Leathersellers’
Review 2011-12
C O N T E N TS
2
Master’s Review
4
Court and Livery News
6
Obituaries
7
Staff News
8
Charities Review
9
Leathersellers’ Close
10
Estates Report
10
Diamond Jubilee Statue
11
Digging up the Past
12
Tree Rings Reveal Secrets
of Royal Portrait
14
Election Day Service
15
The Leathersellers and
Higher Education
18
Old Master comes to
light!
20
Colfe’s School
20
Leathersellers’ Federation
of Schools
22
ICLT – University of
Northampton
23
Thames Diamond Jubilee
Pageant
24
Father of the Nation:
Eric Williams
26
HMS Tireless
27
Lunch with the Queen
28
Queen’s Dragoon Guards
29
Sport
30
Young Livery
31
Committees – Calendar
Diamond Jubilee Lunch at Westminster Hall
o doubt every Master thinks that his
year has been a busy one, but this last
year does indeed seem to have been
packed with activity. It has of course been
our first full year without our own Hall, a
challenge which the staff have risen to with
their usual good humour and
resourcefulness. Members of the Livery
have enjoyed the experience of visiting
other Halls; during the year we have used
the Cutlers’, Carpenters’, Girdlers’ and
Dyers’ Halls as well as the Vintners’ for our
events. Sustaining the sense of fellowship
amongst the Livery has been a priority in
the absence of a Hall, so I am particularly
grateful that so many of the Livery made
the effort to attend Common Hall in May,
as well as to Charles Barrow, Michael
Binyon and Andrew Strong for their useful
and informative presentations.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at the
N
beginning of June unquestionably marked
a high point of the year: the celebrations
began for us on Saturday 2nd June by
attending a 62-gun salute by the Honourable
Artillery Company at the Tower of London
at the kind invitation of the Constable of
the Tower, General the Lord Dannatt. The
following day I was privileged to cox the
Leathersellers’ Company cutter in the River
Pageant; despite the miserable weather and
a strong headwind the crew, comprising
Tony Watson, Hamish Williams, Tom
Swanson, Martin Dove, Andrew Newton
and Tim Fooks (not to forget our reserve,
James Barrow, and the deadweight in the
form of the Clerk), did a valiant job and
had a lot of fun. The long weekend
culminated in the luncheon which the
Livery Companies gave the Queen on
Tuesday 5th June: guests at our table
included Christine Brown (Warden of our
C OV E R I L L U S T R AT I O N S
The Leathersellers’ Company
21 Garlick Hill
London EC4V 2AU
Telephone 020 7330 1444
www.leathersellers.co.uk
Printers: Trident Printing, Hastings
Telephone: 01424 858267
2
Front: Our portrait of King
Henry VI, following recent
conservation work. Layers
of dull varnish, and traces
of earlier unsatisfactory
attempts to restore the
painting, have been
removed – revealing the
original crisp colours once more.
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
Back: The portrait of King
Richard III at the National
Portrait Gallery. Tree ring
analysis on the wood
panels on which these two
portraits are painted has
produced some fascinating
results (see pages 12-13).
T H E
M A S T E R ’ S
almshouses in Barnet), the founder and
director of “U-Turn” (a charity which helps
abused women in Bethnal Green and
which we support), a sea cadet from
TS Challenger and an apprentice from
Scottish Leather Group attending a course
at the Institute for Creative Leather
Technologies (ICLT, part of the University
of Northampton) which we sponsor. The
group reflected a cross-section of the
Company’s educational and charitable
activities and military affiliations, serving
to demonstrate the extent of our
“outreach”, importantly so when the
activities of Livery Companies have been
subject to particular scrutiny.
It is good to be able to report that the
Company’s schools are going from strength
to strength. Colfe’s is steadily improving
its academic results without losing sight
of the importance of the broader artistic
and sporting aspects of education. The
bursary scheme funded by the Company
which provides for sixth form pupils from
Conisborough College, its affiliated comprehensive school, has made a good start.
And we all take pride in our association
with the Leathersellers Federation of
Schools: in September 2012, all three of
its campuses will be open for business
and together will in due
course accommodate some
4,000 pupils.
The Company’s links with the UK
leather industry are as strong as ever.
In October last year, we took part in the
opening of Pittards’ new industrial glove
factory in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and
visited the tannery with its associated
school, clinic and farm at Ejersa. During
the year your Master visited three other
tanneries, two in Scotland (courtesy of
Scottish Leather Group) and one in China,
as well as the ICLT and the Leather
Conservation Centre nearby. We have also
continued to foster our friendships with
other Livery Companies traditionally
associated with leather.
I am delighted to be able to report
that the future of the Queen’s Dragoon
Guards is now assured following the
completion of the latest defence
spending review. In January, eight
members of the Livery spent a day at sea
on board HMS Tireless (see page 27)
which we boarded in Plymouth – a big
thank you to its commanding officer,
Commander Hywel Griffiths, for making
this possible. My first engagement of the
year was to visit the National Memorial
Arboretum in Staffordshire, to which the
Company has made a significant
donation. It was a moving and humbling
experience, especially to see the Armed
Forces Memorial which is at the heart of
the arboretum.
R E V I E W
At the Company’s request, the Bishop
of London has kindly written a new collect
and grace specially for our Company.
These were used for the first time at the
Election Day Service on June 20th and
the luncheon thereafter (see page 14).
We are all looking forward to the time
when we move back into our new Hall.
During the year, protracted negotiations
with St Helen’s Church were finally
concluded successfully. At the time of
writing we await formal endorsement of
the resulting agreement from the Diocese
of London and expect demolition of 5-7
St Helen’s Place to begin in the early
autumn, and that we will be back in a
new Hall at the end of 2016. Those who
attended Common Hall in May will have
had an opportunity to view the plans.
It has been a privilege and a pleasure
to have been your Master. I should like
to finish by placing on record my
appreciation and gratitude for the support
given to Tessa and me throughout the
year by the Wardens and other members
of the Court as well as by the Clerk and
the Company’s staff. Largely thanks to
their efforts, I am confident that the
Company’s standing remains as high as it
has ever been.
Miles Emley
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3
Court and Livery News
MARTIN WILLIAM PEBODY
Second Warden
artin Pebody was born in 1953
and became a Freeman of the
Company by Redemption in 1988,
being admitted to the Livery in
1990. He was educated at Bedford
School and subsequently obtained a
degree in Business Studies from
Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry.
This was followed by training in the
leather and footwear industry – at
Nene College, Northampton, which
was soon to become the National
Leathersellers’ Centre.
In 1976 Martin became the fourth
generation of his family to enter
W.E. & J. Pebody Ltd, calf tanners for
men’s welted footwear and leather
goods. He joined the sales team,
becoming Sales and Marketing
Director. His work involved considerable travelling abroad, particularly to
North America, South Africa, Italy
and other European countries. In
1999 the Company ceased
manufacturing leather in Olney, in
north Buckinghamshire, and in his
M
MATTHEW PETER ETTIENNE PELLEREAU
Master 2012 – 2013
atthew, the elder son of a Major-General in
the Royal Engineers, was born in Aldershot in
1951. After attending Wellington College and seeking
to become a Chartered Surveyor, he gained a BSc at
the College of Estate Management, Reading
University.
He qualified as an Associate Member of the
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in 1976 and
became a Fellow in 1986.
In 1976 his uncle, Tony Garnar (Master, 198283) and Sir Kenneth Newton (Master,1977-78)
supported his application to become a Freeman by
Redemption. He joined the Livery in 1978.
A career in Commercial Property Consultancy
followed, initially in London with Jones Lang Lasalle,
Drivers Jonas and Donaldsons. Then after moving to
Hampshire he became Senior Partner of Pilgrim
Miller and Partners Fleet in 1985. Matthew Pellereau
Ltd in Camberley was established on Bastille Day in
1995.
Matthew married Philippa in 1977 and now lives
in Swarraton, Hampshire, the location of the Grange
Opera Company. They have three children: Liveryman Thomas (2006) (Tom was The Apprentice winner
in 2011 – and is now Lord Sugar’s partner in
Aventom Ltd); Liveryman Harriet (2007); and
Freeman Sarah (2012).
His interests include tennis, golf, cricket, history
and politics. Matthew is currently President of the
Winchester Conservative Association, having been
the Chairman when Steve Brine MP regained the
seat for the Conservatives at the 2010 General
Election.
M
4
role as
Chairman he
oversaw
the re-development of its
riverside location.
Martin’s connections with the
leather industry remain strong. He is
a Trustee of both the Museum of
Leathercraft and of the Leather
Conservation Centre, a member of the
Leather Industry Advisory Committee
at the University of Northampton,
and Vice-Chairman of The Leather
and Hide Trades Benevolent
Committee.
Away from the world of leather,
Martin has a longstanding enthusiasm for rugby as both a player and,
more recently, as an East Midlands
referee with over twenty years
experience. He is an ‘all weather’
supporter of Northampton ‘Saints’
Rugby. He also enjoys overseas travel
and cycling to stay fit.
TIMOTHY JOHN CHARLES FOOKS
Third Warden
im Fooks was born in 1962 and
is the son of John Fooks, who
worked with Sir Kenneth Newton in
the leather industry for many years.
Tim was invited by Sir Kenneth to
become an apprentice to the
Leathersellers’ Company in 1980.
In 1984 he became a Freeman and
was admitted to the Livery in 1988.
Tim studied medicine at the Royal
Free School of Medicine and St
Mary’s Medical School, qualifying
in 1987. He trained for General
Practice in Cambridge and moved
to Pulborough, West Sussex in 1992.
He is now senior partner of
Pulborough Medical Group, where
he continues to have a busy practice.
Tim is actively involved in
developing new services for patients,
both locally and across West Sussex,
and has sat on a number of West
T
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
Sussex
NHS
Boards.
He is
currently
chairing
the Sussexwide clinical
network board for
both maternity and paediatric
services.
Tim has been married to Sarah for
25 years this year and the eldest of
their three children is studying
medicine at Cambridge. A keen
yachtsman, Tim crossed the Atlantic
from west to east in 1999. However,
he is particularly proud to have
rowed for the Leathersellers in
HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Thames
Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June
this year.
Court and Livery News
CLARE JANE LENNON
Fourth Warden
lare Lennon was born in 1958
and is the younger daughter of
Past Master Richard Scriven (Master
1987–88) and niece of Past Master
Tim Scriven (Master 1994-95). She
became a Freeman by Patrimony in
2004 and was admitted to the
Livery in 2006. She was educated at
Queenswood School in Hatfield,
Hertfordshire, at Winkfield Place,
Windsor and at the College for
Distributive Trades in London.
Clare spent a number of years
fundraising for The Royal British
Legion, organising high-profile
special events, such as the ICFM
award-winning ‘Pedal to Paris’
bicycle ride and ‘Christmas
Celebration’ carol concert in
Guildhall. She also spent several
years working in the interior design
and decorating business, working for
some of the top interior design
C
houses.
She is a
keen
traveller
and has
managed to
spend time
in various
parts of the
world using her catering skills.
Currently, Clare looks after a
young family of three boys with
husband Peter in Oxfordshire and,
when time allows, enjoys playing
golf, tennis and making visits to the
theatre and opera. She is looking
forward to her involvement with the
Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools
as a newly-appointed governor.
Clare’s election as Fourth Warden
marks a noteworthy milestone in the
Company’s history, as she is the first
lady to be appointed as a Warden
since the Leathersellers were
incorporated in 1444.
S T E WA R D S
ere are our four new Stewards this year, from
left to right: Giles Lister and his brother Tim,
Caspar Williams, and Mark Berman. Giles and
Tim are the twin sons of Tony Lister (Master 200405); Giles is a Company Director and lives near
Canterbury, while Tim is a Chartered Accountant
and lives near Ashford. Caspar is the son of Tony
Williams (Master 1984-85), lives in Berkshire and
works as an integrative psychotherapist. Mark is
the son of Tom Berman (who retired from the
Livery this year); he is a business consultant and
lives in Brixton.
H
L E AT H E RS E L L E R
SHERIFF
WEDDINGS
ictured below with the Master, Miles Emley and
Second Warden, Matthew Pellereau, is our
Immediate Past Master and Sheriff-elect, Nigel
Pullman. Elected in June, he officially assumes his
role on 28 September 2012.
Nigel is only the third Leatherseller Sheriff since
Sir John Pound in 1895. The other two were
Alderman Colonel Richard Eaton in 1937 and
Alderman Douglas Hill in 1966. By a coincidence,
Nigel was apprenticed to Douglas Hill in 1964.
We congratulate Nigel - and will be celebrating
the honour which he has brought on the Company
in this November’s Lord Mayor’s Show.
P
hotographed here on
their wedding day –
26 May 2012 – are Tom
Pellereau and Sarah
Fawcus, who were
married at St Mary and
All Saints Church,
Droxford, Hampshire.
Congratulations! Another
Pellereau wedding, that of
Tom’s sister Harriet to
Oliver Stewart, is planned
for September 2012.
P
N E W A R R I VA L S
e have heard of only one birth this year, Delilah Jean COLE who
was born on 14 January 2012, the daughter of Freeman Alliott
Cole and his wife Katy. We depend on members to let us know of new
arrivals. If any other births have escaped our notice, we apologise!
W
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W
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5
Court and Livery News
A D M I S S I O N S & R E T I R E M E N TS
n July this year Past
Master Tim Daniels
retired from the Court.
