Tylers' and Bricklayers' Company
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| Location | peripatetic |
|---|---|
| Date of formation | 1568 |
| Company association | Bricklaying; roof tiling & slating; ceramic wall & floor tiling (including mosaic tiling) |
| Order of precedence | 37th |
| Master of company | David Szymanski |
| Motto | In God is all our trust, let us never be confounded |
| Website | www.tylersandbricklayers.co.uk |
The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation of Tylers (roof and floor tile layers) and Bricklayers existed in 1416; it was incorporated by a Royal Charter in 1568. Originally, the Company possessed a monopoly over bricklaying within the City of London. However, after the Great Fire of London, the King decreed that brick or stone, instead of timber, should be used in the building of homes. There was too much rebuilding to be done by only the Tylers' and Bricklayers' Company; craftsmen from across England were summoned, and the monopoly was terminated. The Company now exists, along with most Livery Companies, primarily as a charitable body. The Company also supports various building schools.
The Tylers' and Bricklayers' Company ranks thirty-seventh in the order of precedence of Livery Companies.
The earliest reference to the Company is in 1416 though records show that a Guild representing the crafts was in existence well before that time. The Company’s Charter was granted in 1568. A City Ordinance of 1570 defined its area of control as being within a radius of 15 miles of the City.
The Company flourished initially with brick and tiles being used in place of timber and thatch. The Great Fire of 1666 led to a Royal Proclamation requiring their use. The rebuilding programme was beyond the capacity of Company members; craftsmen flocked in from elsewhere and the monopoly was broken. The succeeding years saw a continuing reduction in the influence and fortunes of the Company which nonetheless retained ownership of a hail until the end of the 19th century and almshouses in Islington into the second half of the 20th century. Masters and Liverymen of the Company have ensured that it still plays its part in support of the City, its crafts and numerous charitable causes.
Two of the Company's liverymen have served as Lord Mayor of London.
Members of the Company are drawn from a very wide range of backgrounds. Applications are welcomed not only from those with family, craft or professional links with the Company but also from anyone, working in the City or elsewhere, or retired, who wishes to support and uphold the objectives of the Company set out on the cover.
A range of social and educational events are arranged which allow members, their wives and guests the opportunity of dining in some of the City’s finest Livery halls and of visit ing some of its greatest and historic institutions.
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Wikipedia