The Brewers’ Pall Cloth: a masterpiece of English embroidery

A major exhibition opened on 1 October at the V&A Museum, called "Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery". This is of special interest to Brewers because one of the Company’s most outstanding artefacts is our Pall Cloth, now more than 500 years old. It is a magnificent example of workmanship, from an era when England was the producer of the highest quality embroidery in all Europe – a technique known as ‘Opus Anglicanum’ or “English work”.

The Pall Cloth was made in the late 1400s/early 1500s and used at the funerals of all Liverymen, as a cover for the coffin. Company funerals were not only occasions for Liverymen to mourn the loss of one of their members, but also an important way of ‘corporate bonding’, usually with a feast following the burial. The pall cloth covered the coffins of Past Masters, Wardens, and ordinary Liverymen alike, and emphasised their equality in death - but was also a status symbol, representing the pride which Brewers felt in identifying with their Company.

The pall cloth is made of gold cloth and red velvet, with very fine needlework showing symbols of importance to the Brewers: ears of barley, the Company’s coat of arms, and images of our patron saint, Thomas Becket, along with the Virgin Mary (who is on the Company’s original seal, now in the Museum of London). Latin verses from the burial service are included.

Most Livery pall cloths were destroyed or sold after the Reformation, owing to the religious images they displayed. The Brewers are one of a lucky, select few to retain a medieval pall cloth to this day, along with the Fishmongers, Merchant Taylors, Vintners, Saddlers, Ironmongers and Parish Clerks.

Many exhibits have been specially borrowed from abroad for the V&A exhibition, which lasts until early February 2017. The Curator had to select just one pall cloth as representative of those from Livery Companies, and the Fishmongers’ one, recently conserved, was chosen. Our pall cloth featured in the V&A’s last Opus Anglicanum exhibition back in 1963. It has also been on display, either at the V&A or the Museum of London, for over 50 years since the current Hall - which lacks adequate facilities to display it - was opened in 1960. However, since 2011 it has been carefully kept in storage here at Brewers’ Hall.