Tim joined the Livery
in 1961 and has
served as an Assistant
for twenty-two years,
during which he was
Master twice, in 200102 and 2006-07.
Tribute was paid at the
Confirmation Court,
held at Vintners’ Hall
in July, to the many
ways in which Tim has
I
been a great asset to
the Company throughout this long period.
The prolonged,
positive and valuable
input he has
consistently provided
in the realm of our
extensive charitable
activities is especially
noteworthy and
greatly appreciated.
James Blott
stepped down from
the Court this year,
Tim Daniels and James Blott are thanked at
the Confirmation Court
after seven years as an
Assistant, but remains
on the Livery. At the
Confirmation Court he
kindly presented the
Company with a
handsome framed
watercolour of St
Helen’s Place in the
sunshine, by Bob
Moody (right).
The final retirement to report is that
of Tom Berman, who
retired from the
Livery after having
been a Liveryman
since 1985. Tom has
been a longstanding
Trustee of our Barnet
Charities. We wish
him, Tim Daniels and
James Blott a very long
and happy retirement.
We are delighted to
have two new Assistants
on the Court, Nick
Tusting and Mark
Williams. Both are
from families which
have distinguished
track records within
the Leathersellers’
Company. Nick, the
son of John Tusting
(Master 1990-91), is a
leather merchant from
the long-established
and well-known family
firm of Tusting, based
near Olney on the
Buckinghamshire/
Northamptonshire
O B I T UA R I E S
JOHN MARCUS BREARLEY
(1946 – 2012)
arcus Brearley
died suddenly,
following a brief illness,
on 1st January 2012.
His funeral was held in
Bristol on 11th January
and was attended by
M
6
the Master, the
Immediate Pastmaster,
Second Warden and
other friends and
colleagues from the
Company.
Marcus Brearley was
a leather-selling
Leatherseller par
excellence. His father,
Douglas Brearley,
owned the old Bristol
tannery, Thomas Ware
and Sons Limited.
Marcus joined the
family business in 1965
and worked there for
47 years, including a
spell, early on, studying at Leathersellers’
College in Bermondsey.
Thomas Ware is one of
the three remaining
vegetable tanneries in
the United Kingdom
and Marcus was
justifiably proud of the
Company, which
specialises in producing
sole leather for the
shoe trade.
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
Marcus became a
Freeman by redemption in 1977, joined
the Livery in 1980 and
served on the Court
from December 2006
to July 2010.
Marcus was married
to Julia. He had two
sons, Alistair who
succeeds his father in
the business, and
Dominic; he also had
three step-daughters,
Leah, Sophie and
Becky. Marcus was one
of life’s enthusiasts,
with the readiest of
smiles. Among his
passions were his
family, sailing, motor
cars, cooking and wine.
ROBERT JEFFREY
WATSON
(1934 – 2012)
ews reached us just
as we went to press
that retired Liveryman
Robert Watson died on
23 August, aged 78.
Robert was admitted a
Freeman in 1963 and
went on the Livery in
1967. He served Steward
in 1983-84. Robert, who
was a barrister, was the
stepson of Liveryman
Harold Barlow (19011976) and the younger
brother of retired Liveryman Fergus Watson. We
extend our condolences
to Robert’s wife, Maureen, to Fergus, and to
all Robert’s family.
N
Carole’s farewell
STAFF NEWS
border. Mark lives in
Wiltshire and his field
of expertise is in
technology consultancy and sales. Both
will bring particular
skills and knowledge
to the Court and we
warmly welcome
them both on board.
There are two new
members of the
Livery this year: Lucy
Tusting and Serena
Cooke. Lucy is Nick
Tusting’s daughter,
while Serena is the
daughter of Liveryman Jonathan Cooke,
our former Clerk.
We have had the
following seven
admissions to the
Freedom this year:
Alex Newton (son of
Peter Newton); Rachael
Dove (daughter of
Martin Dove); Sarah
NEIL MacEACHARN
(1928 – 2011)
aptain Neil
MacEacharn, our
Clerk from 1981 to
1993, died on 24
August 2011 after a
short illness. Colin
Neil (known as Neil)
was born in Bristol,
the eldest son of Colin
and Elsie MacEacharn,
but grew up in Barnet,
C
n February we said
farewell to Carole
Smythe, PA to the
Clerk, who retired after
ten years with the
Leathersellers. Her
husband, Brigadier
Mike Smythe, Clerk to
the Vintners’ Company,
also retired this
summer. We send them
both our best wishes
for a long and happy
retirement, when they
plan to spend more
I
Julie Butler
time at their home in
France as well as at
their ‘barn’ in Sussex!
At her final Court lunch,
Carole was presented
by the Master with a
Tusting leather bag
(right). We warmly
welcome the new PA,
Julie Butler, who
previously worked at
Pellereau (daughter of
Matthew Pellereau);
Thomas Watson (son
of Anthony Watson);
Sarah Barr (daughter
of Major George
Preston); James Balfour,
a law student who lives
in Spitalfields (godson
of Miles Emley); and
Thomas BourneArton, a barrister who
lives in Fulham. The
first three were admitted by Patrimony and
the others by Redemption. We welcome them
all into the Leathersellers’ Company.
where he attended
Queen Elizabeth’s
School. He went on to
have a distinguished
career in the Royal
Navy, from which he
retired in 1981. In
June that year he was
awarded the CBE.
On leaving the
Navy, Neil was
appointed as our
Deputy Clerk. He
joined the Company
under somewhat
difficult circumstances,
as by the time he took
up his post the then
Clerk, Clem Davenport, had just died.
Neil thus became
Clerk Designate and
was formally
appointed Clerk in
December 1981.
Neil served as Clerk
for another twelve
years, until his
retirement in January
1993. The Court
commissioned David
Hankinson to paint
Neil’s portrait to mark
his completion of ten
years as Clerk in 1991
(left). Some of the
main issues during
this time included the
development of
Exchequer Court, the
opening of the new
Prep School at Colfe’s
and our affiliation
with HMS Cornwall,
the latter leading to
the official visit of
HRH Diana, Princess
of Wales to the Hall in
October 1991. The
most dramatic event
Neil was faced with
happened the
Lynne Smith
17 St Helen’s Place in
premises owned by our
Company, and therefore had a head start in
getting to know the
Leathersellers. Two of
our Housekeepers based
at St Helen’s Place,
Martin Cluney and Phil
Squires, left us this year
and we wish them all the
Lucy Tusting
following April, when
an enormous IRA
bomb exploded
outside the Baltic
Exchange, causing
much damage to the
Hall and its contents.
About a year later a
second bomb exploded in Bishopsgate but
this occurred shortly
after Neil had retired.
We send our
condolences to all
Neil’s family. He had
two children (Alistair
and Fiona) by his first
wife, Morag, who died
in 2005. Neil remarried to Maureen, a
New Zealander, and in
recent years he and
Maureen had been
spending about half
the year in New Zealand and half in the
very best for the future.
Finally, Lynne Smith
has now taken on a
permanent position
with the Company as
our Charities and
Education Administrator.
Serena Cooke
UK. Neil also leaves
three grandchildren,
including Liveryman
Robert Mullen.
Neil’s funeral
service was held at
St Martin’s Church in
Liskeard and several
Liverymen made the
journey down to
Cornwall to attend
this. In Neil’s memory,
Maureen has kindly
donated to the
Company a patu made
of pounamu, a highlyprized greenstone
which only comes
from the South Island
of New Zealand.
The patu, a symbol of
chieftainship, is the
most revered of Maori
weapons and has a
special place in Maori
culture.
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
7
CHARITIES REVIEW
then ensured they met relevant and
his year the Charitable Fund exceeded
interesting people. It is this Livery Liaison
itself in financial giving by paying out
scheme which adds the greatest value to
over £1.5 million in grants. Although an
the grants we give and sets us apart from
exceptional sum, it is the ways in which we
other funders. Our Liverymen and Freeadd value to the awards we give that
men have been visiting charities right
should make our Company particularly
across the UK, taking their time to learn
proud. We have forged a partnership with
about the work being achieved, meeting
The Foundation for Social Improvement
staff and clients and, on occasions, literally
who now offer training in management,
throwing themselves into the work of the
fundraising and capacity-building, free of
charity.
charge, to every small charity which appAisling Shannon did just that, spending
lies to us. In March this year we gathered
two days in the remote highlands of Scottogether the charities we support at our
land with the Venture Trust, participating
Charities Reception to network with each
in their development programme for
other and meet other funders we had
young homeless people. “I met eight
invited. The feedback from this event
incredibly inspiring young people
was phenomenal. Many guests
who had not had easy starts in
particularly enjoyed and appld
u
o
life, but were determined to
reciated the personal touch
If you w
in
rt
a
p
e
make positive changes for
of being welcomed by
like to tak
n
o
is
ia
L
their futures. Participants
members of the Company’s
the Livery
se
a
le
p
spend
ten days in the
Livery Liaison scheme, who
scheme,
ff
o
e
G
contact
es
Russell-Jon
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wilderness, without alcohol, drugs, or any
communication with the outside world.
Hearing their stories and seeing the
impact that the Venture Trust has had on
them was a truly humbling and inspiring
experience. The Leathersellers’ funding is
being put to excellent use in facilitating
this programme and making it available to
more young people. On their last day I
joined them for a pier jump (pictured,
below) that symbolised the metaphorical
leap into the unknown that they would
make on returning home”.
Here are just a few of the 224 grants we have awarded to charities this year:
Wellchild
£45,000 over 3 years
Children’s nurses who provide
specialist care and support to
enable children with severe
illness and complex
conditions to leave hospital
and be cared for at home.
Amber Foundation
£60,000 over 4 years
A residential training programme individually tailored
for young people marginalised through alcohol and
drug abuse, being homeless
or involved in crime.
St Elizabeth’s Centre
£40,000 Single Year Grant
Supports young people and
adults with learning
disabilities. The Centre offers
educational provision, secure
housing, health and medical
support plus social
community facilities.
8
Bigkid Foundation
£60,000 over 4 years
Directly targets gang
members through
programmes such as pairing
young people with local
residents to act as mentors.
Based in Lambeth, where it is
believed 90% of teenagers
consider themselves gang
members.
Cockpit Arts –
Leathersellers’ Awards
£16,000 over 4 years
Provides studio space and
business mentoring to one
new leather designer every
year. Laura Amstein (featured
in last year’s Review) is the
first recipient of this award.
The Message Trust –
Message Enterprise Centre
£50,000 Single Year Grant
An incubator for new
businesses and a training hub
for young men and women,
who work with established
mentors to encourage the
spirit of enterprise.
Design and Manufacture
For Disability
£40,000 over 4 years
Designs, modifies, refurbishes
and manufactures furniture,
hospital equipment, therapy
aids and sports equipment to
meet the specific needs of
individual disabled clients.
Community Housing and
Therapy
£60,000 over 4 years
Provides psychotherapy and
practical skills training to
homeless ex-service men and
women suffering from traumatic experiences, following discharge from the armed forces.
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Queen Elizabeth
Scholarship Trust
£40,000 over 4 years
A scholarship for the benefit
of talented craftspeople in
the field of leather.
Personal development expeditions are
increasingly being recognised for their
effectiveness when working with troubled
young people, and the Company is supporting some of the best and most challenging programmes. Liveryman Serena
Cheng is the liaison person for the British
Schools Exploring Society, which sent 36
young people to Svalbard, in the Arctic
Ocean, as part of Project Rough Seas. The
climax of the expedition saw the participants sailing a tall ship back from Norway
and up the Thames. Serena donned a life
jacket and waterproofs, climbed aboard a
waiting rigid inflatable boat, and shot up
the Thames to meet the tall ship as it
passed under Tower Bridge (pictured, right).
As she says, “the project is a unique opportunity for vulnerable young people to
develop leadership skills, independence
and self reliance in a new and challenging
environment”.
Participating in the Livery Liaison
scheme is not all about being exposed to
the elements, or whizzing up the Thames
like David Beckham on Olympics opening
night. Lucy Tusting visited Centre of the
Cell, a science education centre, which
The London Pathway –
Care Navigators
Programme
£80,000 over 4 years
Helps homeless people
with medical problems to
get access to suitable
treatment in hospital, and
care and support postdischarge. The treatment
of TB, requiring regular
medication, is a
particular issue.
St Cuthbert’s Centre
£50,000 over 4 years
A day centre delivering
basic needs and specialist
mental health provision
to around 50 – 80
homeless people who
visit each day.
“... is clearly doing a very good job in
encouraging young people in East London
to study science”. David Scriven attended a
school workshop run by Beat Bullying and
reported that he “... was impressed by the
dedication and friendliness of the staff”
and that “the children were engaged about
using online tools to combat bullying”.
Caspar Williams is pictured, left, presenting awards at the Edmonton Eagles
Amateur Boxing Club.
There are far too many other such
Me2 Club
£60,000 over 4 years
Helps children and young
people with additional
needs (physical, sensory,
learning and social
disabilities and difficulties)
to participate in mainstream
out-of-school activities.
National Memorial
Arboretum
£50,000 Single Year
Grant
To help fund a new
Visitors’ Centre, with
educational and other
facilities, at this national
centre of Remembrance
for all those who have
given their lives in the
service of their country or
suffered as a result of
conflict.
Livery Liaisons happening for them all to
be mentioned here. We are very grateful
for all the time and input given by those
concerned. The Livery Liaison scheme
enables our charitable giving to have a
public and friendly face; at the same time
it allows the Company to develop a deep,
personal understanding of the work done
by the individual charities we support, and
of the beneficial impact they have on the
people they serve.
