The History of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass, London

THE HISTORY OF THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF GLAZIERS AND PAINTERS OF GLASS, LONDON FROM 1919 TO 1999 EDITED BY R.F. LANE, P. S. LONDON, P. H. TROLLOPE Hi - Dedicated to Glaziers past and present. 1. The Glass Stainers. To every Man his Mystery A trade and only one; The Masons make the hives of men, The domes of grey or dun, But we have wrought in rose and gold The houses of the sun. From "The Five Guilds" by G.K. Chesterton THE COMPANY'S ARMORIAL BEARINGS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Foreword by The Master. 2. Introduction. 3. Chapter 1. Rights, Privileges and Charters of the Glaziers' Company. Chapter 2. The Company's Armorial Bearings. Chapter 3. The Craft and other charitable activities of the Company. Chapter 4. The story of the Glaziers' Halls. Chapter 5. Extracts from the Minutes Books of the Court of Assistants. Appendices. 1. Masters, Upper Wardens, Clerks, Chaplains and Beadles. 2. Senior Officers that did not proceed. 3. Members of the Company upon whom Honours were conferred and/or who held high office in the City and Corporation of London. 4. Members of the Royal Family and Honorary Freeman of the Company. 5. Persons admitted to the Livery by Gift. 6. Livery Halls and other accommodation used by the Company. 7. Dinners then and now. Chapter 6. The Glaziers' Company's associations with other organisation. Chapter 7. Some valued possessions. Chapter 8. Some famous names in glazing. IV - FOREWORD Since Ashdown's History of the Glaziers' Company from its earliest recorded existence in 1328 until 1918 was published, those wishing to know something of events during the succeeding eight decades have had to be content with the brief accounts in the Company's Livery List (the Blue Book) and, more recently, the Silver Booklet. Several offers and suggestions during that time proved to be abortive but it is to the credit of the Company's Honorary Surveyor and Librarian, Assistant R.E Lane, that his initiative gained the approval of the Court ofAssistants. Apart from the long and wide experience of the Company that he derived from his Offices in it, Mr. Lane has shown his ability in the field of historical writing with his account of Guilds outwith London. His appeal for assistance was answered by Past Masters P.S. London and P.H. Trollope and between them these three have been responsible for the bulk of the labour of selecting relevant extracts from the Minutes of the meetings of the Court of Assistants. The editors were fortunate in obtaining the assistance of the former Glass Information Officer and present Chairman of the Craft and Competitions Committee, Assistant PhilIida Shaw, and the present Glass Information Officer, Adelle Corrin, whose painstaking researches provided the foundations for chapters 3 and 6. The nature and extent of the achievements recorded in these two chapters were felt to be best expressed by separating them from the rest of the Minutes and thereby giving them a coherence that they might otherwise have lacked. Readers will surely be struck by the range and success of the Company's efforts to proclaim and sustain the continuing importance of a "mystery" that stretches back far beyond its own existence. Similar considerations apply to chapters 2, 4 and 7. The period covered by this supplement to Ashdown's works deals with some of the most important events in the entire history of the Glaziers' Company and I am very pleased to have this opportunity to pay due tribute to the three editors of this work and their collaborators. P.R. Batchelor, Master. October, 2000. v - INTRODUCTION The 80 years that have elapsed since the pUblication of Ashdown's History of the Glaziers' Company from 1328 to 1918 have seen greater changes in the Company's activities than occurred during 590 years. Outstanding among those changes have been, firstly, the Company's increasing efforts to promote interest in, knowledge of and support for the art and craft of stained and painted glass and, secondly, the acquisition of a Hall. The general plan of the contents resembles that of Ashdown's History, some of which it repeats in abbreviated form in order to acquaint newcomers with the history of the City of London and its Livery Companies, with particular relevance to the Glaziers' Company. For all the importance of the Charters granted to the Company in the 17C. we have not thought it necessary to reproduce them, or the Company's Ordinances: they are given in full in Ashdown's History and can be studied in the Library, Most of the book is devoted to the changes that have taken place since 1918. Among them is the exemplification of the Company's armorial bearings, the design of which had been unsettled for centuries. Although London's Livery Companies have a reputation for lavish ceremonial