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Leathersellers’ Review 2024–2025
Gifts and Acquisitions
Photographs of the Leathersellers’ float, Lord Mayor’s Show, 1937 Two rare and delightful photographs were acquired that capture images of the Leathersellers’ float at the Lord Mayor’s Show in 1937, a year that a Leatherseller, Colonel Sir Richard William Sanders Eaton, was the non-Aldermanic Sheriff of the City of London. The float included under a long banner a display of animal skins and leathermaking equipment, emphasising the Company’s links to its historic industry. Until this acquisition was made we had no photographs of this event in our collections.
Kate Higgins Archivist
Honorary Freedom certificate of Charles Warren In May 2025 we received a generous gift from Isabella Warren, whose late husband was a descendant of Sir Charles Warren, Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1886- 1888. Sir Charles was admitted to the Honorary Freedom of the Leathersellers’ Company on 4th May 1887 ‘in recognition of distinguished military and other services to this Country’. His beautifully illustrated and decorative certificate is signed by the Master, Wardens and Clerk of the time, and has the Leathersellers’ common seal affixed. Silver label with silver belcher chain One of the purchases for the Company’s collections this year was made, unusually, on Facebook Marketplace. Possibly a wine decanter label, the front of this sterling silver label shows the full heraldic achievement of the Leathersellers’ Company with the text ‘VAUGHTON BIRM’ stamped underneath, and has a 1904-1905 Birmingham hallmark.
Coxwain’s leather wrist band At the request of affiliate submarine HMS Audacious , the Company commissioned Leathersellers’ Foundation alumna, Jen Sims, to create 53 white leather Coxwain’s wristbands for the Submarine Service. The Coxswain is a senior non- commissioned officer in the Submarine Service who plays a critical leadership and management role from discipline and welfare to operations and emergency response. The wristbands give the Coxswain Special Command to give orders to personnel above the rank they hold and the integrity to correct the Commanding Officer when needed. One has been acquired for addition to the Leathersellers’ heritage collections. They are made from a mixture of vegetable and chrome tanned leather, with small stainless steel bridle buckles. The heraldic achievement of the Leathersellers is embossed on the underside, worn against the skin, with the badge of the Coxswain affixed to the top.
Company menus and ephemera Court Assistant Richard Chard kindly donated some ephemera that had been collected by his father Past Master John Chard (Master 1991-1992). This consists of Company menus, toasts, speeches and similar ephemera, including that gathered during John Chard’s year as Master. These items fill gaps in our collections, particularly menus from the 1950s and 1960s – a period for which we had few menus previously.
Prisons document In June 2025 an item was purchased at auction that is direct evidence of the Leathersellers’ ancient charitable commitment to supporting prisoner rehabilitation. Dating back to 1707, this is a framed and mounted receipted bill for £2.3s.4d, paid for bread supplied to the Company for distribution amongst prisoners in the Poultry Compter and Newgate, Fleet, Marshalsea and Queen’s Bench prisons. This is the earliest bill of any kind now found in the Leathersellers’ archives.
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