Geoff Russell-Jones
Leathersellers’ Close
n October, the Master
welcomed the residents of
our almshouses at Barnet to
Newbury Race Course for lunch
– along with an opportunity to
bolster their pensions as a
result of a few well-placed bets.
As we might have predicted,
the Wardens and staff
sustained substantial losses
between them ... whilst a
number of our lady residents
gave the champion tipsters a
run for their money!
This year we said goodbye
to George Gregory and Joyce
Curl, who have both moved on
to more appropriate accommodation for their needs. George
came to Leathersellers’ Close in
1997, whilst Joyce joined us in
2001. We wish them both well
in their new homes. Anita
Simmance, who moved in last
October, and Ian Goodfellow,
who moved in this September,
are our newest residents. We
I
warmly welcome them to our
community and wish them
many happy years with us.
We are sorry to have to
report two deaths this year.
Ex-resident Joseph (Joe) Quinn
passed away peacefully on 7
March, aged 94. He lived here
for over twelve years, until ill
health caused him to move to
nearby Nazareth House nursing
home. After evading capture in
Nazi-occupied France during
WWII, Joe settled in north
London and taught economics
at St. Aloysius College,
Highgate, for over thirty years.
Just before this Review went
to print we also heard with
sadness of the death, on 17
August, of Doris Tyler. Doris, a
retired florist, was our oldest
resident, aged 95; she was born
in Edmonton in November
1916 and had lived in our
community for more than 20
years.
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
9
Estates Report
e all know that the Leathersellers do
not believe in half measures. Not
only is this true around the dining table,
but also in our approach to our properties,
for there are now not one but two redevelopments in progress in St Helen’s
Place. These comprise the tower scheme at
100 Bishopsgate and 5-7 St Helens Place,
which will house our new Hall.
The demolition of the 100 Bishopsgate
site, including our old Hall, took place over
the last year. The front façade to St Helen’s
Place was kept and is held in place by a
massive steel retaining system. The site is
now level and piling has been carried out
in readiness for construction. The commencement of the construction phase is
dependent upon the developer obtaining a
pre-let. The depressed economic climate
and the turmoil in the investment banking
sector is not helping, but the developer is
actively marketing the scheme, which is
receiving a good press and real interest.
The developer has also taken the opp-
W
his beautifully-crafted replica ‘costrel’
(a traditional leather bottle from
which to drink beer or cider) has been
kindly donated by David Williams,
Master of the Horners’ Company, in
recognition of the ancient links between
our two Companies. A Guild of Leather
Bottlemakers existed from 1373-1476
but was subsumed into the Horners’
Guild (later the Horners’ Company). The
manufacture and sale of such items was
also a concern of the Leathersellers. The
‘Leather Bottle’ which features in a
number of inn names refers to this type
of drinking vessel – often carried by
workmen, attached to a
belt or slung from a strap
across the shoulder for
ready refreshment.
T
10
ortunity to review the scheme and has
successfully obtained a revised planning
consent to enhance the tower. This has
resulted in a seven-metre increase in height,
which together with the re-organisation of
the plant areas has resulted in four additional lettable floors. Notwithstanding that
the building is not yet built, the Leathersellers continue to receive a substantial
rental income from the developer, which
maintains our cash flow from this site.
The re-development of 5-7 St Helen’s
Place has been the main focus of the Company’s attention over the last year. Unlike
the 100 Bishopsgate site, which is now let
out on a long lease, 5-7 will remain under
the Leathersellers’ full control. Thus, we
are very much hands-on during the redevelopment process.
Our tenants at 5-7 have now vacated
and an early works contract was entered
into in March 2012. This work includes
stripping the building back to a shell and
the installation of the façade retention
system. Currently the piling machines are
dominating the roadway, while they work
along the pavement outside the front of
the building. This stage will finish at the
end of September 2012, following which
the main demolition will commence. The
second stage has a contract length of 31
months, after which the developer will
hand over the completed building, albeit
with the Hall accommodation as a shell. A
further contract will then be entered into to
fit out the Hall to our precise requirements.
We have appointed Eric Parry Architects
to prepare the Hall design. This has been
progressed with our Hall Design Working
Group and has resulted in an imaginative
and contemporary design which was
shown to the Livery at Common Hall this
year. Further work on finishes and furnishings will follow, but otherwise the design
stage is complete. We are planning that
the new Hall will be completed and ready
for use by summer 2016.
Ray Coleman
The Diamond Jubilee Statue
n the 20th June 2012, the Court
approved the commission of a oneand-a-quarter life size sculpture of a
traditional leather worker, to be installed
at some future date in St Helen’s Place.
The Court, having previously authorised a
Working Group comprising Miles Emley,
Matthew Pellereau, Tim Daniels
and the Clerk to research early
ideas, tasked them to proceed
with the following direction.
The chosen sculptor, Mr
Etienne Millner, Fellow of the
Royal British Society of Sculptors
and President of the Society of
O
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
Portrait Sculptors, is to complete the
commission, A traditional flesher at work,
by the end of 2013. The statue is to be
completed under the supervision of the
Working Group and then to be stored until
such time that an approved site in St
Helen’s Place can be made available for a
formal installation.
The above photograph shows the approved maquette superimposed on a site in
St Helen’s Place, as a representation of
what the completed statue may look like.
More details of this project will be forthcoming in next year’s Review.
The Clerk
Large quantities of cattle horn cores were found, suggesting leather
production took place nearby
rom April 2011 to July 2012, Museum
of London Archaeology (MOLA) has
undertaken archaeological excavations at
the construction site of 100 Bishopsgate
and St Helen’s Place. The following is a
short summary of the dig (generously
funded by the site developers, Brookfield
Multiplex Construction Europe Limited)
and of our findings so far.
The site is of particular archaeological
significance as it lies at the fringes of
Roman Londinium and the medieval City.
In the Roman period (AD 50 − 410) this
was in fact the very edge of the city: a
defensive wall ran along the north side of
Camomile Street, reached by the main
Roman thoroughfare of Ermine Street
(modern day Bishopsgate).
The site area remained largely undeveloped in Roman times, but was extensively
quarried for clay and gravel which were
used for building. The quarry pits were
often backfilled with rubbish and this
material is used by archaeologists to study
aspects of daily life in the city. Our finds
here were largely domestic: ceramic
kitchen and table wares such as mortaria
(mixing bowls) and fragments of amphorae
which would have contained oil or wine.
Building debris such as roofing tiles,
F
Excavating the north boundary
wall of the nunnery precinct
mosaic tiles (tesserae), window glass and
painted wall plaster also came to light.
In the absence of evidence for buildings (which often do not survive centuries
of demolition and rebuilding on the same
plot), we uncovered masonry footings,
further rubbish pits and cesspits. The
distribution of these tells us a lot about the
layout of the ancient landscape, and
clearly-defined clusters of pits, set back
from the main road, define yards, open
spaces and gardens at the rear of properties that probably fronted onto Ermine
Street.
Photos from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)
Digging up the past
St Helen’s Priory
The most significant development here in
the medieval period was the foundation of
St Helen’s Priory. This important convent
for Benedictine nuns was the only religious
house for women located inside the City
walls. A parish church dedicated to St
Helen was established by c1140 and the
nunnery was founded here by 1215. The
priory complex incorporated a lay cemetery to the south and west of the church,
with cloisters, convent buildings and
formal gardens to the north – directly
beneath the 100 Bishopsgate site.
Several chalk foundation walls were
uncovered and correlate with those shown
on historical plans, including the precinct
boundary wall. Finds of stone tracery and
14th century glazed floor tiles (made at
Penn in Buckinghamshire), with fleur de lis,
flower and animal designs (see illustration), give us some insight into the
aesthetics of the priory buildings.
Outside, in what were the gardens,
including the convent kitchen garden, we
excavated many rubbish pits, cesspits and
wells. The contents have yet to be fully
analysed but will doubtless shed light on
the diet of the nuns, the local environment
and other activities which took place
within the priory.
Monastic life continued on this site for
over three centuries until the Reformation
brought it to an end. Some fifteen nuns,
with the last Prioress, Mary Rollesley, were
ejected when the nunnery was dissolved in
1538.
The priory site then briefly passed
through the hands of Thomas Cromwell
before being acquired by the Leathersellers’
Company in 1543. Some of the convent
buildings were used as a new Livery Hall
and survived until 1799. The Hall was by
then in poor condition and was demolished as part of a larger re-development to
create St Helen’s Place, lined with new
terraced houses.
In the St Helen’s vaults we found a
brick-lined cesspit backfilled with a fine
assemblage of household items – including a metal candlestick, glass bottles, tea
cups and saucers and clay tobacco pipes,
providing a snapshot of domestic life in
Georgian London.
Excavations elsewhere on this site revealed something which will be of particular interest to Leathersellers, namely
evidence (see photograph, above) which
suggests that leather working or tanning
may have been taking place in this area,
perhaps in the early post-medieval or
Tudor period.
Antonietta Lerz (Senior Archaeologist,
Museum of London Archaeology)
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
11
Tree Rings Reveal Secrets
of Royal Portrait
his intriguing portrait of King Henry VI
has long been a familiar sight to
Leathersellers. It has been in the Company’s
possession for the last 165 years, and has
hung on the walls of our fourth, fifth and
sixth Halls in succession. Its relevance is
obvious, since Henry VI was the monarch
who gave us our first Royal Charter, in
1444, thus enabling the Leathersellers to
form a Company and own property,
including a Hall for our meetings. Yet,
until now, little has been known about the
portrait itself.
For some years this small portrait, an oil
painting on two oak panels joined together
side by side, has been described – for want
of any more precise information – as an
anonymous work of the English School,
probably dating from the 17th century. Its
condition has been the subject of concern
for some time, and the closure of our sixth
Hall in 2011 provided an ideal opportunity to arrange for this painting to undergo
expert cleaning and conservation treatment.
At the same time it was decided to make
use of the latest technology to analyse the
wood of the two oak panels on which the
portrait is painted, to see what this might
reveal about the age of the picture.
Photographs were taken of the tree ring
sequences in the wood, with the aid of a
powerful microscope, and the results were
subjected to computer analysis. This has
had some truly remarkable results!
We know that this painting has been in
our custody since 1847, when it was offered
to the Company by William Lamboll Bryant
(Master for the year 1849-50). Bryant was
a dealer in paintings and antiquities, with
business premises in Piccadilly (his
membership of the Leathersellers derived
from his father, a trunkmaker). Bryant had
bought this portrait of Henry VI at auction
at Christie’s in 1844, for fifteen guineas
(£15.75). Christie’s catalogue for this sale
was tracked down, and states that the
painting had come from the collection of
Jeremiah Harman (1764-1844) of Higham
House in Essex. Harman was an avid
purchaser of paintings, but all attempts to
discover more about the previous provenance of this particular painting have drawn
a blank. From time to time, art historians
have speculated on similarities between
our portrait and various other royal
12
©
National Portrait Gallery, London
T
Henry VI as he now appears
Richard III
portraits now in the National Portrait
Gallery and elsewhere, but with no
conclusive results.
test on our painting of Henry VI, carried
out by a leading expert in this field, Dr.
Ian Tyers. And when it came, the report
did not disappoint.
Science illuminates art
Dendrochronology, or tree-ring analysis, is
a relatively modern scientific technique
which allows wood to be dated from the
sequence and pattern of rings inside a tree
trunk. Each year a tree forms another ring,
of variable width and type depending on
the weather conditions during that
particular growing season. This technique
is increasingly used to help date ancient
wooden artefacts, including the oak panels
used for many old oil paintings. Certain
conditions have to be met - the sample has
to contain a minimum of fifty tree rings,
for example - and the tests can only give a
‘no earlier than’ date, not a ‘no later than’
one, since timber from a felled tree might
not be used for some time, might take
several years to be transported over a long
distance, or might have had its outer rings
removed (indeed the sapwood rings of the
tree’s final eight years, those nearest the
outer bark, have invariably been removed
from panels used for oil paintings).
Nevertheless, much can still be gleaned
from such analysis regarding the likely
date of an oil painting on oak.
So it was with considerable excitement
that we awaited the results of the ‘dendro’
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
Older than we thought
Fortunately, an initial examination showed
that our boards contained enough rings to
make analysis possible. The first finding
was that the two panels comprising the
two halves of this portrait, aligned vertically, both came from the same tree. This is
not always the case, but it did not come as
a great surprise. The findings from these
two panels were then compared with a set
of European master tree-ring chronologies, using computer technology which
rigorously compares each sequence of
rings for correlations. This revealed that
the wood from our panels almost certainly
came from an oak tree which had grown
in the eastern Baltic region – probably
somewhere in modern-day Poland or
Lithuania. Again, this is not a great
surprise since there was a considerable
trade in timber between the Baltic and
western Europe in the early modern
period. Oak from these areas is generally
more straight-grained and slow-growing
than oak from western Europe, making it
more suitable for panels on which to paint
in oil. About 85% of datable boards from
16th and 17th century panel paintings in
Britain have been shown to be made from
wood derived from this area.
The next finding was that the latest tree
ring, in the oak tree from which our
panels were made, was undoubtedly from
the year 1569. Allowing for the usual
eight years of sapwood rings which would
have been removed from the felled tree
before it was used for these panels, that
gives 1577 as the most likely date of
felling of the tree. Of course, the timber
had to be transported by sea from the
eastern Baltic to England – given the
subject matter of the painting, it is
unlikely to have been painted outside
England – and once arrived, might not
have been used for several years.
