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600th Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures Thursday, 12th May 2016 Carpentersâ€™ Hall Master: Tom Rider Upper Warden: David Szymanski Renter Warden: Jeff Fuller Clerk: John Brooks

Tom Rider Master 2015-16 Photo: Michael Oâ€™Sullivan

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

Foreword from the Master Welcome to this special exhibition of the Company’s treasures in celebration of the 600th anniversary of the first recorded Master of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers, Thomas White, in 1416. We have on display together for quite possibly the first time in the Company’s history, and certainly in living memory, a wide range of valuable artefacts, silver, furniture and documents from the Company’s archives. They include such items as the famous 1589 “Breeches” bible, now the only chained book at Guildhall, where it is stored; two mace heads dating from 1660 and 1705 used by the Beadle on all ceremonial occasions; the Regency Master and Wardens’ chairs that were used at Court meetings when the Company had its own hall; the beautiful pudding trowel made by William Plummer in 1770; and 19th and 20th-century silver rosewater dishes and loving cups given to the Company by the Bird, Fuller, Montgomery and Rider families. The archive records are no less fascinating: the oath and ordinances book of 1570; the apprentice books, one showing Ben Jonson being made a Freeman of the Company in 1594; and the Clerk’s Minute Book from the 17th and 18th centuries, which includes an entry from shortly after the Great Fire in 1666, the watershed moment in the Company’s history. The Company is greatly indebted to Liveryman and Steward Dr David Allen, who has worked tirelessly in arranging and unearthing items for this exhibition, and who has used all his experience gained over many years with English Heritage to do so. We are extremely grateful too to Dr Peter Ross, the Principal Guildhall Librarian, for allowing us to exhibit the “Breeches” bible; to Howard Doble, the Senior Metropolitan Archivist, for researching the Company’s archives so effectively; to Peter Cameron of the Goldsmiths’ Company Antique Plate Committee for his assessment of the silver; and to Stoyan Dimitrov for designing and producing this catalogue, which will provide a suitable memento to all of us attending the exhibition.

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers In this 600th anniversary year, it is good to look back at our Company’s history and forward to its future. The first Master was recorded in 1416 and the Company was chartered in 1568. In 1570, the City ordinances defined its area of control to within a 15-mile radius of London. The Company is 37th in order of precedence in the City of London and two of its members have been Lord Mayors. Before his success as a dramatist, Ben Jonson was a Bricklayer and Freeman of the Company. Pressure on the City of London to use brick for building instead of wood and thatch meant that the Company prospered in the first half of the 17th century. However, this prosperity came to an end in 1666 with the Great Fire of London. Charles II ordered that no more buildings were to be made of wood and the rebuilding of the City proved too great a task for the Company alone. Craftsmen flooded into London and the monopoly was broken. The Company’s fortunes ebbed and flowed over the next centuries. Today it is a thriving Company which looks back on its history with pride and forward to its future with a resolve to continue to support the training of craftsmen and promote the highest standards of workmanship in the crafts of Bricklaying, Roof Slating and Tiling, and Wall and Floor Tiling. The Company has three charities: one is the Craft Trust Fund supporting prizes and awards which are described at the back of this catalogue. The second is the Company’s Charitable Trust, which supports good causes in the City of London and elsewhere with special emphasis on youth. This includes groups as diverse as the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, Guildhall School Trust, Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund and Kids N’ Action. The Charitable Trust also supports our Company Church of St Margaret Lothbury where we hold our service for the swearing in of the new Master, as well as our Carol Service. The third charity exists to help members of the Company or their families who may be in circumstances where Relief in Need is appropriate. It is hoped that you will enjoy this exhibition and learn something about our diverse and fascinating history over the past 600 years. Should you wish to find out more about the Company, its history and 21st-century activities, we have an excellent website which will tell you about the Company and the work it does: www.tylersandbricklayers.co.uk Thank you for taking the time to look around this exhibition.

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

“Master of the Mistery of Tylers…”

This is a copy of the entry in the City Corporation’s Letter Book for 1416. It records the swearing of Thomas White into the office of Master of the Mistery of Tylers before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen on 12th September 1416, along with his two Wardens, John Grace and Geoffrey Powes (last two lines). It is the first recorded reference to the Master of the Company.

Letter Book I, City of London Corporation (scanned copy)

“All that ground whereupon a rent called the Cock and Hoope was sometime builded”

The earliest document to survive in the Company’s archives relates to the acquisition in 1536 of the site for the Company’s second Hall which was built to the south of Leadenhall Street behind the Cock and Hoop tavern (the earlier 15thcentury Hall, known as Tylers’ Hall, was located in the parish of All Hallows, London Wall). This document bears the signature of Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor of England, and records the transfer of the estate to Thomas Alderton, a carpenter, who subsequently sold it on to Ellys Dyall, Tyler. The land was officially transferred to the corporate ownership of the Tylers and Bricklayers in 1582.

