Happy 588th Birthday Brewers!
23 February 2026
22 February 2026 was the 588th birthday of the Brewers’ Company.
Our first charter was issued on 22 February 1438 by King Henry VI and this is the date we use for our official birthday. It marked the incorporation of the Brewers’ Company and gave the Brewers legal protection and security. Although the Brewers had had a corporate identity as a guild with an associated religious fraternity since the early 15th century, gaining this charter was a significant achievement, giving them Royal approval and enhanced prestige within the City.
The record kept by the then Clerk, William Porlond, tells the story of how the Brewers got their charter, including payments to officials, for the Great Seal and for making the ‘commonalty seal’ which would then have been used to authenticate company documents. The Company still has this charter whilst the seal is now in the collections of the London Museum.
Porlond records that procuring the charter, which is plain and undecorated, cost £141 and 2 shillings (around £90,000 today) and making the silver seal cost 26 shillings and 8 pence (£850 today).
If you would like to hear more about Porlond and the Company’s quest for the charter, do join us on Monday 2 March at 5-7pm for the Book Launch Party for the second part of the transcript of Porlond’s book. Please email Kate Longhurst at [email protected] to register.