Nonetheless, from these findings it is fairly
safe to conclude that this portrait was
painted in the middle to late years of
Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, probably the
1580s or early 1590s. This is considerably
earlier than our previous notion of the
painting as of ‘17th century’ date.
Then – a bigger surprise
The dendro test results from our two
panels were run through the increasinglylarge computer database containing the
results of a great many other such tests
which have been carried out in recent
years in Britain, including those from many
of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG)
pictures, which were analysed between
2009 and 2011. This revealed something
quite extraordinary: a perfect match with
the two wooden panels on which the NPG
portrait of King Richard III is painted. This
means that these two portraits – Henry VI
and Richard III – are painted on wood
from the same tree, a single oak tree
growing in the eastern Baltic region which
was certainly still alive in 1569, and which
was probably felled around 1577.
Staff at the NPG were equally thrilled
with this surprise revelation, which definitively connects these two previously quite
unrelated paintings and puts them in historical context. Though the artist remains
unknown, it is highly likely that the two
portraits were painted in the same place,
by the same person (stylistic similarities
between the portraits strengthen this
argument), and at much the same time.
The portrait of Richard III was given to the
NPG in 1862 by James Thomson GibsonCraig (1799-1886), a noted antiquarian,
but its previous provenance is unknown.
At some point in the more distant past
these paintings must have become separated. Without the use of modern technology, however, they could never have
been re-connected with any certainty.
Both portraits may well have once
The portrait before conservation
formed part of a larger series of portraits
of monarchs to be hung in the corridor or
gallery of a grand house, perhaps that of
an Elizabethan nobleman. If so, the fact
that they were painted at a time of widespread anxiety over the royal succession –
with no clear successor to follow the
ageing, unmarried Queen Elizabeth, and
with a serious threat of invasion by the
Spanish, culminating in the Armada of
1588 – may be significant. Many feared
that, on Elizabeth’s death, rival claimants
to the throne would plunge the land into
civil war, as had happened in the previous
century during the Wars of the Roses.
These paintings of Henry VI and Richard
III, representing opposite sides in that
earlier conflict, would have been poignant
reminders of what might happen again if
a clear and undisputed line of succession
was not established.
The painting has been painstakingly
cleaned in the west London studio of art
conservator Alan Bradford, who has
removed layers of discoloured varnish as
well as some vestiges of earlier, unsatisfactory attempts at restoring the painting.
The brilliant colouring and detailing of
this portrait can now once more be fully
appreciated and admired. The background
colouring in shades of deep red can be
seen to resemble the background in the
Richard III portrait. Gold paint traces have
also been revealed, suggesting that our
Henry VI once had a decorative canopy
similar to that on the Richard III portrait,
though it has been decided not to attempt
removing the superimposed gold paint in
this area since this now forms an integral
part of the history of the picture.
Henry VI will be returning to gaze out
again at Leathersellers of the 21st century
when the painting is installed on the wall
of our new, seventh Hall. Meanwhile,
Richard III can be seen on permanent
display in Room 1 of the National Portrait
Gallery.
Jerome Farrell
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
13
Election Day Service
ur Election Day service, held at St
James Garlickhythe on Wednesday
20th June, was a particularly special and
historic occasion this year.
We were of course celebrating the
Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth
II, and the main aisle in the nave of St
James’s contained the eight brand new
bells which were cast to celebrate the
Jubilee (the Leathersellers contributed to
the appeal to make and instal these in
the bell tower; they can now be heard
from our offices in Garlick Hill). These bells
were heard by millions across the world as
they watched the Royal Pageant on the
Thames on June 3rd, since the bells pealed constantly whilst being carried along
the river on a special floating belfry.
O
The service was of particular historic
significance in another respect, too.
Our Select Preacher this year was the
Archbishop of Westminster, the Most
Revd. Vincent Nichols, the most senior
Roman Catholic cleric in England. Quite
apart from the honour of having such a
distinguished preacher present, this is
believed to be the first occasion since
Reformation times – since the accession
of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558, to be
precise – that a Catholic clergyman has
preached to an assembly of Leathersellers. Archbishop Nichols preached on
the significance of Simon the Tanner, a
figure briefly mentioned in the Acts of
the Apostles (this passage had been read
out by the Master during the service).
The Leathersellers’ Honorary Chaplain
s Honorary Chaplain to the Company I am privileged to lead the
annual Election Day Service and to say
grace at any Livery Dinners when I am
present.
I believe my most important role as
Honorary Chaplain, however, is to get
to know members of the livery and
staff, and to pray regularly for them.
When there is a bereavement in the
company, I always try and write a
personal letter to the family; at the
next Election Day Service we then
A
remember that person by name in the
prayers.
If you are in hospital or ill at home,
and would like the Company to be
aware of this, please do let them know.
Equally, if you would like me to contact
you, let the Company staff know, or
alternatively please contact me direct.
If there are any other ways in which
I can be of help to you or your family,
please do get in touch.
Revd Christopher Strong
[email protected]
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14
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
The Leathersellers and Higher Education
obert Rogers, who died during his
year of office as Master in 1601, made
a will shortly before his death in which he
left the Leathersellers £400. He directed
that the Company should invest this in
land, using the rental income to support
the university education of ‘fower poore
schollers, studentes in divinytie, two of them
to be of Cambridge, And two of Oxforde’, for
four years each, replacing these after four
years with others, ‘and soe to continue for
ever’.
For several centuries now – 410 years,
to be exact – the Leathersellers’ Company
has been providing vital financial support
of this kind to individual students who
would, in most cases, otherwise be unable
to continue in higher education. These
‘exhibitions’ – grants, not loans – have
enabled a considerable number of students
(estimated to be in the region of 2,000 to
date) obtain degrees or postgraduate
qualifications. Our accounts show that
financial support for the first students
began to be paid from Michaelmas term
1602. The first young men to benefit were
Simon Juckes and Richard Borne at
Oxford, and Clement Facer and Oliver
Naylor at Cambridge, who all received five
guineas (£5.05) a year each. As to be
expected of students of divinity at that
time, all went on to be ordained in the
Church of England: Juckes became Rector
of St Olave’s, Southwark; Borne was Vicar
of Hillingdon in Middlesex for 32 years;
Facer became a curate to his own father,
the Rector of Grove in Buckinghamshire;
and Naylor became a Fellow of Caius
College, Cambridge (he bequeathed his
large library to that College) and later on,
Rector of Tavistock in Devon.
R
‘Poor scholars’
From these, the first four ‘poor scholars’
who took up their studies in September
1602, the number of students being
supported by the Company has grown to
over one hundred today.
From university alumni registers, there
is no sign that Rogers himself had gone to
either Oxford or Cambridge, and what
Our nine Exhibitioners in 1765. Richard Green's career is unknown but all the
others became clergymen. Francis Fitchatt went on to be Rector of three
parishes in Barbados and died there in 1802.
little we know of his life and character
comes from his detailed will. He founded
various almshouses, including some in
Poole, Dorset, ‘where I was borne’ (built in
1604, these were demolished for a roadwidening scheme in 1971). He left money
to pay off debts of prisoners in four
London prisons, including ‘the Clincke’,
and thus release them, though they had to
be Protestants – ‘noe Atheistes, Papists, nor
Recusantes’. He makes no mention of any
wife or children, but a host of other
relatives receive legacies, including his
mother who is to have ‘a ringe with a
deathes head, in token of my good will’; a
niece named Love Rogers; his nephew and
apprentice Christopher Eyre (who later
became another benefactor of our
Company); and a female cousin left five
shillings a week ‘in respecte that her
husband is an unthrifte’. He was 53 when
he died, as revealed by his gift of a new
gown to each of the ‘Fiftie and three poore
men that shall goe to the Church with the
corps, for I am of that age’, and directs that
his funeral sermon should be preached on
the text: ‘Behold, how joyful a thing it is to
dwell together in unity’.
The Leathersellers acted swiftly after
Rogers died. In December 1602 the Company bought 66 acres of land at Barnet for
£825, supplementing the legacy from
Rogers with a similar sum from another
benefactor, Elizabeth Grasvenor (whose
charitable objectives were not specifically
educational, but included the relief of
poor prisoners, mending the highways,
and helping poor but respectable young
women to marry by giving them small
dowries). Thus began the close association
between our Company and Barnet which
continues to this day, now mainly evident
through our almshouses at Leathersellers’
Close.
Elliott, Moseley, Holmeden and Humble
Rogers helped set something of a trend.
Four other 17th century benefactors foll-
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15
These five students,
pictured with Tom
Pellereau (our Livery
Liaison representative for
City University), are
some of the latest to
benefit from the
university grants we
have been giving,
continuously, since 1602.
The first ‘poor scholars’
received 5 guineas a
year. Today’s awards are
somewhat higher!
owed his example and left bequests for
similar scholarships (though theirs were
‘secular exhibitions’, not restricted to students of theology), to be administered in
perpetuity by the Leathersellers: Anne
Elliott (widow of John Elliott or Ellyetes,
Master in 1583) left money for one poor
scholar at either university in 1605; so,
too, did William Moseley, a Freeman of
the Company, in 1617; Robert Holmeden,
who served as Second Warden in 1606
and came from Sevenoaks in Kent, left an
inn in Eastcheap (the George on Horseback)
to the Company in 1619 to pay for
another scholar, who had to have attended either Sevenoaks or Tonbridge
Grammar Schools; and finally, George
Humble, Master in 1628-29 and still
familiar to us from his portrait, as well as
from the four silver cups he gave us, left
money in 1638 to provide for a further
two poor scholars. In all, nine students at
any one time were supported, at either
Oxford or Cambridge Universities, for the
remainder of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century. The Company’s
charitable schemes advised that the
candidates selected were to be those ‘most
distinguished in respect of Piety, Morals,
Learning, and Talents’.
During the 1800s, more liberal interpretations of the precise terms which
benefactors had set down in their wills
were sanctioned by the Court of Chancery.
These reforms enabled the Company to
increase the number of students it supported. New awards were founded in 1894
specifically for ‘non-collegiate’ students,
thus helping those wanting to study at
Oxbridge but unable to afford any College
fees; the particularly close relationships we
have developed with St Catherine’s
16
College in Oxford, and Fitzwilliam College
in Cambridge (we now fund one Fellow
and four Postgraduate students at each of
these Colleges), derive from our earlier
support for the non-collegiate Societies
from which these two Colleges evolved in
the 1960s.
As new seats of learning arose – in
addition to Oxford and Cambridge – the
Company’s horizons broadened to encompass these too, though exhibition recipients remained all male until 1983. In that
year Caroline Loder, a former pupil from
Prendergast, became the first young
woman to benefit, enabling her to obtain
an MA from the University of Lancaster
(today exhibitioners are chosen according
to need and merit, so fluctuations in the
gender balance occur from year to year; at
present we support slightly more women
than men). Substantial annual grants were
made to the City and Guilds of London
Institute from its foundation in 1878 onwards, and we established scientific
research fellowships there in 1896. Similar
assistance was given to the Borough
Polytechnic (now London South Bank
University), and we have a long track
record of awarding scholarships at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The
Leathersellers also donated £500 in 1882
to help establish the Royal College of
Music.
Education in its widest sense has, in
fact, been a constant concern of the
Leathersellers’ Company throughout its
entire existence. From the fifteenth to the
nineteenth centuries, many thousands of
apprentices received training from our
Freemen, usually lasting for seven years.
In the late 1800s the Company pioneered
new ways to provide technical education
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for those in the leather trade, culminating
in the foundation of Leathersellers’ College in Bermondsey in 1909; its modern
successor, which we continue to support, is
the internationally-renowned Institute for
Creative Leather Technologies at the
University of Northampton. As for school
education, the Company’s now extensive
involvement with this is well-known and
longstanding, originating with Abraham
Colfe’s appointment of the Company as his
Trustee when making his will in 1656. Our
concern for girls’ education is usually said
to date from the foundation of Prendergast School (thanks to a former Colfe’s
Headmaster, Joseph Prendergast), which
opened in 1890. The Company did,
however, help some girls acquire a basic
education long before that – our Court
Minutes for 1815, for example, record
that Hannah Must, a girl aged eight, was
presented by the Company as a scholar at
St Ethelburga’s School, the parish school
which stood close to our Hall.
Life after University
What happened in later life to all the
‘poor scholars’ we have helped through
higher education since 1602? Although
no consistent records have been kept of
their activities or achievements, there can
be little doubt that the majority have
gone on to reap the benefits which a
good education can confer. Most
recipients of theological exhibitions have
proceeded to be ordained in the Church
of England, appointed to parishes far and
wide, and in some cases have risen up the
hierarchy. Others have had successful
teaching or academic careers, or have
entered many other walks of professional
and public life.
Leathersellers’ Exhibitioners
In conclusion, here is a brief list, by no means comprehensive, of some noteworthy beneficiaries of Leathersellers’ exhibitions (fuller
accounts of their lives can, in most cases, be found in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography):
BARTON, William Charles (1874-1955),
botanist. One of the first two to be
awarded a non-collegiate exhibition
in 1894 (the other being Henry Lyle
Salkeld, who went into the Indian
Civil Service and became District
Collector at Dhaka). Barton’s collection
of 20,000 rubus (bramble) specimens
is now in the Natural History Museum.