Deeds and papers relating to the site of the Hall

“The inventory of all the goodes, householde stuffe, implements and necessaries…”

The Master and Wardens account books contain a wealth of information about a wide range of Company business. Regular expenditure included entertainments, payments to the poor, City taxes and the payments for searches; income came from rents, quarterage, fines and fees, as well as bequests and gifts. Here we have an inventory of the contents of Bricklayers’ Hall in 1641. It includes information about the treasures and mentions the “Breeches” Bible of 1589 (exhibited here next to this book), describing it as one of “2 greate bibles one of them haveing a lock and chaine to it” (four lines from the bottom on the right-hand page).

Master and Wardens Account Book, 1641

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

“Breeches” Bible

It is very likely that the Company’s “Breeches” Bible was bought new in 1589 as it is recorded in its possession from at least the early 17th century. Company records refer to the Bible at various times, such as the 1641 Master and Wardens Account Book (on display tonight next to the Bible). Significantly, in 1690, the Bible is mentioned as being “chained in the lobby” of Bricklayers’ Hall and used for the swearing of oaths. More formally referred to as a Geneva Bible, this particular edition has become known as a “Breeches” Bible because its English translators used the word “breeches” in Genesis, chapter 3, verse 7 to describe the aprons of fig leaves worn by Adam and Eve. The verse reads: “Then the eies of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed figge leaves together, and made themselves breeches.” The Bible is currently in the care of Guildhall Library where it is often shown to visitors as the only example of a chained book in the collection. Guildhall Library was founded in the mid-1420s and was known to have originally been a “chained library”. Many early English libraries chained their books to the shelves or to reading desks for security as, in an age before printing, each book was a unique document and of not inconsiderable value.

Extracts from the proceedings of the Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company from 1620 to 1859 (“The White Book”)

This book, known as “The White Book”, was transcribed by John Miles and contains interesting extracts from the Court minutes over a period of 240 years. It is written in Miles’ own hand. According to the wishes of Miles, the book was to be “produced and lying on the table during the hours of business at each meeting of the Court of Assistants … by means of reference to the bye-laws of the Company in the manner passed from time to time”. The page at which the book is open shows a pen-and-ink wash of the north side of Bricklayers’ Hall as it appeared in 1624.

Picture of the entrance to Bricklayers’ Hall

This shows the entrance to Bricklayers’ Hall under the arch next to the Cock and Hoop pub. The Hall was occupied by a Jewish congregation from 1762 to 1838. The picture was drawn by J T Smith in 1796.

Aldgate Ward map, 1739

Bricklayers’ Hall is shown halfway down Leadenhall Street. It was approached via a passage opposite the Church of St Katharine Cree. 6

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

“The stone that the builders rejected is become the corner stone of thy house, O lord” (Psalm 118, verse 22)

Bricklayers’ Hall was the home of the Company for two centuries until financial difficulties in 1762 forced the Company to lease it. The new tenants were a Dutch Jewish congregation who converted the building into a synagogue with a reader’s house adjoining. The quote comes from a stone erected by the lessees in the course of renovating the buildings and is a clear reference to the property’s former life as Bricklayers’ Hall. The building remained a synagogue until 1838. The plans drawn by William Grellier, Surveyor to the Company, show the buildings circa 1841.

William Grellier’s estate book, comprising coloured plans & elevations of Company properties

“Elizabeth by the Grace of God…”

The original Royal Charter of Incorporation was granted to the Company by Elizabeth I at Gorehambury House, Hertfordshire on 3rd August 1568. Gorehambury was the residence of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, whose name appears on the first page of the Book of Ordinances (exhibited here as item 11). The Company’s copy of the charter is now lost but a near contemporary copy has been transcribed into one of the Letter Books of the City of London Corporation. These books record the administrative business of the Court of Common Council and Court of Aldermen and show the City taking a keen interest in matters concerning the Livery Companies.

Letter Book Z, City of London Corporation (scanned copy)

Portrait by Nicholas Hilliard of Elizabeth I, who signed the Company’s charter in 1568

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

The Company’s Achievement of Arms

The Company was granted its Achievement of Arms in 1569. The Shield is Azure (Blue) on which is a Gold Chevron. In Chief (on top of the Shield or in the top part of the Shield) there is a Fleur-de-lys Argent (Silver) and on either side of the Fleur-de-lys are two Gold Brick Axes in a vertical position. In base (or in the lower part of the Shield) there is a Gold Brush. Crest: on a Wreath of Gold and Blue there is a right arm bent showing a sleeve, half of which is coloured Gold, half of which is coloured Red, and in the hand there is a Gold Brick Axe. The Mantling is of two colours: Argent and Red. Motto: In God is all our Trust; let us never be confounded. Granted by: Sir Gilbert Dethick, Garter; Robert Cooke, Clarenceux; William Flower, Norroy & Ulster Granted to: Roger Garthorne, Simon Credance and Thomas Shornebrok, Wardens of said Corporation and to their successors to display on Shields, Standards, Banners, etc. In Witness whereof we, the said Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy Kings of Arms, have to these presents subscribed our names and affixed the Seals of our several officers the third day of February 1569 in the 12th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. (This is a modern interpretation by The Lord Sinclare, York Herald, 17th June 1965, of the original record held at the College of Arms.)

