRUCTURE

The Pewter Trade

The Company is actively involved with the pewter trade.  The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen (ABPC) was an initiative of the Company in 1970 and its members are still today required to touchmark their finished products as were their medieval forefathers.  The seahorse right is the modern touchmark signifying quality. LINK to ABPC.  It was a founder member of the European Pewter Union (EPU). Pewterers’ Hall is also the office of the ABPC and the EPU.LINK  A fine reference collection of pewter is kept at Pewterers’ Hall. 

The Company runs an annual competition, PEWTER LIVE for design students and practising pewtersmiths. This is one of the few design competitions where students are linked to manufacturers to ensure that design concepts are viable for manufacture.

Charity

The Company has three charitable trusts:

• The 500th Anniversary Trust which funds a Fellow at The Institute of Neurology, working on brain disorders and matters affecting the nervous system, specifically with regard to their relationship with heavy metals.

• The Pewter Industry Charity which provides support to the pewter trade

• The Seahorse Trust  which disburses the Company’s charitable grants.  A significant proportion of these grants are educational. The Company gives full and active support to Livery Schools www.liveryschoolslink.co.uk in its educational work in schools in the boroughs surrounding the City. It also supports Whirlow Hall Farm www.whirlowhallfarm.co.uk, a residential farm for inner-city children in Sheffield, the main centre of the pewter industry.

Members of the Company are expected to contribute financially to the Company’s charitable trusts and are encouraged to serve as trustees. 

Armed Forces of the Crown

The City Livery companies have a long standing tradition of support for the Armed Forces of the Crown.  In former times the Pewterers’ Company was required to raise and equip detachments of men for the army in time of war.  A store of armour was kept at the Hall and the services of an armourer employed to keep it good condition.  Today, the Company has warm and close affiliations with HMS Liverpool, a Type 42 destroyer www.royalnavy.mod.uk, with 3(Fighter) Squadron, Royal Air Force www.raf.mod.uk, the first operational squadron to fly Typhoon, and with the Middlesex and North West London Army Cadet Force www.armycadets.com, which has over 1000 cadets in 34 detachments all over North West London.  There are regular reciprocal visits to all three affiliates and the Company presents an annual award to an outstanding member of each unit.  These affiliations demonstrate the Company’s continuing support for the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces and  acknowledge the service that they give to the nation.