The Worshipful Company of Upholders

This page contains a number of images and old documents relating to the Company and other items that may be of interest to the browser. The images are all available for viewing by clicking on the butterfly which accompanies the blue text, or on the 'thumbnail' pictures.

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GUILDHALL PRINTS

We have a page with some amusing and interesting images from the Guildhall Library for you to visit but you should be aware that the images are quite large (in bytes) and the pages may take a few seconds to download.

We have obtained formal approval from the Guildhall Library for the reproduction of these images on our web site and we hope you will enjoy them. To go to the new page simply click on the butterfly above - and remember that to get back to where you were - you need to keep clicking on the 'Back' button on your browser programme, until you get there.

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Some Old Documents

The first record of upholsterers forming a fraternity can be traced back to 1360 but there are no trade labels or trade documents we are aware of which date back that far. The earliest trade label we have found for a Freeman of the Company is an invoice heading which dates from the very early eighteenth century. If anyone has references to earlier documents we would be very interested to know about it!

An invoice heading of Robert Webb who was admitted to the Company in 1712

Not all Freemen of the Company used the sign of three tents in their trade labels, as Webb did, but it is interesting to note that where the sign was used it was always referred to as the 'Sign of the Three Tents' indicating that, in the early days at least, the distinctive 'badge' of the Company was considered to be an illustration of 'tents' rather than bed covers or 'spervers'. The next document is another example:-

An advertisement by Henry Newton -
Upholsterer 'At the Three Tents' (circa 1760)

Henry Newton was not a Freeman of the Company but was an upholsterer and used the sign. Regrettably, many of our original documents have been lost. Some in the Great Fire of London (1666) and more in a fire at the premises of one of our Past Masters - Mr. Francis Say - where they were being stored in 1812.

An advertisement by Francis Say - Upholsterer and Cabinet Maker
Master of the Company 1774/5

Grant of Arms

In September 2006 The Company obtained a certificate of the 1465 original grant of arms. The certificate is dated 1634 and is written and painted on parchment and later approved and entered in the College of Arms Visitation of London book of 1634, it is the oldest document or artefact in the Company's possession. It was obtained at auction by Past Master Derek Austin and the purchase financed by individual Court members. The certificate measures about ten and a half inches by thirteen and a half inches and is now held by the Guildhall Library, who hold our collection of records, so that it may be accessed by students and researchers in the future.

The text on the certificate is somewhat faded but a transcription and further explanations of the document have been placed on a separate page together with a much larger photograph of it. This page may be accessed by clicking on the picture - left.

Most of the original Company treasures have been lost in fires over the centuries and this is a most valuable addition to the Company's archives. These documents included the original grant of arms in 1465 and our original Charter from Charles I in 1626. We have, quite recently (1963), obtained a new grant of arms and this is displayed on the Home Page of our web site and is available for viewing here as well, if you wish, below - left. A new exemplification was obtained in 1995 which contains the 'badge' of the Company - a lamb lying on a cushion and holding the flag of St. George within a tent. This may also be viewed here by clicking on the thumbnail below - right.

The Company motto is 'Sustine Bona' which means - Uphold the Good

The Queens South Africa Medal

During the years 1899-1902 Britain was fighting the Boer War in South Africa. At the quarterly Court meeting held on 9th January 1900 at the Albion Tavern, Aldersgate Street, a letter from the Lord Mayor dated 27th December 1899 was read. In it support was sought from the City Companies for the raising of a regiment of 1000 men to be called the City of London Imperial Volunteers for active service in South Africa. The Court agreed, along with most if not all of the other City Companies, that a donation be made to the Lord Mayor's Fund for the Imperial Volunteers. The regiment was duly raised and served with distinction in South Africa.

The Government was more than happy for the cost of raising and equipping the regiment to be met largely by the City and decided, unusually, that the campaign medal be awarded to the City Companies who had helped finance the regiment. In a letter dated 30th August 1901 the War Office wrote "..... on the recommendation of Field Marshall Earl Roberts, Commander-in-Chief, His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve the presentation of the South Africa War Medal to the Worshipful Company of Upholders in commemoration of the spontaneous and patriotic liberality shown by that and other City Companies in assisting to raise and equip the City of London Imperial Volunteers for active service in South Africa. I have accordingly now the pleasure of forwarding a South African Medal for acceptance by your Company, the clasps attached to the medal being those earned by the City of London Imperial Volunteers during the War."

N.B. The seven clasps awarded were:- BELFAST 26-27 August 1900, WITTEBERGEN 1-29 July 1900, DIAMOND HILL 11-12 June 1900, JOHANNESBURG 31 May 1900, DRIEFONTEIN 10 March 1900, PAARDEBERG 17-26 February 1900 and CAPE COLONY 11 October 1899 - 31 May 1902.

This campaign medal is unusual in that it shows the head of Queen Victoria who died in January 1901 while the war was still in progress.

The Upholders' Livery Exhibition Stand

The Company Stand at the Livery Exhibition in 1994 included two full size examples of the 'badge' as well as other items of current and historical interest. The thumbnail below will open a photograph of the stand:-

The Company's Hall

The Upholders Hall was destroyed in the great fire of 1666 and never rebuilt (further information can be read in the Company's 'Financial History' and in 'Featherbedds and Flock Bedds'). From the 'Introduction' to John Houston's book we learn that 'The 1666 Great Fire of London destroyed many Halls and Company archives including those of the Upholders' Company. A fire on 4 July 1812 which destroyed the premises of Messrs. Say and Kay on Ludgate Hill also consumed the "Box of trophies and chest of writings" belonging to the Company'.