“The booke of Ordynances…”

Following its charter of incorporation by Queen Elizabeth I two years later, a new book of ordinances was created outlining duties, powers and procedures. The opening page is shown here and reads: “…Belonging to the Company of Tylers and Bricklayers incorporated within the City of London which Ordinances have been perused allowed ratified and confirmed by the Right Honourable Sir Nicholas Bacon, Knight, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, William Marques of Winchester, Lord High Treasurer of England and Robert Catlyn, Knight, Lord Chief Justice of the Kings [sic] Bench by their writing under their hand and seal bearing date the fourteenth day of July in the thirteenth year of the reign of our sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth.” This book has a metal ring attached to it indicating that it was probably once chained to a lectern in Bricklayers’ Hall.

Ordinance and Oath Book 1570-1620 8

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

“…it was likewise agreed…”

The Court minutes are held for the Company from 1580 onwards. This entry from 26th May 1599 concerns the payment of a bequest of four pounds a year, being the rent from a property in Southwark and includes the names of leading members of the Court of Assistants at that time. Note that few of these men have signed their names. The names are written in full by the same hand (presumably that of the scribe) with each signatory adding his initial or a mark. The entry for William Wise has the appearance of a trowel.

Court Minute Book 1580-1667

“O Rare Ben Jonson” Ben Jonson (1572-1637) is the Company’s greatest son. He was apprenticed to his stepfather as a bricklayer for a time before turning to acting and literature. The character of “John Clay, the tilemaker of Kilburn” in Jonson’s play “A Tale of a Tub” (this is slang for a cock-and-bull story and was the title of Ben Jonson’s 1596 comedy) is perhaps an echo of his early years within the Company. Jonson died in poverty in 1637. He is buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. The story is told that he begged “18 inches of square ground in Westminster Abbey” from Charles I and he was buried standing up. The epitaph on his grave reads “O Rare Ben Jonson”.

“The wittiest fellow of a bricklayer in England”

Ben Jonson, celebrated playwright and poet, was originally a bricklayer by trade and a Freeman of the Company, having served an apprenticeship to his stepfather, Robert Brett (Master of the Company in 1608-09). Here we have a record of him paying his quarterage (four pence a quarter for Liverymen) on St Peter’s Day 1596 (13th entry on the right-hand page). This is the first time Jonson paid his dues, having become free of the Company two years earlier. The records indicate that Jonson’s payment of quarterage was erratic and he was often in arrears.

Quarterage Book 1588-1616 9

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

Ben Jonson miniature

“Drink today, and drown all sorrow”

The miniature of Jonson, after an original painting by Abraham van Blyenberch, was presented by David Fuller, Master in 1988-89.

For the years 1602-1610 Ben Jonson is absent from the Company’s records but in 1611 he turns up to pay all the arrears for the preceding years (11 shillings and four pence). This entry in the Warden’s account book indicates that the Company celebrated the playwright’s reappearance. The entry (22nd line on the right-hand page) records “Wyne and sugar for Benjamin Jonson: 10 shillings and 8 pence”. Such a display of generosity is an indication of Jonson’s rising fame at that time and the high esteem in which he was held by the Company. It certainly made no economic sense because the cost of the celebration all but cancelled out the arrears Jonson had owed to the Company.

Warden Accounts 1605-1631

Ben Jonson engraving

“…for punishment of those that do make ill tyles, brickes and workmanship”

This 18th-century engraving of Jonson was presented to the Company by Frank A Gilligan Rider, Master in 1971-72, to mark the 400th anniversary of Jonson’s birth.

Under the terms of the 1568 charter, the authority of the Tylers and Bricklayers Company extended to all those working as tilers or bricklayers, both in the City and also within a 15-mile radius. Officers of the Company were to inspect twice yearly the sites and workplaces of such craftsmen to check that materials and workmanship met standards. Those found to be lacking would be summoned to appear before the Court of Assistants and fined. The volume records entries for the year 1616.

