Our Election Court General falls on Tuesday 21st April 2026 and will be held in the stunning surroundings of Armourers’ Hall, 81 Coleman Street, London EC2R 5BJ.
All Liverymen and Freemen are strongly encouraged to attend our Election Court General commencing at 5.00 pm. It is an extremely important event in our calendar when Officers are elected for the ensuing year. Our Officers in line are Senior Warden Kevin Fenlon, Junior Warden Steve Durdant-Hollamby, Keeper of the Roll Julian Milligan and Court Assistant Rav Singh Sumal.
During the Court General, those qualified Freemen (being those that have received their Freedom of the City at Guildhall) who wish to be “clothed” in the Livery will also be admitted as new Liverymen of the Company. Our newly admitted Liverymen, family and guests are also most welcome. The Chairs of all our Committees will also provide a short overview to Liverymen and Freemen on the activities of their respective Committee.
A short Tour of the Hall for our Guests will commence at 5.30 pm.
The Election Court General is followed by a Reception at 6.30pm and sumptuous three-course Dinner at 7:15 pm.
This year we are privileged to welcome the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment PWRR, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Bowman as our Guest Speaker. 3 PWRR is one of our valued military affiliations.
Please book your tickets by Tuesday 7th April at the latest. You will need to first log into the Members area to do so.
Cost of the Reception and Dinner is £150 per person including VAT.
Dress code: Lounge suits and ties / Dress / Suits for ladies.
Refunds: In the event that you are unable to attend the Dinner, you can only do so by emailing the Clerk by Monday 13th April. No refunds will be granted beyond that date.
Please note, this year we will not be holding our Annual Divine Service at the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula within HM Tower of London.
The Master sees this event as a priority event in our Livery calendar for two important reasons: the Election of our new Officers and the Installation of new Liverymen. She therefore very much hopes that members will support this important occasion and encourages you all to attend to connect with fellow members and to share an evening of fellowship, camaraderie and celebration. Family and guests are most welcome.
A Short History of the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers
The Armourers and Brasiers’ Company first emerged in 1322 when a group of twenty-six Armourers and Helmet makers was granted the right to oversee standards in the making of armour and helmets in and around the City of London. From these humble beginnings it grew in coherence and standing, and in the middle of the Wars of the Roses in 1453 was granted its first charter of incorporation by King Henry VI. In 1515 the Company absorbed the Blade makers. Its reputation was further enhanced in Henry VIII’s reign by an increase in skills which emulated those of the Greenwich armourers imported by Henry from Germany and Italy. By Elizabeth I’s reign, the Company was accepted as equal to the foreign armour makers.
In times of peace the Company had diversified into brass making and, when armour went out of use after the Restoration, it turned over to this secondary craft. In recognition of this change of direction Queen Anne granted what is now the Company’s operative charter to the Armourers and Brasiers’ Company in 1708. Unlike many City Livery Companies, it continued its oversight of the trade until the industrial revolution taking apprentices from all over England and from all walks of society, with special arrangements for charity children.
In the 19th Century, the brass trade moved to Birmingham and the Company lost some of its close associations but, encouraged by the City Livery Companies Commission of 1878, it held on to its association with the trade by subsidising education about and within metallurgy.
In the 20th Century the Company continued and extended this association by forming the Gauntlet Trust which encourages and funds research into Materials Science. The membership of the Company reflects this interest, and its finances have been organised to maximise the Company’s support.
The Hall
The first hall was bought in 1428, 25 years before the first Charter regularised it legally, and it had to be owned by trustees. It is described in the first deed as “the Dragon and five shops”. The money was raised among the membership who also paid for the glazing of the windows. By 1454 it consisted of “the Dragon and two shops”, three of the shops having been used in the conversion of the building. The Hall narrowly escaped the Great Fire and in late 1666 had a counting house, a parlour, a buttery, a larder, a kitchen with three chimneys, a hall, a beer cellar, a lumber room, a posting room, a court room, a withdrawing room, an armoury and a place of easement.
In the 18th Century the Hall was constantly repaired and refurbished. By 1835 however, the building was costing more to maintain than it was thought to be worth and the Court decided to rebuild. The New Hall, first occupied in 1841, was designed by Joseph Henry Good, the Company’s surveyor, who was also surveyor of St Andrew’s Holborn and a pupil of Sir John Soane. The Livery Hall was Gothicised in 1871-3.