From the 'Financial History', kindly re-printed by Past Master Gerald Trevor, we learn - "It is quite clear that this ground on which the Company's Hall once stood and which was the site of a Mansion House known as Wingfield House or Wingfield Place was also the site of what was known later as Crane Court. This appears to have been a narrow court or passage 100 feet long and only five feet wide at one end, containing ten dwelling houses and running between Peter's Hill and Lambeth Hill, parallel to Upper Thames Street. Both Peter's Hill and Lambeth Hill are still in existence, but the site of the Company's property is now (1934) occupied by warehouses". The site was purchased by the Corporation of London in the year 1863 for the sum of £4,250.

Thanks to the efforts of Past Master Michael Gilham the plaque marking the location of the Company's Hall has now been successfully re-located in Peter's Hill (March 2005). The plaque serves two purposes, it shows all who are interested in City history where Upholders' Hall stood and it provides members of the Company a physical focus within the City whose Lord Mayor and Corporation we all support.

A photograph of the plaque is shown below together with a photograph showing the Master, Michael Brecknell, Senior Warden James Cody, Junior Warden Antony Usher and Past Master Michael Gilham at the plaque following the United Guilds Service on March 18th, 2005.

[The Plaque]

Apprentices

The surviving Company records are very limited but the Society of Genealogists, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA has published a booklet "London Apprentices, Volume 19, Upholders' Company 1704-1772 @ £5.00 (ISBN 1 85951 303 4), 1998, which lists apprentices and their masters.

Freemen

A list of the Freedom Admissions of the Company between 1698 and 1803 is given in the paper "The Worshipful Company of Upholders of the City of London" by Karin M. Walton published in Volume IX, 1973. A copy may be seen at the Guildhall Library. The Freedom admissions for later years are shown in "Freedom Admissions to the Upholders' Company of London 1804 -1923" which may be seen at either the Guildhall Library or at the Society of Genealogists. Queries about Freedom Admissions outside these dates should be made to John Houston, Archivist, Upholders' Company via The Clerk.

The Story Behind a Snuff Box

The recent gift of a beautiful snuff box to the Upholders' Company by Past Master Alan Kinsey throws an interesting light on our history. This George IV snuff box comprises a silver mounted cowrie sea shell depicting the Upholders' arms over a scroll inscribed "Upholsterers (sic) Arms". The explanation for this apparent discrepancy lies in the maker who was Thomas Watson of Newcastle upon Tyne and the piece can be dated to c.1820.

The city of Newcastle upon Tyne, like a number of other towns, has a history of guilds and a flourishing Guild of Freemen. Among the incorporated companies (as the guilds are know in Newcastle) are the Upholsterers whose history can be traced back at least to 1675 when they received their royal charter. The Newcastle Upholsterers, like the other companies in the city, were incorporated so that they could sue and be sued in law, make regulations for their trades, levy and extract fines and control apprentices. Just as in London the history of the Newcastle companies includes a 'Great Twelve' and again, as in London, not all Freemen are members of companies.

As you browse through our pages you will often be invited to click on this device
to close a page or go back to the Index - what is it ?

It is the Company 'logo'

This device (or logo) has been used by the Company since at least 1829 and is still in use today. It depicts the sign of the 'three tents' on a black shield surrounded by a blue ribbon inscribed with the Company name and date of Charter. If you would like to see it better - click on this one !

The History of the Company

A book 'Featherbedds and Flock Bedds' about the history of the Company has been written by our Archivist John Houston and may be read at the Guildhall Library, or directly from this site, or downloaded to your hard drive for reading 'off line'. If you would like to read the book, or learn how to download it, please use the buttons under 'On Line Reading' in the Table of Contents (the window - left).

The 'Featherbedds and Flock Bedds' button will enable you to read the book now (or download it if you want to) - whereas, the 'Download' button will take you to a page with instructions on how to download it - right now!

The Financial History of the Company - 1678 to 1934

A record of our financial history was prepared and printed for the Company in 1934 and, thanks to Past Master Gerald Trevor, this has now been re-printed (1999). The booklet provides a lot of background information about our history, as well as the financial story, and provides some good reading for anyone interested in this Company.

The booklet is available from the Clerk but if you would like to read it now... just click on the button under 'Further Reading' in the Table of Contents (the window - left). This page in our web site is basically all text - so you can download it easily.

Upholstery History

The book 'Upholsterers and Interior Furnishings in England 1530-1840' by Geoffrey Beard is a richly illustrated history of the upholstery trade in Britain over 300 years. It surveys the changing styles, the craftsmen that made the furniture, and the kings and courtiers and others who purchased it. The role played by upholstery in the great houses and palaces of Britain and in the important events which shaped British history - the weddings, funerals, coronations and visitations of the monarchy and aristocracy- is set out.

The author is a former university senior lecturer and one of the founders of the Furniture History Society. He has written numerous books on aspects of craftsmanship and the decorative arts.

'Upholsterers and Interior Furnishings in England 1530-1840', 1997, ISBN 0-300-07135-3, Yale University Press, £50.00, 346pp. 212 col. and 164 b&w illustrations.

Past Upholders' Awards

It is hoped to restore the Upholders Award Scheme soon but, meantime, the two illustrations below show a 'Swing Ticket' and a 'Gold Medal' awarded to Knightsbridge Furniture relating to the then 'Upholders' Award (circa 1981/2) which may be of interest.

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