Search and View Book 1605-1650 10

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

“Att the Court att Hampton Court…”

The Company prospered throughout the first decades of the 1600s but its standing was severely tested when Charles I created two rival companies in 1636, namely the Company of Brick and Tilemakers and the New Corporation of the Suburbs. Both of these new organisations threatened the ancient rights of the Tylers and Bricklayers and the Company objected immediately, petitioning the Privy Council. The contents of this volume document these conflicts with the Crown. This entry transcribes a meeting of the Privy Council attended by the King to appoint commissioners to examine the abuses on 30th September 1638. One of the commissioners is named as Sir Inigo Jones. Both new companies had collapsed by 1640 and the King was forced to back down: a sign, perhaps, of Charles I’s declining fortunes and of greater conflicts to come.

Charter and Memorandum Book, 1639

The Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London raged through the City in the first week of September 1666. This marked a turning point for the Company. The fire destroyed two-thirds of the City and damaged or destroyed 52 company halls, St Paul’s Cathedral and 87 parish churches along with an estimated 13,200 houses. Up until this point, the Company had the monopoly on building within a 15-mile radius of London. It was quickly realised that the Company would be unable to cope with the rebuilding of the City. To prevent the use of itinerant bricklayers, the Court in November 1666 allowed for a greater number of apprentices to be taken on. The Company was instrumental in the rebuilding of the City, including the brick cone which supports the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, and many of the 51 parish churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

“…and there saw a lamentable fire”

Bricklayers’ Hall in Leadenhall Street was one of a handful of Livery Company halls to survive the Great Fire of London in 1666. The entry on the left-hand page records the first meeting of the Court of Assistants on 21st September 1666 after the fire had ravaged the City. The last lines at the bottom of the page are a request from the Coopers Company for the use of Bricklayers’ Hall due to the loss of their own in the fire. The Company was keenly aware of the opportunities that the rebuilding of London would afford the trade. Later entries call for an increase in the number of apprentices to ensure that the demand for work will not be met by “foreign” (i.e. non-Company) labourers. Note the evidence of fire damage to the pages of this minute book for September 1666. A casualty of those fateful events perhaps…?

Court Minute Book 1664-1685 11

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

Following the Great Fire in 1666, Peter Mills was one of the Surveyors appointed to superintend the rebuilding of the City. He was himself the author of a plan for the rebuilding (which was not carried out) and also performed detailed surveys of the destroyed areas. Mills was one of the school of architects referred to by Sir John Summerson as “the Artisan School”, many of whom were members of such Companies as the Masons, Carpenters, and Tylers and Bricklayers. He is credited with the design of a number of country houses including Tyttenhanger House in Hertfordshire. A London example of his work is the south doorway at Great St Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate.

Engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar of the old St Paul’s Cathedral on fire

Painting by Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto) of the London skyline after the City was rebuilt. The Company was instrumental in the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, whose great dome can be seen on the left-hand side.

“…the great burthen of businesse lying upon him for this city att this time”

The majority of Freemen of the Company in early centuries would have served an apprenticeship for seven years to learn the skills of the trade, and the City ordained that Companies keep registers of such members. This page shows the entry (fourth entry on the left-hand page) for Peter Mills, son of John Mills, who was apprenticed to John Williams (Master of the Tylers and Bricklayers in 1640-41) in November 1613 at the age of 15. Mills became one of the leading surveyors and architects in 17th-century London and with Christopher Wren was appointed Surveyor of the City of London following the Great Fire. The above quote from City records in 1667 is an indication of the central role he played in rebuilding the City. He was Governor of St Bartholomew’s Hospital and twice Master of the Company (1649-50 and 1659-60).

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

Smaller mace head This mace head is the earliest piece of silver owned by the Company and bears the date 1660. It was presented to the Company in that year by Detail: inscription Peter Mills. Tonight it is reading “The guift being used by the Beadle, of Peter Mills to who will be happy to the Company, show it to you. 1660” The centre is embossed with the arms of the Company and with mantling in scroll forms. The arms are surmounted by the Company’s crest. The obverse side is similar. The terminal is engraved with the inscription “The guift of Peter Mills to the Company, 1660” above two entwined branchand-leaf ornaments. The mace head was made in London but the maker is unknown. The mace head presented to the Company by Peter Mills in 1660

“To set forth our Charter … and to submit ourselves to his Majesty’s goodwill”

Late in his reign, Charles II, in an attempt to re-assert royal authority, attacked the liberties of both the City and its Livery Companies by questioning their legality. Accordingly, on 30th April 1684 the Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company was forced to surrender its charter to the King and petition for new rights on lesser terms. New letters patent were duly granted on 18th February 1685 by Charles’ successor, James II. The charter was repressive, short-lived (the old charters were restored in October 1687) and, to add insult to injury, the expense of obtaining it (£100) put the Company in debt. This copy transcribed into one of the Company’s volumes shows the first page.

