Archives
Mercers' Company Archive
Mercers’ Company Archive hold the historic records of the Mercers’ Company from
1348 to the present, documenting every aspect of the history of the Company and
its administration. The archive serves as the corporate memory for the Company,
as well as providing a wealth of historical sources for academic research.
The archive also holds the records of trusts bequeathed to the Company over the
centuries; major collections including those of the estates and charities of Sir
Richard Whittington, Henry Howard - Earl of Northampton, Sir Thomas Gresham, Lady
Joan Bradbury and Dean John Colet.
Records
Record series of particular note include: Acts of Court (main minutes series
of the Company) 1453 to the present; Company’s Account books from 1442; Company
Charters and Ordinances; Registers of Members from 1348, and Registers of Apprentices
1619 to 1888; and Minutes of the Joint Grand Gresham Committee from 1596 to the
present.
A broad range of general subjects are covered by records in the archive: City
history; Livery Company history; the colonisation of Northern Ireland; charitable
works, including the care of the elderly; the development of housing; and the
history of the provision of education.
The archive incorporates a broad range of record types – from bound volumes to
individual manuscripts; title deeds to photographs; maps and plans to modern files.
The conservation and preservation of, and access to, the records is professionally
managed, and the records stored to British Standards specifications.
Access to the Archive
The Mercers' Company regrets that for operational reasons we are unable to respond
to outside enquiries for the foreseeable future.
