Trade in Early Modern London
Livery Company Records, 1450-1750
An expansive resource for the study of the history of early modern London through the lens of the livery companies and trade.
Livery companies evolved from London’s medieval guilds, becoming corporations under royal charter responsible for training in their respective trades, as well as for the regulation of aspects such as wage control, labour conditions, and industry standards. The companies’ rich and varied records document the central role that these institutions played in the economic, political, social, and cultural life of the city.
The resource enables users to search and compare the various livery companies records in one place, providing a unique overview of trade in early modern London over a key three-hundred year period, with commentary on pivotal events such as the Reformation, the Civil War, the Great Plague, and the Great Fire of London.
Highlights
- Institutional records of churches, workplaces, alms-houses, and schools detailing the daily lives and work of a large proportion of the city’s inhabitants
- Company records documenting the livery companies’ involvement in the Lord Mayor’s Show, providing a wealth of material relating to civic culture and pageantry, including payments to musicians and performers
- Beautifully illuminated ordinances and memoranda books, including the Goldsmiths’ Company Books of Ordinances, the Book of the Fraternity of the Assumption of Our Lady (Skinners’ Company), and The Book of the Fraternity of Corpus Christi (Skinners’ Company)
- A range of contextual features bring the resource to life for students and researchers, including a Chronology, a Glossary of Terms, a Guide to Reading Early Modern Records, and Livery Company Histories
Included in
Modules include
| Module | Summary | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Module I |
Module I includes constitutional records, court records and wardens’ accounts from six of the livery companies of London - Drapers’ Company, Fishmongers’ Company, Goldsmiths’ Company, Merchant Taylors’ Company, Skinners’ Company and Vintners’ Company. These rich and varied documents provide fascinating insights into the commercial, financial, political and cultural life of the city during the Early Modern Period. |
1450-1750 |
| Module II |
Publishing in 2026 |
Key data
Source archives
- The Goldsmiths’ Company
- London Metropolitan Archives
- The Drapers' Company
- Charity and philanthropy
- Citizenship
- Civic ceremonies, music, drama and pageantry
- Civic government
- Craft and regulation
- Education
- Immigration
- Politics
- Prices and wages
- Property
- Religion
- Trade and commerce
- José Miguel Alcolado Carnicero, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
- Celeste Chamberland, Roosevelt University
- Matthew Davies, Birkbeck, University of London
- Amy Louise Erickson, University of Cambridge
- Kathryn French, University of Michigan
- Tracey Hill, Bath Spa University
- Chris Mounsey, University of Winchester
- Patrick Wallis, London School of Economics
- Joseph P. Ward, Utah State University
- Ian Archer, University of Oxford
- Business and Economics
- Communities, Peoples and Nations
- Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Northern Irish Studies
- International Relations
- Political History and Science
- Religious Studies