BEALE, William (died 1651), clergyman
and academic. Master of two
Cambridge Colleges (St John’s and
Jesus) and Vice-Chancellor of
Cambridge University under Charles I.
A Royalist, he went into exile during
the Commonwealth and died in
Madrid.
BERNERS-LEE, Conway (born 1921).
Mathematician and computer scientist
who developed the world’s first
commercial stored-program electronic
computer. Awarded an exhibition of
£100 p.a. in 1940 to study mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Father of Sir Tim Berners-Lee,
inventor of the World Wide Web.
BLACKAMORE, Arthur (1679-c1736),
author who spent the years 17071717 teaching in the colony of
Virginia. Wrote an early novel, Luck
at Last, regarded as a precursor of
Samuel Richardson’s Pamela.
CADE, Salusbury (c1660-1720),
physician. Fellow of the Royal College
of Physicians, he was appointed
Physician to St Bartholomew’s
Hospital and served there for 12
years. Developed expertise in the
treatment of smallpox.
CLARKE, Abraham Thomas (17551805). Went to India in 1789, the
first Englishman to be sent there as a
Missionary by the Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge –
became Head of the SPCK’s Calcutta
Mission.
CLARKE, Hewson (1787-c1845). Satirist,
writer and historian who emigrated to
Canada.
PERRINCHIEF, Richard (1621-1673),
clergyman and author. Wrote The
Royal Martyr, a biography of King
Charles I.
ELLIS, Sir Henry (1777-1869). Librarian,
antiquarian and Keeper of Printed
Books at the British Museum.
FRANK, Mark (1612-1664). College
head, theologian and preacher. Master
of Pembroke College, Cambridge.
GOLD, Ernest (1881-1976),
meteorologist. Created a WWI military
meteorological service in France,
advising on weather forecasts for
ballistics and aviation. During WWII
he commanded a British
meteorological service of 6,000
people, analysing weather conditions
in all parts of the globe for strategic
purposes.
GUMMER, John (born 1939),
Conservative politician, now Lord
Deben. Received a £100
Leathersellers’ secular exhibition in
1961 to enable him to stay on at
Selwyn College, Cambridge.
HARRIS, Samuel (1682-1733),
clergyman and first Regius Professor of
Modern History at Cambridge.
HICKMAN, Henry (1629-1692),
clergyman and religious
controversialist who moved to the
Netherlands and became Pastor of the
English Church at Leiden.
HARTCLIFFE, John (1652-1712),
clergyman and Headmaster of
Merchant Taylors’ School.
© National Portrait Gallery NPG 6477
ATWELL, James Edgar (born 1946),
Dean of Winchester since 2006.
Awarded a Theological exhibition in
1969 to enable him to study for the
priesthood.
Benjamin Stillingfleet by Zoffany
STILLINGFLEET, Benjamin (17021771), botanist, translator and
author. His wearing of blue worsted
stockings to a literary discussion
group mainly frequented by women
is the origin of the term
‘bluestocking’ to mean an intellectual
woman. Received Leathersellers’
support to study at Cambridge,
1721-25. In 1724 his sister married
our Clerk, John Locker.
WALKER, William Sydney (17951846), poet, literary scholar and
Shakespearean critic.
MAYO, Charles (1792-1846),
educational reformer and Headmaster
of Cheam School. Promoted the
methods of Swiss educationalist
Pestalozzi. Championed infant schools
and the use of gymnastics in schools.
WHITTLE, Seth (died 1689), Church of
Ireland clergyman. Preached a
famous sermon to the Garrison
during the height of the 105-day
Jacobite siege of Derry in 1689. One
quarter of the city’s population died
in the siege, including Whittle
himself.
OLLIVANT, Arthur (1798-1882). Regius
Professor of Divinity at Cambridge,
and Bishop of Llandaff. Oversaw the
complete restoration of Llandaff
Cathedral.
WILLIAMS, Eric Eustace (1911-1981),
historian, writer, international
statesman and first Prime Minister of
Trinidad and Tobago [see article on
page 24]
Jerome Farrell
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17
hen a painting comes to light of a
Past Master – especially when we
had no idea what that Master looked like
until now – it is of considerable interest.
When that painting comes from the 18th
century, a century for which not one
image of any Past Master of our Company
is known (many portraits doubtless
perished in the 1819 fire, which burnt our
third Hall to the ground), and when the
Master in question was a figure of some
significance – in this case, a furniture
maker of distinction – that interest
increases substantially. And when the artist
who painted the portrait of this Master
turns out to be the greatest portrait painter
of his time – Sir Joshua Reynolds – our
interest level increases yet further, and an
article in the Leathersellers’ Review is called
for!
That we know about this painting at all
is thanks to art historian and picture researcher, Evelyne Bell, who has recently
carried out extensive research into the
portrait on behalf of the painting’s private
owner in the USA. The portrait has long
been attributed to Reynolds but the sitter’s
identity has been erroneously given until
very recently as William Nethercote, of
Nethercote in Yorkshire. In fact he is
William Gomm (1698-1780), of Nethercote in Oxfordshire, a highly esteemed
cabinet maker who was also an active
member of the Leathersellers’ Company,
and served as Master for the year 176263.
We are most grateful to Evelyne for her
expertise in identifying ‘our’ William
Gomm, Master Leatherseller, as the
subject of this portrait by Reynolds, and
for the following article in which she tells
us more about both Sir Joshua Reynolds
and William Gomm:
Portrait of William Gomm,
by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1764
On 26 January 1764 at eleven o’clock Mr.
Gomm, the highly successful cabinet maker
and upholsterer of Clerkenwell Close, had
an appointment with Joshua Reynolds, for
a sitting of a portrait at the fashionable
painter’s studio in Leicester Fields [now
Leicester Square]. This appointment,
quickly followed by three other sittings,
resulted in this portrait. William Gomm
had been Master of the Leathersellers’
Company for the previous year, 1762-63,
and was in 1764 at the height of his
profession. So was Reynolds.
William Gomm was the son of Richard
Gomm of Chinnor, Oxfordshire, a yeoman
farmer. William’s involvement with the
Leathersellers’ Company began in 1713
18
© Copyright to the owner
W
comes to light!
when he was apprenticed for seven years
to Hugh Maskall, a cabinet maker of Hart
Street near Cripplegate [by the 18th
century, owing to the right to become a
Freeman by patrimony, it was not uncommon for members to practise a trade
unconnected with their Company]. In
1721 he became a Freeman and in 1728,
a Liveryman. Quarterage records in the
Leathersellers’ archives show that in the
early 1720s he resided in Little Britain, a
street just north of London Wall. By 1725
Gomm had established his first business as
a cabinet maker at Peterborough Court,
Smithfield. By the time of the painting, his
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business had moved to larger premises in
Newcastle House, Clerkenwell Close. In
1768 he had moved again, to Freeman’s
Court, Cornhill, where he produced fashionable domestic furniture of the highest
quality. So by 1764 Gomm had become a
very successful businessman and had
taken his eldest son Richard (born 1729)
into the business, a partnership which was
to continue until bankruptcy occurred in
1776 - although it was noted at the time
that it was Richard, and not William, who
filed for bankruptcy caused “by faults not
his own”. William had by then retired and
secured his assets. As early as 1747 he had
acquired Nethercote House (whence some
confusion later over his surname) in the
parish of Lewknor, Oxfordshire, for £700.
It was surrounded by a moat with a large
number of outbuildings, gardens, an
orchard and a fish pond. Eleven years later
Gomm spent a further £3,873 to buy the
surrounding lands of the Nethercote
estate. Sadly, the house no longer survives
as it was burnt to the ground in 1871.
We know little about the furnituremaking commissions which Gomm received
during his career, though the names of
some eminent clients are known. In 1763,
a year before this portrait was painted,
William Gomm received an important
commission from the 5th Lord Leigh of
Stoneleigh Park, in Warwickshire. This extensive commission included 183 assorted
chairs, as well as tables, dressing tables,
clothes presses, close stools, a shaving
table, a commode dressing table, Pembroke
table and a sideboard. A distinguished
Russian, Alexander Vorontsov, whose
brother, Count Vorontsov, later became
the Russian Ambassador in London, was
another interesting and beneficial client
who, in his case, wanted furniture for his
library in The Hague, in 1764.
The majority of these pieces were of a
domestic nature and made of walnut or
mahogany. Their designs were certainly by
William Gomm himself (it is sometimes
necessary to refer to him as ‘senior’, as his
grandson William Gomm later worked in
the business), and demonstrate great
competence. From 1761 there are signs
that Gomm’s furniture designs were
influenced by those by Thomas Chippendale in The Gentleman and Cabinet
Maker’s Director, the first attempt in
England to publish a book of furniture
designs for self-promotion (William’s son
Richard Gomm subscribed to this when it
first appeared in 1754). The Gomm firm
designs included rococo features such as
birds, scrolls, leaves, animals, rocailles and
Chinese themes – all then at the height of
fashion. The success of the firm was so
great that William Gomm felt financially
confident enough to carry out major works
at Nethercote. In a letter in the Leathersellers’ archives dated 27 June 1763, from
‘Nethercot, Oxfordshire’, Gomm wrote to
the Company’s Court of Assistants, declaring “I am deprived of the pleasure of
attending the next Court of Assistants in
July, by being deeply Engaged in Brick &
Mortar”. This affluence must have also
motivated him to have a portrait,
although a small one, painted by the most
fashionable painter of the time: Joshua
Reynolds.
The year 1764 was, in many ways, very
important in Joshua Reynolds’s life, too. It
was the year he founded The Club, a
literary dining club with Dr Samuel
Johnson; other founding members included Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke.
The sitters Reynolds was painting in this
period included people from all classes
and callings: the young Charles James Fox,
straight from Oxford; Sir William Baker, a
stout alderman; and the Archbishop of
Canterbury, who took the chair just
Gomm’s social
position as a
prominent figure in
the Leathersellers’
Company, with
important contacts in
the City of London –
including the Lord
Mayor – no doubt
made him an
attractive client for
Reynolds to engage.
vacated by Kitty Fisher, the courtesan. No
one was excluded from Reynolds’ studio
as long as they were interesting or profitable. William Gomm was one of them.
Gomm’s social position as a prominent
figure in the Leathersellers’ Company,
with important contacts in the City of
London – including the Lord Mayor – no
doubt made him an attractive client for
Reynolds to engage. Reynolds’ career was
very much in the ascendant; the following
year he co-founded the Royal Academy
and became its first President, and in
1769 he was knighted by George III.
Not only did Gomm commission
Reynolds to paint his portrait, and
Reynolds accept, but there is a strong
possibility of commercial transactions in
the opposite direction. In 1759 Reynolds
had bought a house in Leicester Fields
which he wanted furnished lavishly, especially as he entertained many important
figures. He therefore did not spare on the
expense, and may well have commissioned top quality articles of furniture from
the Gomm firm.
The painting of Gomm, a head and
shoulder portrait, is, at 30 x 25 inches,
relatively small – the smallest standard
size for a commissioned portrait at that
period. Reynolds himself did not normally
use standard sizes, so it is rather surprising. In 1764, the year of this portrait,
Reynolds
increased
his
prices
substantially – an indication of his
success – from 12 to 30 guineas for a
head portrait. This was a large amount
compared with what others charged. For
his portrait, Gomm paid just under £40 in
two instalments (£13-2s-6d on 7 March
1764 and £26-7s-0d on 2 April 1764).
Included in these sums was the cost of the
frame.
William Gomm, in this portrait, has the
look of a gentleman of a certain status, his
appearance enhanced by clothing suited
to his station. He wears a costume made
of relatively costly material, velvet or
wool, but rather conservative in style for
1764 (he was 66 by this time), as is his
wig. The coat and matching waistcoat are
of a colour called ‘murrey’, very popular
in the 1760s. The Museum of London has
a velvet suit of similar colour and date
which was reputedly worn by the great
actor David Garrick, whom Reynolds
painted in 1761. As for the sitter’s bob
wig, it is frizzed, with a lot of powder
being used - some of it can be seen on his
right shoulder. Although to modern eyes it
looks rather like dandruff, what it
suggested then was that he could afford to
powder his wig liberally with costly
powder – therefore, that he was rich.
In 1770, when over 70 years old,
William Gomm became a Freeman of the
Upholders’ Company. Doubtless that
Company, with direct furniture making
interests, felt it an honour to have
someone of Gomm’s renown in this field
as a member. However, he remained
committed to the Leathersellers and by
the time he died, in August 1780 aged
81, he had been a Freeman for almost 60
years. His son, Richard Gomm, was also a
lifelong and senior member of the
Leathersellers’ Company; like his father, he
served as Master – in Richard’s case, for
the year 1780-81.
Only a few Livery Companies possess
paintings of their Masters or Liverymen by
famous 18th century painters. The
Haberdashers’ Company owns portraits by
Thomas Gainsborough and George Romney.
The Goldsmiths’ Company also has a few
18th century portraits, including one by
William Beechey. The Leathersellers’ Company is, therefore, fortunate to have had
one of its most interesting 18th century
Masters painted by such an eminent
painter as Joshua Reynolds.
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19
Co l f e ’ s S c h o o l
he academic year began on a high
note with some outstanding A-level
results. The proportion of A*/A/B grades
was once again above 70% and many
pupils were successful in gaining places at
top universities. The prognosis for summer
2012 is even stronger: the 90 pupils in
this year’s Upper 6th cohort gained a
collective total of 170 offers from Russell
Group universities and our hit rate with
the best institutions looks likely to rise
further.