Charter, oath and memorandum book 13

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

“To all Christian people…”

The Company issued new ordinances on 25th January 1724. These confirmed the ordinances of 1570 and included a number of additional responsibilities and regulations for Company officials, particularly with respect to powers of inspection. The document consists of two vellum membranes (parchment made from calfskin) with three office seals on original cords. The membranes are decorated extensively, the first bearing an image of George I. Some text has been badly rubbed and is now difficult to read.

Company Ordinances 1724

“The wines were good…”

During the 18th century three Liverymen from the Tylers and Bricklayers served the office of Sheriff, and two of them, Sir Samuel Fludyer and Sir William Plomer, went on to become Lord Mayors of London. Such events were a cause for celebration and the Company responded with generosity, showing great pride to be associated with them. The entry here in the Court Minute Book records those members of the Court who attended Lord Mayor Plomer when he was sworn into office on 8th November 1781 and gives the Clerk’s verdict on the dinner at Mansion House. It was Sir William Plomer who suggested on 23rd April 1772 that Liverymen should be issued with silver medals, paying five shillings each for them. In total, 105 medals were made, examples of which are also exhibited here.

Court Minute Book 1773-1791

Watercolour of Sir William Plomer

Three Georgian Livery medals

Sir William Plomer served as Lord Mayor in 1781-82. He was Master of the Tylers and Bricklayers in 1782-83 and again in 1790-91. This picture is a reproduction of an original watercolour held at Guildhall.

These three medals are the only known surviving examples of the Company’s 18thcentury Livery medals. These medals bear the arms of the Company on one side and those of the City Corporation on the other. The medals also bear the name of the recipient and the year. The recipients were: Robert Bender in 1757, John Moreland in 1777, and Richard Forrest Junior in 1791. The Company’s award medals and present-day Livery medals are based on this original design. 14

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

Pair of indenture certificates for Richard Moreland, 1799

Richard Moreland was apprenticed to his widowed mother, Ann Moreland, in 1799. His father was John Moreland, who entered the Livery in 1770 and was elected Master in 1776. John Moreland’s Livery medal can be seen alongside the two other Georgian Livery medals on display tonight.

The Company’s silver Most of the Company’s silver dates from the 19th or 20th centuries, but this was not always the case. Records show that in 1642 there was a quantity of silver and silvergilt plate, including rare Stuart pieces as well as items of even earlier dates. Among the Stuart pieces was a large quantity of silver spoons, silver rosewater dishes and tankards. It was a tradition for those being admitted to the Freedom of the Company to present the Company with a silver spoon. The Clerk frequently records these gifts and on 11th December 1625 writes: “This day James Gudson being made free of this Company … gave to this Company a silver spoon.” This practice was carried out by a number of Livery Companies. There is a fine collection of Elizabethan and Stuart sealtop spoons on display in Armourers’ Hall. Fortunes changed, however: in 1642, the Livery Companies of London were assembled at Guildhall by the Lords and Commons loyal to Charles I to ask for a loan of £100,000. This was to help fund the Civil War and so, sadly, all the Company’s silver was sold for a little over £170 and the money was surrendered to the Crown. Much of the silver on display tonight was given by members of the Bird, Rider, Montgomery and Fuller families. It represents good examples of silver pieces spanning more than 120 years.

An Elizabethan seal-top spoon typical of the type of spoon given to the Company in the 16th and 17th centuries upon being given the Freedom of the Company Detail: the feature from which seal-top spoons derive their name Photos: Jack Shaw & Co 15

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

Nuremberg rosewater dish

Large mace head

Father’s Cup

Silver pudding trowel

A rosewater dish in the form of a Nuremberg dish dating to the last quarter of the 16th century. Originally made in brass or copper, it was silver-plated in the 20th century. The gift of J C Peck, Clerk from 1971 to 1985.

This mace head is from a staff of office to be used by the Beadle. It is in the form of a heraldic shield showing the Company’s arms topped by the Company’s crest with a hand holding a brick axe. The mace head is made from Britannia-standard silver and is hallmarked for London, 1705. The maker’s mark is indistinguishable.

Presented by Harry Mansfield, Father of the Company, in 1934. This two-handled cup was made by William Shaw and William Priest in 1754. It is engraved with both the arms and crest of Penistone Powney (1699-1757), who was MP for Old Windsor and Verderer of Windsor Forest. He had his country seat at Coworth House, near Sunningdale.

This pudding trowel is engraved with the inscription “1770, the gift of Mr Henry Wallis, Master, Mr Henry Holland, Upper Warden, Mr John Watkins, Renter Warden”. This was one of three trowels presented by the Company and made by William Plummer in London in 1770. Plummer was a specialist maker of pierced work, of which this is a very fine example. Henry Holland the Elder was Master in 1772-73. He worked on the building of Bowood House in Wiltshire for the second Earl of Shelburne, executing designs by Robert Adam. He was also Adam’s chief contractor and paymaster of the works from 1761 to 1766.

