Worshipful Company of Cordwainers
Encyclopedia
The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers is one of the Livery Companies
of the City of London
. Cordwainer
s were workers in fine leather; the Company gets its name from "cordwain" (cordovan
), the white leather produced from goatskin
in Cordova
, Spain. All fine leather makers, including Glovers'
and Girdlers'
, were originally classified as Cordwainers; however, the term eventually came to refer only to fine leather footwear, including boots. Other leather-related Livery Companies, which enjoy close relations with the Cordwainers' include the Curriers'
, Leathersellers'
, Saddlers'
and Tallow Chandlers'
.
The Cordwainers' Company, which received the right to regulate City trade in 1272 (the same year as the Curriers'
), received a Royal Charter
of incorporation in 1439. The status of the Company as a trade association has lessened over the years; the Company is now, as are most other Livery Companies, a charitable body.
The Company ranks twenty-seventh in the order of precedence
of Livery Companies and is the highest ranked one without its own Livery Hall. The Company's motto is Corio et Arte, Latin for Leather and Art.
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. Cordwainer
Cordwainer
A cordwainer is a shoemaker/cobbler who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer was used as early as 1100 in England...
s were workers in fine leather; the Company gets its name from "cordwain" (cordovan
Cordovan
Shell cordovan is a type of leather commonly used in shoemaking. Cordovan is an equine leather made from the fibrous flat muscle beneath the hide on the rump of the horse...
), the white leather produced from goatskin
Goatskin
Goatskin may refer to:* Goatskin , the skin of a goat or the leather made from it* Goatskin , a container for wine...
in Cordova
Cordova
-Places:*Cordova, Alabama, USA*Cordova, Alaska, USA*Cordova, Cebu, Philippines*Cordova, Illinois, USA*Cordova, Maryland, USA*Cordova, Nebraska, USA*Cordova, New Mexico, USA*Cordova, South Carolina, USA*Cordova, Tennessee, USA*Córdoba, Argentina...
, Spain. All fine leather makers, including Glovers'
Worshipful Company of Glovers
The Worshipful Company of Glovers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Glovers were originally classified as Cordwainers, but eventually separated to form their own organization in 1349. They received a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1639...
and Girdlers'
Worshipful Company of Girdlers
The Worshipful Company of Girdlers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation was awarded the right to regulate Girdlers in 1327; it was granted a Royal Charter in 1449. The Girdlers, or makers of belts and girdles, are no longer closely related to their original trade...
, were originally classified as Cordwainers; however, the term eventually came to refer only to fine leather footwear, including boots. Other leather-related Livery Companies, which enjoy close relations with the Cordwainers' include the Curriers'
Worshipful Company of Curriers
The Worshipful Company of Curriers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Curriers, or curers of leather, first formed an organisation in 1272. This organisation became a Company under a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1605...
, Leathersellers'
Worshipful Company of Leathersellers
The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation originated in the latter part of the fourteenth century and received a Royal Charter in 1444...
, Saddlers'
Worshipful Company of Saddlers
The Worshipful Company of Saddlers is one of the most ancient of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Guild of Saddlers, the Company's predecessor, is thought to have been an Anglo-Saxon Craft Guild – it certainly existed at some point in the eleventh century. The Guild became a Company...
and Tallow Chandlers'
Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers
The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation, which engaged in not only tallow candle making but also in the trade of oils, received a Royal Charter in 1462...
.
The Cordwainers' Company, which received the right to regulate City trade in 1272 (the same year as the Curriers'
Worshipful Company of Curriers
The Worshipful Company of Curriers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Curriers, or curers of leather, first formed an organisation in 1272. This organisation became a Company under a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1605...
), received a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of incorporation in 1439. The status of the Company as a trade association has lessened over the years; the Company is now, as are most other Livery Companies, a charitable body.
The Company ranks twenty-seventh in the order of precedence
Order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments...
of Livery Companies and is the highest ranked one without its own Livery Hall. The Company's motto is Corio et Arte, Latin for Leather and Art.