and hospitality, many still play an important part in their trades and businesses as well as administering educational and other charities. Since the Second World War the Glaziers' Company has awarded increasing numbers of prizes and scholarships and has provided practical support for promising young artists and craftsmen and women as well as rescuing and contributing to the cost of conserving and restoring stained and painted glass of historical or artistic merit. This subject and the acquisition of a Hall are dealt with in separate chapters. The acquisition of a Hall sprang from the establishment of a Hall Building Fund in 1929 and was completed nearly 50 years later, thereby closing an interesting historical circle that had its origins in the ISC., when glaziers from the Low Countries settled in Southwark. Although this was only just across the river from the City of London, these immigrants were outwith the control of the then Guild of Glaziers. A century ago, glass makers in Southwark produced Prior's Early English Slab Glass, which quickly won acclaim by the Arts and Crafts' Movement for its richness of colour and sparkling qualities. Glass is no longer made in Southwark and the Worshipful Company no longer exercises control over the mystery that it represents but it has come to play an important part in the Borough. The core of the book is taken from the Minutes of the meetings of the Court of Assistants from 1919 to 1999 but during that period the Company has been associated with other bodies with relevant interests, particularly the British Society of Master Glass Painters, and these associations have a chapter of their own. Since Ashdown wrote his book information about distinguished but long dead members of the Livery have come to light and has been added to notes about modern artists and craftsmen. In addition to narrative chapters are appendices that list Officers, Honorary Officers, members of the Company of great distinction and some of the Company's valued possessions. We thank the Court ofAssistants for their support and encouragement of our efforts and we add our thanks to those of The Master for the invaluable contributions of Assistant Phillida Shaw and Mrs Adelle Corrin. We also thank the Clerk, Colonel David Eking, for his careful reading of the typescript and for numerous helpful suggestions. We have pleasure in thanking Mr Brian Humphreys of M. & B. Print Solutions for his expert advice in turning our script into an elegant publication and also in acknowledging the willing and courteous assistance of the staff of the Guildhall Library in making available the Company's records that are in their care. R.E Lane, P.S. London, P.H. TrolIope October, 2000. vi P.R. Batchelor Master 2000 R.F. Lane P.S. London P. H. Trollope Hon Surveyor & Librarian Master 1983 Master 1990 P. Shaw A. Corrin Glass Information Officer Glass Information Officer 1983 - 1994 1994 - 2013 Master 2005 This history, first printed in 2000, was digitised by David Whyman in 2020 and presented to the Glaziers’ Company in 2021 by Phillida Shaw in memory of Robert Lane, Peter London, Patrick Trollope and Adelle Corrin. Chapter 1. THE RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES AND CHARTERS OF THE GLAZIERS' COMPANY. Although "verrers", i.e. glaziers, had worked in England as early as the seventh century it was not until 1328 that there was any record of a Guild of Glaziers. This took the form of a list of "Glasyrs", who are named in chapter 8. Ashdown explains at the beginning of his History of the Glaziers' Company that "The craft Guilds of the Middle Ages were composed of communities of men bound together by a common object, namely the furtherance and protection of the particular craft or mystery* by which their livelihood was obtained". They were at first based on families but increasing demands for goods and services made it necessary to recruit others, who were carefully selected before being introduced to the mysteries of the trade, art or calling, and swearing appropriate oaths. Violation of these oaths could be heavily penalized for the sake of maintaining the standards set by the Guild, standards in which the State played no part. Guilds bought from the Municipalities or the Sovereign the right to make their own rules and regulations for the benefit of their trade and as their numbers increased throughout the nation so did their influence in the affairs of the nation. Training and recognition as a Master Craftsman, who was competent to take apprentices, was strictly regulated. Apprenticeships still exist in some trades but the purely nominal apprenticeship of the Glaziers' Company only just survived Hitler's War. On the other hand, in reeent years the Company has created opportunities for students and young glaziers to gain experience in the craft.

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