The Master’s goblet

This goblet on a reeded foot was presented in 1955 by Edward William Jack Fuller, Master. It was made by William Abdy in London in 1789. 16

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

Upper Warden’s goblet

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee loving cup

The Marsland loving cup

Upton Kemp loving cup

Hugh Bird’s loving cup

This goblet was presented in October 1963 by Robert Henry Fuller, Master. It was made by William Abdy in London in 1789.

This silver loving cup and cover was presented to the Company by the Clerk Arthur Bird in May 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. It was made by Walter, Michael and John Barnard with Robert Dubock in London in 1896. It is a copy of an Irish original of the 18th century with two harp-shaped handles.

This loving cup and cover was presented to the Company by Ellis Marsland, Master in 1901-02. Its inscription reads: “Presented to the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers on the occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty King Edward VII”. On the other side are the Company’s arms and motto. The cup was made in London by Walter Michael and John Barnard with Robert Dubock in 1901.

A copy of a Georgian-style Irish two-handled cup and cover presented to the Company by Eric Upton Kemp, TD, who was Master in 1987-88. The cup was made by Richard Martin and Ebenezer Hall in Sheffield in 1909.

This cup and cover was given by Hugh John Auberon Bird, Master in 1972-73, along with Arthur Leyland Bird, Brian Hamilton Bird, David George Fraser Bird, Fraser Stephen Bird, Richard Glover Bird, James David Stephen Bird, and Christopher Lawrence Bird. It was given in memory of George Bird, Master in 1867-68, and Augustus Bird, Master in 1880-81. It was made in Birmingham by Elkington & Co in 1911-12. 17

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

The Rider loving cup

This loving cup and cover in a George II design with handles of harp pattern was presented to the Company in April 1907 by Thomas Francis Rider, CC, MVO, who was Master in 1893-94. Thomas Francis Rider worked on the rebuilding of the nave and side aisles of Southwark Cathedral between 1890 and 1897. The cup was made in London by Hawksworth, Eyre & Co in 1906. Detail of a window at Southwark Cathedral showing Thomas Francis Rider at work. The dedication reads: “In memory of Thomas Francis Rider by whose skills the Nave of the Cathedral was rebuilt to the Glory of God. Born 1842, died 1922.”

Arthur Bird’s loving cup

Samuel Bird’s loving cup

This silver-gilt loving cup and cover was presented to the Company by Arthur Bird Esq, Father of the Company, along with Major Gerald Francis Bird, MC, Master; Major Lawrence Wilfrid Bird, DSO, OBE, Upper Warden; The Reverend George Shepheard Bird, Chaplain; and Arthur Horice Bird, Clerk. This is similar in design to Samuel Bird’s loving cup and was made by D&J Welby in 1914-15.

This silver-gilt loving cup and cover is decorated with card-cut acanthus leaves and scrolls. It stands on a plinth again decorated with acanthus leaves on the base. It was presented to the Company by Samuel Bird, Master in 1895-96 and again in 1914-15. It was made in London in 1904-05 by D&J Welby. 18

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

The Reverend George Shepheard Bird’s rosewater dish and ewer

Colonel Charles Bird’s cigar box

Rider cigar box

College of Arms goblet

Huguenot tercentenary goblet

These rosewater dish and ewer were given to the Company at the bequest of the Reverend George Shepheard Bird, Master in 1929-30. They are finely decorated with appliqué strapwork. They were made by Henry Lambert in London in 1904.

This cigar/cigarette casket was presented to the Company by Colonel Charles Bird, VE, Master in 1900-01. The medal fitted into the lid of the box is the South African War Medal with bars for Belfast, Wittenbergen, Diamond Hill, Johannesburg, Briefontein, Faardeberg and Cape Colony. This medal was presented to the Company by Edward VII to commemorate the Company’s role in the raising of the City Imperial Volunteers. The box was made in London by the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company in 1901.

This silver-gilt cigar box was originally presented to Thomas Francis Rider by the Assessment Committee of the City of London in September 1915. It was subsequently presented to the Company by his grandson, Frank Anthony Gilligan Rider, who was Master in 1971-72. It is hallmarked for London, 1913 and was made by William Comyns.

This goblet was made for the quincentenary of the College of Arms. It was made by Hector Miller in London in 1984.

Made by Hector Miller in London in 1986. 19

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

The Fuller rosewater dish

This modern rosewater dish was made by the contemporary silversmith Keith W Redfern. It features the Company’s arms on the central boss. It was presented to the Company by William G H Fuller, Master in 1995-96. Keith Redfern was born in Sheffield in 1935 and studied at the Royal College of Art. He formed his own practice in the early 1970s. He was Head of the School of Product Design at the University of Middlesex, where he established courses of international status and reputation in silversmithing. His many commissions include silver for Cambridge colleges, City Livery Companies, the Middle Temple and Lichfield Cathedral.

