The Worshipful Company of Salters is one of the Livery Companies

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...

, 9th in 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...

. The Company originated as the Guild of Corpus Christi, which was granted 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 1559. Further Charters granted the Company the authority to set standards and regulations regarding the products of its members.

Originally, the Salters' Company included individuals whose trades involved the usage of salts and the preparation of chemical mixtures for use in food. As with many other livery companies, the Salters' Company has lost its direct connection to its original trade. Currently, however, the company supports the chemical industry and supports education in chemistry, for example by awarding scholarships to chemistry students. Furthermore, it is a charitable organization.

The Company's motto is Sal Sapit Omnia, Latin for Salt Savours All.

Salters' Hall

Salters' Hall, St. Swithin's Lane, was home of the company till bombed in 1941. The hall was during the 1700s the meeting place of Presbyterians and in 1719 the site of the "Salter's Hall controversy" a notable turning point in religious tolerance in England. The present Salters' Hall on Fore Street dates from 1976.

Salters' Institute

This is the educational charity of the Company, originally set up in 1918 as the Salters' Institute of Industrial Chemistry to support chemistry students after the First World War, particularly those whose studies had been interrupted by military service. It now provides prizes for students of chemistry, chemical engineering, biology and physics, (plus science technicians) as well as running various activities to promote the study of science, particularly chemistry.