It has been a year of great individual
success on the sports field, with current
and past pupils competing in the international arena. Old Colfeian Claire Rafferty was selected for the Olympic 2012
Women’s football squad (who acquitted
themselves very well, beating New
Zealand, Cameroon and Brazil to reach the
quarter-finals, but were knocked out by
T
Canada). Within the context of international sport Claire joins fellow Old
Colfeian Susie Rowe, who continues to
play cricket for England. Current pupils
who are competing regularly at international level include Tom Chapman
(England U18 rugby) and Millie Bach
(Triathlon). Many others are involved at
County level, including Matt Stiddard,
Surrey wicket keeper and this year’s
captain of the 1st X1. I am particularly
delighted to record the success of the
sportswomen, which very much endorses
our co-educational ethos.
We have also had an outstanding and
remarkably busy year in the school
theatre. For the first time in many years,
we staged a production of a Greek tragedy
(admittedly in translation) last autumn.
Sophocles’ Antigone played to packed
houses, as did Arabian Nights in June, this
year’s Lower School Play. Ambitious plans
for next year are already afoot.
Our relationship with Conisborough
College continues to develop successfully
and the first joint staff INSET (in-service
training) session took place at Conisborough in the Summer Term. This provided
an opportunity for teachers from both
schools to establish contact and identify
ways in which we can work together. Just
Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools
write this article as the Federation
approaches the fourth anniversary of its
creation in September 2008, during which
time major progress has been made in
driving up educational standards, improving infrastructure and capitalising on the
strengths of a Federation. We are now a
three-school Federation of Secondary
schools, one of which already has a Primary section and another of which is due to
have a Primary section from September
2013. Once these schools are full, the
single Governing Body will be responsible
for over 3000 children, a major commitment to the improvement of education in
south-east London. The enterprise continues to be run outstandingly by Erica Pienaar, the Executive Head, ably supported
by the three Head Teachers and the
I
PVC pupils visit the new premises
20
Executive bursar. They are responsible to a
fifteen-strong Governing Body, which
contains six Company nominees.
Governing Body
In the summer we said goodbye to two
Leathersellers who have given outstanding
service over recent years: Mike BradlyRussell, who chaired the Finance and
General Purposes Committee, has stepped
down after five years; and James Blott,
who – in a number of important roles –
has served as a Governor for much longer.
Happily, James has agreed to remain as an
Associate so we can continue to call on his
experience and expertise when needed. I
am extremely grateful to both of them for
their support. In their place we greet three
new Leatherseller Governors: Michael
Binyon, Clare Lennon and Gregory Jones.
Prendergast Vale College (PVC)
PVC admitted its first cohort of 120
children in September 2011 with a further
120 this September. The exciting aspect of
this new school is that demand has outstripped places from the start – and this
looks set to continue. For their first year
they have been in temporary accommodation at PLFC, but are now moving into
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their new school in the centre of Lewisham. The primary section, which has also
been in temporary accommodation,
moves at the same time, thus creating a
co-educational all-through school for ages
5 to 16. It has been most exciting to be
part of a building project of this magnitude. Among other features there is a
state-of-the-art Sports Hall for budding
Olympians! The Head Teacher, Paul O’Neill,
deserves much credit for progress so far.
Prendergast Ladywell Fields College
(PLFC)
Under Mel Whitfield’s determined leadership, PLFC has had another good year. The
premises recently vacated by the first year
of PVC have been converted into a brandnew drama studio and music block. In the
continuing drive to improve educational
standards, PLFC benefited from a ‘mock’
Ofsted inspection in May, which found
good and outstanding features – as well as
some areas for development, which are
being addressed. In addition, parental
surveys show a high (over 90%) satisfaction rating with the school.
PLFC is currently a co-educational
secondary school for 11-16 year olds, but
a Primary section is to be added in
two of the initiatives which emerged from
the meeting were joint weekly classes in
Ancient Greek and advanced Science
master-classes for Conisborough pupils.
The first two Conisborough scholars will
receive their A-level results at Colfe’s this
summer, having gained offers from
prestigious universities to read Law and
Modern Languages.
The Company has agreed to support
the Conisborough Scholars Programme
and the Summer Visitation was an opportunity for Governors and members of the
Court to meet the Conisborough scholars,
along with other high-achieving pupils.
The morning’s agenda included lesson
observation and a session on Vertical
Tutoring, which will be the major pastoral
innovation of the new academic year. In
essence, this will strengthen the House
system within the school still further and
enable pupils to interact with those in
other year groups, as well as their own.
Other high points of the year included
the launch of Vivian Anthony’s book, Good
Wit and Capacity, which chronicles the
history of the school between 1972 and
2002. These were important decades
which, crucially, saw the change from state
grammar school to independent. The
launch event in June was well attended
Stop Press
It is especially pleasing to report:
• a 100% A level pass rate
• a significant increase in A* grades
• 5 alumni go on to Oxbridge Colleges
• GCSE results within 2% of last year’s
response to growing demand for primary
places in Lewisham. Construction starts in
September 2012.
No mention of PLFC would be complete without referring to its achievements
in PE and Citizenship. An impressive
group, formed by young citizens from the
school, has met senior politicians in London
during the year and they are hoping to be
involved in the US Presidential election in
the autumn. The PE department is producing some outstanding runners who are
at, or near, the top of UK rankings for their
age group.
Prendergast Hilly Fields College (PHFC)
It is definitely a case of ‘last but not least’
in the case of PHFC, which is the core
school of the Federation and the only one
with a sixth form. During the past year our
able Head Teacher, Sue Roberts, has had
to contend with a major modernisation of
the site while maintaining normal service
to the students. Whilst the building of the
new PVC has been perhaps a more glamorous project, the £18m PFI programme
to modernise PHFC has been more
difficult. We are at the end of the first year
of a two-year plan and it is a pleasure to
report that Science, Technology, Art and
and sales of the book have exceeded all
expectations. Copies can still be obtained
from the Development Office.
The summer of 2013 will see the start
of the school’s most ambitious building
project in recent decades. A new Sixth
Form Centre will incorporate an additional
eight senior school classrooms and enable
each academic department to have its
own designated working area. At the
other end of the site we intend to expand
provision in the Pre-prep and Nursery to
accommodate the overwhelming demand
for places in this part of the school.
These are exciting times and we have
much to look forward to. I am grateful to
the Headmaster, Richard Russell, and to
his colleagues for all that they continue to
do to strive for excellence across the range
of school achievement.
Ian Russell
Executive Head, Erica Pienaar
Modern Languages are all now in their
new buildings, complete with a new ICT
system. The final buildings should be
completed by next summer.
We are also proud that PHFC has been
recognised by the Specialist Schools and
Academies Trust as being in the top 10%
of non-selective schools nationally for
GCSE grades, because 21% of candidates
achieved A or A* including English and
Maths. The PHFC sixth form continues to
grow in size and subjects offered, and it is
satisfying to report that it now contains
many students who have come from
PLFC – another example of the benefits of
Federation.
It is appropriate to end on a Federation
note, as we strive to build on the
advantages of Federation whilst still
allowing sufficient autonomy to the
individual schools. A Federation Director
of Music has recently been appointed,
enabling resources to be directed to where
they are needed most. This has helped in
a number of areas, as well as giving more
career opportunities for the staff.
Jonathan Cooke – Chairman of Governors
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
21
THE UNIVERSITY OF
NORTHAMPTON
Institute for Creative
Leather Technologies
or ICLT, academic year 2011-12 has
been successful and memorable for
many reasons. Causes for celebration include a successive rise in student numbers,
deliverance of a new MSc course, an
increased number of short courses and
increased engagement with industry –
often on a consultation level. Many of
these successes have been facilitated
thanks to the Leathersellers’ Company’s
ongoing support.
Overall, student numbers for 2011/12
showed a promising 48% increase
against last academic year, with 50% of
this year’s intake being of home/EU
origin. Once again, ten students were
supported by Leathersellers’ scholarships.
A particular focus within ICLT over the
last twelve months has been to raise the
profile of leather on a local, national
and international level. This has been
achieved by working cross-school within
the University, engaging with over twenty
UK schools and universities, and having a
presence at major international leather
fairs. We continue to foster beneficial
relationships with the commercial sector,
including tanners, chemical companies
and brands.
ICLT had representation at several
international leather fairs during the year:
Lineapelle in Bologna, Italy; the
International Indian Leather Fair in New
Delhi; and the Asia Pacific Leather Fair in
Hong Kong, the Master and Clerk
combining this last trip with a very
successful and interesting visit to
PrimeAsia’s tannery in Dong Guan,
China. There was a Corium Club (alumnihosted) event at all these.
Within our core business of education,
market needs have been addressed and
in some cases our modes of delivery have
been modified to increase industry accessibility. An example is the three-month
intensive MSc course which has been
developed primarily for twelve employees
of ECCO Shoes. It is imperative, for it to
continue to thrive in the future, that ICLT
remains market-driven in this way.
Short courses also proved a success
this year. In particular the one-week
‘Creative Leather Applications’ course,
aimed at fashion and design students and
members of the industry, attracted 25
students, a significant increase from last
year. With the help of our sponsorship
F
22
from the Leathersellers, students were
drawn from Universities outside of
Northampton such as De Montfort
University (DMU) in Leicester,
Nottingham Trent University, and the
London College of Fashion (LCF). The
value of this course was demonstrated by
a student from DMU, Erin Dafydd
(sponsored by the Leathersellers), who
came back to work in the tannery and
produce her own leathers for her final
collection (modelled in the picture
below). She has expressed a strong interest in studying on our MSc in Leather
Technology.
Cross-school collaboration within the
University has grown as the value
of leather knowledge within other
disciplines – such as fashion,
design, podiatry and psychology,
as well as French and Italian – has
become more widely
recognised. In particular,
lecture-swapping between
fashion and leather has
proved highly successful,
expressed by positive
student feedback.
It is vital to keep our
technology in line with
current practice, so
constant investment is
being made within
the tannery. This year
saw the acquisition of a
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
new shaving machine. Refurbishment of
the laboratories and offices has now been
completed, along with significant
improvements to the entrance to the
Leathersellers’ building: a new pathway,
planted area, and a show-piece tannery
drum on display (above). This
immediately presents a modern, attractive
and professional image, to students and
visitors alike.
The academic year concluded with the
annual Leathersellers’ Awards and Prizes
Ceremony at the Guildhall in Northampton.
This was attended by 22 students as well
as the Associate Dean of Science and
Technology, the Vice-Chancellor of the
University and, of course, the Master
and Clerk of the Leathersellers’
Company.
An impressive 96% of all
University of Northampton graduates
who obtained a first degree in
2010-11, after completion of a
full-time course, were in employment or further study within six
months of graduation. ICLT is
proud that its record is 100%
employability of all its
graduates within six months.
This, of course, constitutes a true
measure of success.
Rachel Garwood
Then and Now: the fair weather
in Canaletto's painting of the
Lord Mayor’s river procession in
c. 1747 contrasts with the leaden
skies of the 2012 Jubilee
Pageant. The Leathersellers
participated on both occasions.
Albert Bridge to see HM the Queen on the
Spirit of Chartwell, followed by the salute as
the manpowered squadron tossed oars.
Bridge after bridge passed, with huge
cheering and flag-waving crowds from
both banks.
Leathersellers to the fore at the
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
he Leathersellers’ cutter, coxed by the
Master, was at the front of the flotilla
for Her Majesty the Queen’s Thames
Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Immediately
behind Gloriana and Jubilant, the Master,
Clerk and crew, dressed in the Company’s
18th century red and black colours, were
centre stage, leading the man-powered
boats.
After three training sessions on the
Thames, the Master and crew – with a bow
pair comprising Anthony Watson and
Hamish Williams, then Martin Dove and
Tom Swanson at 3 and 4, and a stern pair
of Tim Fooks (stroke) and Andrew Newton,
together with reserve James Barrow and
the Clerk – reported to Mortlake Anglian
& Alpha Boat Club for a 9 am rendezvous
on 3rd June 2012.
Shortly afterwards, we said our farewells to our gallant reserve James Barrow
and to the Beadle, who had marshalled us
through training and the day itself. Enc-
T
ouraged by an early cheer from a
supporter on a bridge of ‘Come on the
Leathersellers!’, a leisurely but disciplined
row took us to a stop at Dove Pier, before
mooring up with all the rowed boats
above Wandsworth Bridge for some food
and a chat with other crews.
And then a rousing ‘Come forward –
are you ready – row!” from the cox. We
were off at a steady and sedate 4 knots for
the row to Tower Bridge, with plenty of
‘long and slow’. Eyes right just below
rate river presence
llers to have a corpo
rse
the
Lea
the
for
e
ies we took part in
hough it is very rar
ual calendar. For centur
ann
r
ou
of
e
tur
fea
a
normally hired
nowadays, it was once
this ceased in 1856. We
til
un
n,
sio
ces
pro
er
riv
’s
rge, with a crew of
the annual Lord Mayor
r own Leathersellers’ ba
ou
ed
nch
lau
ly
ud
pro
tely with that of the
a barge, but in 1664 we
for it to collide immedia
ly
on
–
s
oat
istc
wa
us 5 shillings (25p)
twenty in new caps and
ounts shows, this cost
acc
ns’
rde
Wa
r
ou
in
ry
re were no such
Goldsmiths! As the ent
faces. Fortunately the
red
e
som
t
ub
do
nd Jubilee Pageant.
in damages - and no
s year’s Thames Diamo
thi
in
s
ller
rse
the
Lea
embarrassments for the
T
Having put the crew through their
paces during training, the Master came
into his own during the Pageant, maintaining centre river position very closely
behind Jubilant and Gloriana, encouraging
the crew, while seeing off rogue and
errant cutters barging into our water.
