Motto | True Hearts and Warm Hands |
---|---|
Location | City of London |
Date of formation | 1349 |
Company association | Glove Trade |
Order of precedence | 62nd |
Master of company | Clive Grimley, November 2023 - November 2024 |
Website |
www |
The Worshipful Company of Glovers is one of the ancient Livery Companies of the City of London. [1] Glovers separated from the Cordwainers to form their own organisation in 1349 and received a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1639. The company is, as are most other Livery Companies, a charitable body, but it still retains close links to its original trade.
The Company ranks 62nd in the order of precedence of Livery Companies. [2] They are a member of the 'Leathery Group' of Livery Companies, along with the Leathersellers, Coachmakers & Coach Harness Makers, Cordwainers, Curriers, Girdlers, Loriners, Saddlers, and Pattenmakers. [3]
The company's motto is True Hearts and Warm Hands. [4]
Glovers, along with Girdlers were originally classified as Cordwainers, but separated to form their own organisation in 1349. Following a decline in numbers, they were merged with the Pursers in 1498 and then the Leathersellers in 1502. They became independent again under a Royal Charter of incorporation from King Charles I in 1638. [5] Royal links are still maintained; for example, the Company presented Princess Elizabeth with 30 pairs of gloves in a casket on the occasion of her marriage. [6] The company has previously formally presented the Sovereign with a glove upon his or her coronation, however King Charles lll used the glove presented to his grandfather King George Vl by the Company in 1937. [7]
In the 18th century the Glovers produced three Lord Mayors: John Barnard (1737; he translated to the more prestigious Grocers Company just prior to becoming Lord Mayor), John Burnell (1787, the oldest Lord Mayor ever), and Sir John Anderson (1797). [8]
The hall was abandoned in the late 18th century.
The coat of arms was first granted in 1464, [9] and the supporters were added in 1986. The arms are “on a field of six pieces Sable and Argent three Rams salient armed and unguled Or” and feature sheep, which provided much of the raw material for gloves. The supporters are a male apprentice of the Glovers' Company, and a Sempster (a sewing woman) dressed circa 1638. [10]
The Charity Projects Committee (CPC) administers the Glovers' charitable donations. [11] Around 50 charities are supported, [12] the largest group of which are homeless charities and hospices who receive gloves for warmth, clinical needs and catering purposes. Other glove donations include gardening gloves to help with mental and physical therapy, cryotherapy gloves for patients undergoing cancer treatment at Portsmouth Hospital [13] and protective gloves for charity led emergency services such as London's Air Ambulance. The CPC offers student bursaries and grants to selected schools and colleges and supports community projects in areas of need, including The Winch [14] which provides after-school clubs and holiday schemes for children in Campden. [15] A significant recent initiative is the provision of myoelectric prosthetic hands from Open Bionics for children and adults who would not otherwise be able to access them. [16] [17]
The Trust was established in 1993 as a charity to "advance public education in the historical, social, and artistic value of gloves". [18] In 2003 the Company gifted its collection of about 250 items, to the Trust. [19] The core of this was the collection of mainly 17th and 18th century gloves bequeathed to the company by the artist Robert Spence in 1964. [20] The trustees have subsequently expanded the Glove Collection to approximately 2300 items [21] which can be viewed on the Trust's dedicated website. [22] A prominent contributor to this expansion was Past Assistant Douglas Sweet, who spent 30 years making acquisitions. The Trust published an illustrated booklet containing twenty notable gloves to commemorate his work. [23] The collection is now held in the care of the Fashion Museum, Bath. The Trust periodically lends items for display at other museums, UK and overseas. [19]
Whilst traditional glove making has largely moved offshore [24] there are still specialist UK companies engaged in the design, development, importation and distribution of technical, military, medical and industrial gloves as well as fashion companies making or distributing dress gloves in the UK and for export markets.
The Glovers run an annual "Golden Glove Award for Innovation". [25] This was won in 2022 by the British Equestrian Federation. [26] Student glove design and safety poster design competitions are also run annually to encourage practical and innovative glove design, and an awareness of hand protection in an industrial environment. The 2024 glove design competition had two categories: a Glasto Glove (for any music artist who has ever played at Glastonbury), or an Aesthetic Prosthetic (a prosthetic hand design that reworks function and form to a new artistic level). [27] The competitions are sponsored by The Glovers Company [28] and the winners in all categories receive cash prizes, which are presented at a formal luncheon in a City of London Livery Hall.
The Worshipful Company of Glovers, like many other Livery Companies, has forged links with units of the Armed Forces. [29] Specifically:
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