The Bird family rosewater dish

Montgomery loving cup

Plumb line

This rosewater dish matches the Fuller rosewater dish and was also made by Keith W Redfern in London in 1996. Like the Fuller dish, it is centrally embossed with the arms of the Company. It was presented by the Bird family and Major Stanley V Dickins, JP, Master in 1959-60.

This three-handled loving cup and cover is a good example of the modern silversmith’s art. It was given by Honorary Freeman Molly Audrey Montgomery, OBE, in 1981 to commemorate Harry Greville Montgomery, Master in 1927-28; Hugh Roger Greville Montgomery, Liveryman; and Hugh Bryan Greville Montgomery, CC, Master in 1980-81. The cover is surmounted by the Company’s crest of an arm holding a brick axe in silver-gilt. The cup was made by Brian Leslie Fuller, who was a scholar at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. He started his own studio in 1975 in Clerkenwell. In 1977 he adopted his personal trademark of a dormouse, which can be seen under the foot rim of this cup. His commissions include pieces for the church, many London Livery Companies, as well as private clients.

This rosewood-and-silver plumb line was presented to the Company on the occasion of the quatercentenary of its charter in 1968 by Molly Montgomery, OBE. 20

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

Rider Past Master’s medal

The Lambeth Bowl

Stoneware mug

Pearlware jug

When the Master’s year of office ends, he becomes a Past Master and is presented with a Past Master’s medal. Early examples of these medals, like the one on display, were made of 18-carat gold and sometimes passed through families connected with the Company. This medal originally belonged to Frank Percy Rider, Master in 191819, and will be worn by the current Master, Tom Rider, when his year of office ends.

This blue-and-white English Delft bowl (known as “The Lambeth Bowl”) is probably a punchbowl. It was purchased by the Company in 1933 by auction. Its origin is unknown but it bears the Company’s coat of arms and the date 1722. In addition to the date, the letter “P” appears above the coat of arms. There is a suggestion that, as the Master of the Company in 1721-22 was Joseph Pratt, this bowl may have been a gift to the Master from the Company or vice versa. It is certainly a specially commissioned piece and has Chinese flower decoration to the exterior and border. This decoration is typical of Delftware produced in the early 18th century, both in Holland and England.

This London-made (possibly Lambeth) stoneware salt-glazed large mug is dated 1722 and inscribed “Thos Gilbert” with the Company’s arms in applied decoration to the front and further decorations of hunting scenes and rosettes applied to the body. It was acquired for the Company by David Fuller, Master in 1988-89. The silver banding to the rim and base were added in 1890 by the Birmingham silversmith Henry Bourne.

This Staffordshire pearlware jug made circa 1815-20 is decorated with the Company’s arms on the front along with sprigs of flowers. It was donated by David Fuller, Master in 1988-89. 21

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

Three gavels

On the left: a Georgian ivory gavel with a turned handle and a head carved as a barrel. It has two coats of arms engraved on it: one being the City of London’s and the other the Tylers and Bricklayers’. One end is carved with the Company’s motto “In God is all our trust” and the other end with the Company’s crest and the inscription “G Leader, Sculp”. In the middle: a Victorian ivory gavel, the handle having turned rings and a small ball terminal. The head is centrally engraved with “In God is all our trust”. On one surface is a carving of the arms of the Company with a leaf-and-floral moulding design. On the reverse is the band of a garter inscribed “The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers”. The gavel is also engraved with “James Mansfield Esqr, Father of the Company, Samuel Grimsdell Esqr, Master, S Siddon, I Duncan Esqrs, Wardens, 10th August 1846”. On the right: a modern bronze gavel used at Court meetings today. The base was made in the proportions of a brick in Paldao timber with an inset bronze striking plate. The polished bronze striker was sculpted to resemble a traditional brick axe. The gavel was designed by John Makepeace, OBE, FRSA, and made by Clive Baines in 2010. It was the gift of Ian Mitchell Grimshaw, Master in 2008-09.

The Jericho brick

Oil painting of bricklayers

Brick axe and stand

This brick, dating between 5000 and 4000 BC, was unearthed in the 1950s by the archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon. It was given to Dr Richard Glover Bird, who had been a medical officer to the archaeological expedition. He presented it to the Company on his election to the Livery in 1955. He was to be Renter Warden in 1983-84.

A naïve oil painting of the English Provincial School from the early 18th century depicting bricklayers at work on scaffolding. Presented by David Fuller, Master in 1988-89.