Stroke Tim Fooks set a high standard for
the crew to follow, with graceful strokes
through the water and encouraging a
focused team performance. The Clerk
returned the waves of the crowd and made
sure we stayed above the waves, pumping
out water from the boat. A good-spirited,
hard working crew!
All too soon, Tower Bridge came into
view and the wonderful Pageant was over.
Then the heavens opened and the crew
pulled hard, in driving rain, to complete a
seven-hour thirteen mile row to the AHOY
Centre in Deptford. Here there was a final
‘easy oar’ and the welcome sight of fellow
Leathersellers, family and friends, a glass
of champagne and a buffet reception. The
Leathersellers were proud to take part in
this unique and remarkable event; a short
video of it can be seen on the Company's
website: www.leathersellers.co.uk
Martin Dove
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23
“F a t h e r
of
the
N a t i o n”
Eric Williams
T
24
Eric Williams on graduating as a Doctor
of Philosophy at Oxford in 1938
Eric Eustace Williams was born in Trinidad on 25 September 1911, the son of a
minor civil servant. The
eldest of twelve children, he
showed academic promise
early on at school in Port-ofSpain, winning an “island
scholarship” – the only one
offered annually in his
field – which sent him
across the Atlantic to study
history at what is now St
Catherine’s College in
Oxford. Here he excelled
and graduated with a
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
brilliant first class honours degree, but
would then have had to return to
Trinidad, probably to work as a
schoolmaster, had it not been for our
grant. This enabled him to research
and present his doctoral thesis in 1938
entitled The Economic Aspect of the
Abolition of the West Indian Slave Trade
and Slavery. This ground-breaking historical critique of slavery argued that
economic motivation, not altruism or
humanitarian idealism, was the main
impetus for the abolition of slavery.
The thesis was revised and published
in 1944 as ‘Capitalism and Slavery’,
arguably the 20th century’s most
influential book on the subject. This
book re-framed the historiography of
the British trans-Atlantic slave trade
and established the contribution of
Caribbean slavery to the development
of both Britain and America. It has
never been out of print and has been
translated into numerous foreign languages, including Chinese, Japanese,
Russian and, this year, Turkish.
Many biographies have been
written about Eric Williams and it is
impossible to do him full justice in the
space of a short article. Given our role
in his life, we might choose to focus on
his many academic successes, but
these were matched by political brilliance,
a brilliance intimately linked to these
academic and literary achievements. In
1939 Williams moved to the USA to teach
at Howard University in Washington DC,
but he subsequently moved into the
public sphere, returning to Trinidad in
1948 to work for the Anglo-American
Caribbean Commission’s Caribbean Research Council. In 1956 he became a fulltime politician and founded Trinidad and
Tobago’s first modern political party, the
People’s National Movement. Later the
same year he was elected the country’s
first Chief Minister, then first Premier and,
in 1962 – when he led his nation to independence from British colonial rule – its
©
he entry in our Court Minutes for
July 1936 is brief and businesslike:
“E.E. Williams of Trinidad: Grant for
University Expenses. An application was
presented from Sir Claud Hollis on behalf
of Eric E. Williams, a native of Trinidad
and now a graduate member of St Catherine’s Society, Oxford (First Class Honours
in History) for financial assistance to enable
him to remain for a year or two at Oxford
University for research work. Resolved,
that a grant of £50 be made to Eric E.
Williams for one year from October 1936”.
Few can predict the full magnitude
of the benefits that can result from
access to a good education. The
Leathersellers’ Company has been funding needy students at university since
1602, many of whom have gone on to
noteworthy achievements in a wide
variety of fields, but none has achieved
the global fame of Eric Williams. When
he came to the attention of the
Leathersellers, he was an obscure but
brilliant student of 24 from the West
Indies, who would have been unable to
continue his studies at Oxford without
our assistance. He went on to lead his
nation of Trinidad and Tobago to
independence and remained its leader
for twenty-five consecutive years, until
his death in office in 1981. His achievements – as an intellectual, historian,
philosopher, politician and international
statesman – were universally recognised.
President Clinton described him as
‘Trinidad’s Man for All Seasons’, and
he has received accolades
from many others: ‘No one
was a greater fighter for
justice and equality. No one
was a greater leader’ (Colin
Powell); ‘That great West
Indian historian and Prime
Minister’ (President Mbeki of
South Africa) and ‘He was a
rare gift to this world’s
inhabitants’ (President Kaunda
of Zambia).
The Eric Williams Memorial Collection Research Library, Archives & Museum, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago’s Man for All Seasons
first Prime Minister. His administrations
witnessed times of considerable political
conflict as the newly-independent country
struggled to find stability and prosperity.
With Williams at the nation’s political
helm during such a long and crucial
period, Trinidad was able to weather these
storms relatively successfully.
Trinidad’s ‘fighter for justice and
equality’ had poor eyesight and his hearing was quite badly impaired. He generally wore a hearing aid – though could
turn this to his advantage at times. In his
autobiography, Inward Hunger, he recounts
how ‘a hearing aid is a powerful weapon
against an Opposition in Parliament – one
can always turn it off!’.
Williams’ autobiography gives many
accounts of the racial discrimination he
encountered in Britain in the 1930s and
the USA in the 1940s. At Oxford he felt
that his race placed him at an unfair
disadvantage when he applied, unsuccessfully, for a Fellowship at All Souls College
in 1935. Such things are hard to prove,
but the experience undoubtedly encouraged his determination to fight for justice
and equality. It is to the credit of Sir Claud
Hollis and the Leathersellers that Williams
was not forced to leave Oxford at this
point, but was given the opportunity to
continue his postgraduate studies and
complete his doctoral thesis, a crucial
stage in his academic and intellectual development.
Sir Claud Hollis
Sir Alfred Claud (generally known as Sir
Claud) Hollis, the Leatherseller who proposed Williams as an eminently suitable
candidate for a grant, was not only a
distinguished colonial governor, but also a
gifted linguist, anthropologist, writer and
historian. Much of his career was spent in
Africa, but from 1930 to 1936 he was
Sir Claud Hollis, Governor of Trinidad
1930-36
Governor of Trinidad, which is doubtless
where Williams first came to his notice.
Hollis took a keen interest in the welfare of
those he governed. In Africa he championed the rights of native peoples against
the encroachment of European settlers,
learnt Swahili so well he was a government
examiner in the language at 27, and
wrote pioneering books on the Nandi and
Masai peoples. In Trinidad he countered
the effects of the great depression through
establishing major public water supply,
electricity and harbour construction
schemes. A barrister’s son from Highgate,
his advocacy of Eric Williams is therefore
entirely consistent with the rapport he felt
with people from very different backgrounds from his own.
Sir Claud served as Master of the
Leathersellers for the year 1945-46. He
can be credited with instigating two of our
Company’s most unusual social events, a
dinner in 1929 in our fifth Hall, and a
lunch in 1960 in our new sixth Hall, at
both of which, the same Sultan of Zanzibar
and his entourage were guests of honour.
Hollis had been British Resident Minister
in Zanzibar from 1924 to 1930 and developed a cordial and lasting friendship with the
Sultan and his family,
another indication of his
natural gift for transcending racial and cultural
barriers. Sir Claud died in
1961, aged 87, and although his only son, Mark,
was tragically killed in action
in Eritrea in 1941, other
members of the Hollis family
remain on the Livery today.
Sir Claud Hollis deserves to
be remembered for many reasons, but
his championing of Eric Williams – in
whom he clearly recognised someone with
the potential to go far – and support for
his education was, perhaps, one of his
most influential and far-reaching, if
unforeseen, legacies.
Father of the Nation
Eric Williams fully recognised the transforming potential of a good education
and wanted this to be available to all. A
dazzling public speaker, from 1956 onwards he gave hundreds of open lectures
to thousands of his fellow nationals, on a
wide variety of cultural, political and
philosophical subjects, in Woodford Square,
Port-of-Spain – re-named by him the
‘University’ of Woodford Square. As he
had benefited from education himself, so
he in turn left a lasting legacy to education in Trinidad and Tobago by introd-
Khalifa bin Harub, 9th Sultan of
Zanzibar. Twice a guest at our Hall,
in 1929 and 1960, through his
friendship with Hollis.
ucing legislation stipulating that public
schools should not discriminate on the
basis of race, status or language. Even
today, he is widely regarded
as ‘The Father of the Nation’ of
Trinidad and Tobago. The
centenary of his birth in 2011
was the occasion of conferences, lectures and other celebrations, not only in his home
country, but around the world.
Few can, indeed, predict the
full magnitude of the benefits
that can result from access to a
good education. To honour Williams, one of the six new Houses at
Prendergast Vale College in Lewisham has been named Williams
House, after the most famous recipient of a Leathersellers’ educational grant
– to date ...
Jerome Farrell
Williams House banner, Prendergast
Vale College: design inspired by the
flag of Trinidad and Tobago
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
25
HMS Tireless
MS Tireless continues to be at the
sharp end of UK military operations.
Following last year’s arduous 10-month
deployment east-of-Suez – gathering strategic intelligence and supporting operations in Afghanistan and in the fight
against illegal narcotics and piracy – and
after a subsequent period of muchdeserved down time in Devonport, Tireless
sailed out to sea once more, on 1
September 2011.
Since 1968, the Royal Navy has been
providing the first and last line of UK defence with ballistic missile carrying submarines, maintaining an unbroken and
undetected at-sea deterrent force. It was
this task that Tireless was to support during
a 93-day period of operations – 67 of
these days continuously dived – in the
stormy waters of the autumnal north
Atlantic.
Battered by storms and with no keel to
dampen the movement from the waves,
the submarine was often at the mercy of
the weather. Although challenged by this
busy patrol, the Ship’s Company remained
professional and good-humoured throughout. The focus of the final week was the
decorating of the submarine’s Christmas
tree and the tradition of the Officers
serving up a veritable feast to the men.
Tireless returned just in time for a short
period of seasonal leave with families and
friends.
The New Year heralded significant
changes for Tireless. As the engineers repaired defects, Commander Hywel Griffiths
assumed command in January. A Welshman and devoted family man, who had
served in Tireless some years earlier, Hywel
H
26
was fresh from the Ministry of Defence,
where he had played a key role in the
Strategic Defence and Security Review.
For the next four months Tireless hosted
the UK Submarine Command Course. Three
submarines from three nations, upwards of
thirty ships and countless aircraft were
used to test the mettle of prospective
commanding officers. The course is universally known as ‘Perisher’ – for good
reason. During this period Tireless operated and trained for the whole spectrum
of Submarine Operations.
The course began in the fjords of
Norway, with ‘Eyes Only’ taking place
during the day. This is designed to test the
students’ mental agility while watching
ships pass at close range, making split
decisions as to whether the submarine can
remain at periscope depth safely, without
hitting the approaching vessel. Then,
overnight, Tireless re-roled, heading out to
sea as part of a multi-national exercise
involving ships from Norway, Germany,
Holland and Denmark. The freezing
temperatures, rough seas and thick fog all
contributed to the challenge of operating
close inshore, whilst demonstrating our
war-fighting prowess to our continental
allies.
Upon returning to the UK in March,
Tireless provided a compliant – and later,
an aggressive non-compliant – target for
the Surface flotilla as they conducted antisubmarine training off the South Coast. All
the while Tireless remained at 48-hour
notice to depart on operations anywhere
in the world.
The programme afforded a welcome
opportunity for a short visit to Southamp-
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ton, where the submarine was showcased
to over 500 members of the public and
local organisations. On returning to Plymouth it was a great honour to embark
our affiliates from the Leathersellers, 9th/
12th Royal Lancers and Rugby Borough
Council for a ‘Day in the life of a submariner’
experience (see Major George Preston’s
report, right).
A week later, Tireless was in Scottish
waters as a key player in Exercise Joint
Warrior, involving 15,000 military personnel from twelve countries over air, land
and at sea. As well as testing our fighting
ability against the latest ships and submarines from the US and elsewhere, this
served as the culmination of the Submarine Command Course, with four weeks
of intense high-end war exercises.
Leathersellers visit to HMS Tireless
A
Tireless is currently undergoing a £4
million docking period to ensure that she
remains a resilient and capable fighting
machine until her decommissioning in
late 2013. This year’s annual gift from
the Leathersellers has already been put to
good use by providing a Ship’s Company
BBQ and Families Day – a much appreciated opportunity for all to get together
after the prolonged absence of the
previous twelve months. It is rare to
gather collectively with our loved ones,
as one big Tireless family. This strengthens the bonds which sustain us at sea,
and also sustain our loved ones (left with
the hard work!) at home. Tireless will
return to sea for her next patrol later this
year.
Lt Cdr Neil Masson
s the result of a kind invitation from
Captain Hywel Griffiths RN, on
Saturday 17 March the Master and seven
of our Liverymen spent a fascinating day
at sea, on board HMS Tireless.
We arrived at Devonport bright and
early, and after some minor administration – including giving details of our nextof-kin, in case we did not surface! – we
were met at 07.00 hours by Lt. Ian
Critchley RN and other members of the
crew. In all there were about thirty visitors
(including representatives from the City
of Rugby and from Bristol University’s
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Detachment, with both of which Tireless is also
affiliated).
