THE MEMBERSHIP RECORDS OF THE MERCHANT TAYLORS' COMPANY
The Company has always had a large membership. For example, the total number of freemen and liverymen, excluding apprentices, in the 1630s has recently been estimated at 8,000 (Ian Archer, 'The Livery Companies and Charity in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries', in I Gadd and P Wallis eds, Guilds, Society and Economy in London 1450-1800, 2002, p.24). The membership records are therefore extensive and complex. Note in particular that freedom admissions and apprentice bindings were dealt with at meetings of the Master and Wardens alone (‘Ordinary Courts’), and not by the full Court of the Company, and that from 1595 the minutes of ‘Ordinary Courts’ were recorded in separate volumes from those of full Courts.
The Company’s surviving archives contain membership information from 1398 at the earliest, but this is incomplete before the later 16th century. The most useful series are described below.
For apprentices 1398-1583: consult the Wardens’
accounts, not indexed, which survive for scattered years only: 1398-1445 (Ms
34048/1), 1453-69 (Ms 34048/2), 1469-84 (the latter years are severely damaged)
(Ms 34048/3), and 1545-57 (Ms 34048/4). For 1486-93 there are the surviving
Court minutes (Ms 34008/1-2), which have been transcribed and indexed by
Matthew Davies, The Merchant Taylors’
Company of
For apprentices 1583-1933: consult the registers of
apprentice bindings, 1583-1933 (Ms 34038/1-21). These give details of the
apprentice’s parish, and father’s name and occupation, together with the start
of the term (usually a quarter-day), and the date of the indenture.
Unfortunately there is no composite index of these registers. It is therefore
necessary to guess the likely date of apprenticeship (usually 7 years before
the date of admission to the freedom), and to search within the binding
register which covers the relevant date. Each binding register has a
contemporary index, arranged alphabetically. Note that volumes 2-3, 6 and 8 of
this series each consist of two former volumes now bound together, each with
its own contemporary index. Note also that many apprenticeships were never
completed, i.e. the apprentice never took up the freedom of the Company.
Every
new apprenticeship had to be ‘presented’ [ratified] at an ‘
Apprenticeships
presented and ratified in the normal way were recorded in the ‘
The
Orphan tax books 1694-1861 (Ms 34041/1-3) also record the names of apprentices
bound between these dates, but very briefly. They should normally be avoided,
though they may have some use for statistical compilations,
or for searches across a large number of years.
Apprentices
sometimes needed to be ‘turned over’ to new masters. Such ‘turnovers’ can be
found in the minutes of Ordinary Courts, but are not indexed.
For freemen 1398-1493: consult the modern indexes
(Ms 34033) and associated biographical notes (Ms 34034). These are based upon
the early Wardens’ account books 1398-1484 (gaps) (Ms 34048/1-3) and the fragmentary
Court minutes for 1486-93 (Ms 34008/1-2).
For freemen 1493-1530: there are no surviving sources.
For freemen,
1530-1928: consult Ms 34037/1-4, the index of freemen 1530-1928, kept in the Manuscripts Reading Room.
This is in alphabetical order, gives the date of freedom, and indicates whether
the freedom was by apprenticeship (with name of master), by patrimony or by
redemption. It also shows the date of election to the livery, if appropriate. Entries
in the index for persons admitted to the freedom 1530-45 are taken from Ms
34035/1 compiled ca. 1614 from sources which no longer exist. Freedom
admissions 1545-57 are derived from the Wardens’ accounts 1545-57 (Ms 34048/4).
The accounts for 1557-62 do not survive, and freedom admissions for these years
are again taken from Ms 34035/1, compiled ca. 1614 from sources then extant.
From 1562, freedom admissions can be found in the ‘
The
freedom entries in the ‘Ordinary Court’ minutes vary in detail. Those by
patrimony or redemption tend to be relatively full, since no other record was
kept. Those by apprenticeship tend to be extremely brief, recording simply the
names of the apprentice and his master. This was because the full details had
already been recorded in the registers of apprentice bindings (Ms 34038) at the
start of the apprenticeship.
The
Stamp duty registers of freedom admissions 1703-1949 (Ms 34032/1-11) also
record freedom admissions, but very briefly. They should normally be avoided,
though they may have some use for statistical compilations,
or for searches across a large number of years.
For the livery 1398-1493: consult the modern indices (Ms 34033) and associated biographical notes (Ms 34034). These are based upon the early Warden's account books 1398-1484 (gaps) (Ms 34048/1-3) and the fragmentary Court minutes for 1486-93 (Ms 34008/1-2).
For the livery and Court
1530-1928:
persons admitted to the livery or subsequently to the Court appear always to
have been a small minority of freemen. They are clearly indicated in the index
of freemen 1530-1928 (Ms 34037/1-4), which gives the date of admission to the
livery. Livery admissions can be found in the minutes of both full and
'Ordinary' Courts (Ms 34010, 34017-8), while various livery and Court lists
survive from the late 17th century (Mss 34024-31) [see catalogue, not lists
below].
2 1453-69 indexed 1398-1484
3 1469-84 in Ms 34033 and from
4 1545-57 1545 in Ms 34037)
Ms 34010/1 1562-75 (‘Ordinary’ Court
2 1575-95 minutes; indexed in
Ms 34037)
Ms 34017/1 1595-1607 (‘Ordinary’ Court
2 1607-18 minutes; indexed in
3 1619-30 Ms 34037)
4 1631-42
5 1642-8
Ms 34018/3 [1648]-51/2 (‘Ordinary’ Court
4 1651/2-62 minutes; indexed to
5 1662-75 1928 in Ms 34037)
6 1675-98
7 1698-1731
8 1731-82
9 1782-1843
10 1843-1936
Ms 34032/1 1703-61 (Stamp Duty books;
2 1761-83 unindexed). Very
3 1783-1800 brief – use
4 1801-13 Ms 34037
5 1813-34
6 1835-58
7 1858-78
8 1878-98
9 1898-1925
10 1925-49
Ms 34034 (Biographical notes, 1398-1493)
Ms 34037/1 A-D (Index of freemen,
2 E-J 1530-1928). IN
3 K-R MANUSCRIPTS
4 S-Z READING ROOM
2 1453-69 unindexed)
3 1469-84
4 1545-57
2 1488-93 indexed by Matthew
Davies in The Merchant Taylors’ Company
of London:Court Minutes, 1486-93 (2000)
Ms 34010/1 1562-75 (‘Ordinary’ Court
2 1575-[83] minutes; unindexed)
Ms 34038/1 1583-93 (Indexed integrally)
2 1593-94/5 and 1594/5-8
3 1598-1601 and 1601-2/3 (‘N’)
4 1603-6 (‘O’)
5 1606-9 (‘P’)
6 1609-10/11 (‘Q’) and 1610-12/13 (‘R’)
7 1613-16/17 (‘S’)
8 1617-19/20 (‘T’) and 1620-22/3 (‘V’)
9 1623-8/9 (‘W’)
10 1629-35 (‘X’)
11 1635-9
12 1639-46/7 (‘Z’)
13 1647-54
14 1654-58/9
15 1658/9-69
16 1669-80 July
17 1680 Nov - 1696
18 1696-1718
19 1718-61
20 1762-1819
21 1819-1933
Ms 34041/1 1694-1732 (Orphans’ Tax books
2 1732-1810 unindexed) BRIEF –
3 1810-61 USE Ms 34038
Ms 34045 1801- ca. 1828 (Indexed)
Last updated February 2005
Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section