This brick axe was presented to the Company in 1882 by George S Pritchard, Master in 1884-85. The inscription on it states that the axe was used by the donor prior to 1840 and by his father prior to 1810. The axe sits in front of the Master at all meetings of the Court. 22

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

The Rhodes chairs

These chairs were presented by William Rhodes, Master in 1825-26, and John Vale, Master in 1827-28, for the use of the Master and Wardens. William Rhodes was one of three brothers who were the last farmers to occupy Chalk Farm before the area was developed for building. William Rhodes had brickfields and tile works at Rhodes Farm in Dalston and Hoxton, where he was also a builder. He prepared plans for, and participated in, the building of De Beauvoir Town, north of the Regent’s Canal in Hoxton, which is a good example of early Victorian town planning. His grandson was Cecil John Rhodes, the instigator of the Jameson Raid and the founder of Rhodesia.

Portrait of Robert Browne

Robert Browne was the Clerk of the Company from 1766 to 1799. This painting is signed “Mason Chamberlin RA 1779”. Browne was appointed Clerk of the Company after having held for some years the office of Beadle. He was required to resign from that office before offering himself for election as Clerk: a reminder of the fact that in medieval times there was no clear distinction between Clerk and Beadle.

Two watercolours of the almshouses

The Court of the Company resolved in 1832 to erect almshouses for “decayed Liverymen and their widows” and £5,000 was provided for this purpose. A plot of land was purchased in King Henry’s Walk in Balls Pond Road, north of De Beauvoir Town. William Grellier (1807-1852) designed the almshouses free of cost, in return for which he was elected to the Livery of the Company, becoming Master in 1849. William Grellier was a Royal Academy Silver Medallist in 1826 and Gold Medallist in 1829. He was articled to George Smith, the architect of Mercers’ Hall, and spent some time in the office of the City Surveyor. He submitted the winning design for the new London Royal Exchange in 1839, although he was ultimately passed over in favour of Sir William Tite. He was also the District Surveyor for Whitechapel. The almshouses have since been demolished.

Detail of an engraving by George Hawkins Junior showing the Company’s almshouses 23

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

Items being used tonight

The Master’s chain A 28-section silver-gilt chain of alternate links representing gold brushes and brick axes. Made in 1978.

The Master’s badge This badge is in silver, silver-gilt, gold, enamel and jewels. It is inscribed on the back “The Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company of London”. It was presented by Stanley George Bird, MICH, who was Master in 1882-83 and again in 1892-93.

The Upper Warden’s badge This badge is in gold with the Company’s arms in enamel. It is inscribed “Upper Warden” on a shield.

The Renter Warden’s badge This badge is made of gold and enclosed by a wreath of silver. It is inscribed “Renter Warden” on a shield. Both the Upper Warden’s and the Renter Warden’s badge were made by Messrs Lawson and Ward in 1899.

Lady’s brooch This brooch is in silver-gilt and enamel and depicts the Company’s coat of arms. It was made by Mappin & Webb and was presented by Christopher Stokes, Master in 1984-85. 24

6ooth Anniversary Exhibition of Treasures

The Master’s chain along with, from left, the Renter Warden’s badge, the Master’s badge and the Upper Warden’s badge

The crafts Throughout its history, the Company has taken special interest in the training of craftsmen and the development of their skills to encourage excellence of workmanship. To support the crafts of Bricklaying, Roof Slating and Tiling, and Wall and Floor Tiling, prizes are awarded to trainees and apprentices who have been successful at the annual SkillBuild competition and at WorldSkills. Where a practitioner can demonstrate the highest standard of workmanship across a wide range of skills, the Company, in conjunction with its trade partners, is able to confer Master Craftsman status at its annual awards ceremony. Excellence in the three crafts is also encouraged by the Triennial Awards given to schemes within the M25 which exhibit the highest standards of workmanship in each craft. These awards are usually presented by the Lord Mayor. The Company also maintains strong links with the Corps of Royal Engineers by presenting awards at the Royal School of Military Engineering and to Royal Engineer badged Cadet Forces. 25

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers

Envoi As we celebrate the 600th anniversary of our first Master in 2016 and the 450th anniversary of the granting of our first charter in 2018, it is fascinating to look at our archives and treasures, musing on what they could tell us if they could speak. No doubt, it would be a tale of good eating and drinking, good fellowship in our Company and good works done in its name. In the 21st century, this companionship and these good works continue and we still toast our Company with words that ring as true now as they always have: “May it flourish, root and branch forever.”

Pictures Front cover: from left, details of Ben Jonson miniature (exhibit 14); Colonel Charles Bird’s cigar box (exhibit 42); Montgomery loving cup (exhibit 48); and The White Book (exhibit 5) Picture opposite: detail of oil painting of bricklayers (exhibit 56) Back cover: picture of the entrance to Bricklayers’ Hall (exhibit 6) 26