A bus took us to a crew transfer ferry,
and from the outer harbour we could see
a sleek black fin moored to a buoy. We
were then supplied with life jackets for our
transfer to the boat deck, which is only a
few feet above the sea – and, of course,
has no Health and Safety handrails!
Once inside we were divided into
smaller groups (as space on a submarine
is always very limited), welcomed aboard
by Captain Griffiths and his crew, and
briefed on the day’s activities.
Once under way and under water, we
visited the different areas of the submarine, including the control room, engine
room (with 11 megawatts of power),
forward escape area, and torpedo deck –
which can accommodate up to thirty
torpedoes, cruise missiles, or any combination of these two weapons.
We were given demonstrations of
emergency fire and escape hatch drills –
during which, Liverymen were given the
opportunity to try on the bulky life saving
equipment (not easy in a very restricted
space) and undergo the drills which every
submariner has to practise frequently.
My impression (as a ‘tank man’
myself) was that Tireless is not unlike one
very big tank – but one which swims,
sinks and can survive by itself for
exceptionally long periods, without the
back up available on land, and one
which could, if necessary, deliver a very
much bigger bang than a 120mm tank
gun! This visit also brought home to me
that Tireless owes its successful operation
to the excellent teamwork which exists, at
all levels, within its highly professional
crew of 130 men and 18 officers,
working in cramped and confined spaces
and dealing with a huge range of
extremely complex and sophisticated
equipment. We also learnt that a state-ofthe-art submarine like HMS Tireless is a
very expensive bit of kit – at around
£200 million.
After a relaxed and enjoyable lunch in
the Wardroom we made our way back to
port, surfacing on the way to enable us to
climb the ‘fin’ and see the sky, and also
to get an impression of our speed – since,
under water, and without checking the
control room instruments, you have no
real sense of the speed being travelled.
At the end of our trip the Master
thanked our hosts for a memorable and
most interesting day – and was thanked
in turn for our Company’s continuing
support to Tireless and her crew.
Major George Preston
Lunch with the Queen
s part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
celebrations, a celebratory lunch for
around seven hundred people was held at
Westminster Hall on Tuesday 5th June,
hosted by London’s Livery Companies. In
addition to Her Majesty the Queen, royal
guests included the Prince of Wales and the
Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. Those
attending were welcomed with English sparkling wine and Sandringham apple juice,
before sitting down to enjoy a patriotic
menu which included Scottish salmon,
A
Welsh lamb with Jersey potatoes and Isle of
Wight asparagus in ‘Jubilee sauce’.
To represent the Leathersellers’ Company and its work with charities, almshouses,
the armed services and education, the
Master was accompanied by a Sea Cadet,
Madelaine Norey, from Training Ship
Challenger; Rio Vella (Founder and Director
of U-Turn, a charity we support which helps
abused women in East London); Stephen
Hems, an apprentice tanner from Scottish
Leather Group, who has been attending a
course at the Institute of Creative Leather
Technologies at Northampton; and Chris
Brown, Warden at Leathersellers’ Close in
Barnet.
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
27
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
he past year has been an extremely full
one for the QDGs (‘The Welsh Cavalry’)
following deployment to Afghanistan in
September 2011. Here the three Squadrons (A, B, C) and Regimental Headquarters conducted different jobs, all working
towards the same goal: to provide time
and space for the Afghan Government and
its soldiers to take control of their own
country and, of course, to take the fight to
the insurgents as and when required.
The Regimental HQ element, led by Lt.
Col. Jasper de Quincey Adams, was transformed into a large team (including
attachments from other regiments), the
Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Group.
They were responsible for responding to
threats and proactively seeking targets
upon which the ground troops could then
have an effect. Though a complex job, the
Welsh Cavalry adapted to it well. B and C
Squadrons were both under the command
of the ISTAR Group and often worked in
conjunction with one another in taking the
fight to the insurgents.
A Squadron (under the command of
Major Johnny Hanlon) spent the tour in an
advisory role, training and working closely
with the Afghan National Army in Nad Ali.
The focus was on the institutional development of the Afghan army’s military capability, plus ensuring that operations conducted with British troops ran smoothly.
The training had provided excellent
preparation for this and strong bonds were
developed between the Afghan soldiers
and the soldiers of the QDGs.
B Squadron (under Major Paddy Bond)
deployed as the Formation Reconnaissance Squadron. They used their Scimitar
and Jackal vehicles to dominate their area,
working closely with the Afghan army to
provide essential security to local villages
and the main highway running through
Helmand. It was with B Squadron that Lt
David Boyce and Lance Corporal Richard
Scanlon were tragically killed in an IED
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Members of A Squadron with their
Afghan National Army partners
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The Regiment marches through Cardiff
as part of its homecoming celebrations
strike on their Scimitar armoured vehicle
in the Nahr-e-Saraj area within the first
month, an event which shocked and
saddened all in the Regiment. B Squadron
picked themselves up and responded, as
ever, by getting on with the job at hand
and continuing to operate at the highest
of standards, under the most challenging
of circumstances.
The Welsh Dragon flies over B
Squadron’s armoured vehicles in
Helmand Province, Afghanistan
C Squadron (under Major Justin Stenhouse) took on the role of Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF), complemented
by a Recce Platoon from 1st Battalion The
Yorkshire Regiment and several other
attachments. They utilised helicopters in
aviation assaults on insurgent targets and
conducted more such assaults than any of
their predecessors (as many as four in one
day) and with a success rate for other
Regiments to envy. Throughout the tour, C
Squadron closed with the enemy – though
this came at a cost. Two soldiers were
wounded in action and there were several
other extremely close shaves; the issued
equipment (of the highest quality) proved
a life saver.
Supporting all this, and more, was the
Brigade Troops Echelon (BTE), based in
Camp Bastion and looking after eleven
different organisations accounting for over
1500 personnel. A tough job at the best of
times, they had to account for kit and
equipment as well as ensure that soldiers
deployed on the ground had the best
support possible.
The officers and men of the Regiment
have worked extremely hard, spending a
long time away from their families. They
have constantly performed to the extremely high standard the Regiment sets itself.
As the Regiment looks to its immediate
future following its return from Afghanistan, the main focus is now on post-tour
recuperation. This involves adventure training expeditions to Bavaria and Uganda,
plus a bit of well-earned leave. By September 2012 the Regiment will be training
again, this time for its deployment to the
British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS)
in Canada – and for whatever future challenges await the QDGs. We send our best
wishes to all at the Leathersellers’ Company and hope we may see some of you in
the near future.
Major Paddy Bond
Our Services Dinner this year was held at Girdlers’ Hall. Shown above are the Master
and Wardens along with their principal guests (L to R) Rear-Admiral Peter Hudson, RearAdmiral Ian Corder, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, Robert Fox (Defence correspondent
for the Evening Standard and our guest speaker) and Lieutenant-General Simon Mayall.
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
S P O RT
Clay Pigeon Shooting
he Inter-Livery Charity Clay Shoot at
Holland & Holland’s magnificent
shooting ground in Northwood,
Middlesex, was once again a great
success. Team Captains, Peter ‘Senior’
Newton and Tim ‘Young’ Newton,
ensured that we had two full teams –
with highly effective marksmanship skills!
As the aromas of fried bacon and
freshly-ground coffee greeted the Senior
and Young Livery (YL) Teams, the guns –
all oiled and polished - were pulled out
of their slips, ready for loading. With an
eighty-bird, ten-discipline challenge ahead,
not to mention the incredible eighty-bird
super-fast flush, both our teams prepared
to go into battle with all the other Livery
Teams – this year, 113 in all.
The adrenaline was in full flow in the
YL Team as shooters Tim ‘Heat Haze’
Newton (Captain), the comedic James
Noel, the calculated Robert Pound and the
leather-clad Alistair Newton set to work.
The competition was fierce – not only
with other Livery teams, but internally
between our Senior and YL Teams. After
stand six, the Seniors – led by Golden
Trigger Peter Newton, Maverick Mark
Williams, Jouster Jonathan Cooke and
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Gunner Gavin Bacon (alias David Munns –
a very late replacement) were bragging of
being eight shots ahead. This spurred on
the YL Team and from here onwards the
clays were being dusted, time and time
again, with some outstanding shooting.
Good enough for the Olympics ... in
(maybe) 2020?
After three hours and with the high
towers finally behind us, we all headed to
the lunch marquee for the fabulous and
now legendary hog roast with all the
trimmings, not forgetting a glass of fine
wine – to steady the nerves before the
results were announced.
The Leathersellers’ YL team came 27th
with 254 points, while the Senior team were
hot on their heels with 236, coming in 38th
(out of the 113 teams). The winners were
the infamous Gunmakers B team, with 328.
Our own top shooter was Peter Newton
with 65, followed by Tim Newton with 61.
Interestingly, the overall ‘Top Gun’ for the
day scored 77, which shows we are steadily
progressing towards the top ten teams.
On behalf of both Teams we thank the
Master and the Company for their continued
support for this event, which this year raised
over £8000 for eighteen different
charities. Please note next year’s date: 22
May 2013. New shooters are, of course,
always welcomed warmly … after their
initiation!
Tim Newton
Golf
he Golfing Society held its annual
Spring Meeting at the New Zealand
Golf Club – in conjunction with the Coachmakers as usual – on 17 April 2012, with
22 Leathersellers and guests taking part.
Congratulations to Geoffrey Dove and
Anthony Watson for winning the Powell
Cup in the morning (with a score of +3)
and to Anthony Collinson and his son Will
for winning the Nissen Cup in the
afternoon, with 36 points.
A Sports’ Supper was held at the City
University Club on 1 May, attended by 23
members and guests; these limited numbers cast some doubt on its viability, so
Society members are encouraged to
attend in the future, if they can. Though
numbers were low, the evening was most
enjoyable. The putting competition was
won by Edward Dove.
The Prince Arthur of Connaught Cup
Competition took place at Walton Heath a
little later the same month, on 17 May; 54
T
Livery Companies took part this year, two
more than last year. Our Company was
represented by John Spurling and Andrew
Strong (1st Pair) and Julian Spurling and
Edward Dove (2nd Pair). The Leathersellers did very well, finishing in second
place with a score of +2. The winners
were the Mercers’ Company with +7.
The Autumn Meeting on 17 September,
at Tandridge Golf Club, is a four-cornered
match between the Leathersellers, Ironmongers, Coachmakers and Drapers, with
seven/eight players per team. Last year the
Drapers won and we came second. Guy
Lister won the individual Tim Phillips Millennium Salver, with a score of 28 points.
Current Membership stands at 46
players and 7 non-players. The subscription remains £25 per annum, which
entitles members to play in the Meetings
and attend the Supper at subsidised rates,
with the opportunity also of representing
the Company in other events.
Anthony Watson and Geoffrey Dove
with the Powell Cup
New Freemen and Liverymen who play
golf, at all levels, are most welcome to join
– please contact the Golfing Secretary,
Pamela Willis at the Garlick Hill office,
who can supply details of forthcoming
events. We would also like to encourage
any women golfers who are Freemen or
Liverymen of the Company to join.
All results, and more information about
our members, are on our website:
www.leathersellers.co.uk
Andrew Strong
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
29
S P O RT
Cricket
he annual cricket match against
Colfe’s on 17 June provided another
great sporting and social occasion. We
were lucky to have a game at all this
year, but the Company had cleverly
picked one of the few sunny days in an
exceptionally wet summer. The stillsodden outfield meant shortening the
game to a 20:20 match (20 overs bowled
by each side), which we thought might suit
our ageing bodies and cavalier batting
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style more than the longer formats of the
game. Unfortunately this didn’t turn out
to be the case and we were
comprehensively beaten by a very
competent school side.
Our team did put up a good fight,
however, and our bowlers restricted the
school to 150 runs, with sterling bowling
from Ed Dove, Julian Barrow and Paul
Hogarth (Kate Swanson’s husband), who
all picked up wickets. Our batsmen
fought valiantly – but fell comfortably
short of the school’s total, with a great
innings from Oliver
Emley, solid resistance by
Tom Pellereau and the
Clerk, and some
swashbuckling strokes
from Mark Russell.
Overall the shorter format was a great
success, as it provided more action for
spectators and was kinder the following
week on our less supple bodies. The date
of next year’s match is 9 June 2013;
please get in touch (trjnicholson@
gmail.com) if interested in taking part.
All Leathersellers are welcome to come
and watch, with their families, on what is
a great day out – with the school
providing a wonderful lunch and tea in
lovely surroundings.
Tim Nicholson
Inter-Livery Ski Championship 2012
orzine in France was once again the
setting for another Leathersellers
ski-ing victory. This year the main
competition came from the Ironmongers
and Vintners. Our A team comprised
Antony Barrow, Mark Williams, Hamish
Williams and Caspar Williams. The Williams
family’s ski-ing talent is quite astonishing!
In the B team were Tom Swanson, Ed
Kershaw, Peter Womersley, Alex Newton
and Sarah Swanson.
The first part – the Slalom – took place
in a floodlit stadium on the Friday night.
In this parallel race two ski-ers race down
simultaneously through different gates, each
ski-er taking part in two races. There were
M
some nail-biting finishes. Antony Barrow
performed in exceptional time, closely
followed by the Williams brothers. In the
B team, Tom Swanson showed immense
skill and finished in the top ten. Peter
Womersley, Ed Kershaw and Alex Newton
all placed high up the leader board.
The Leathersellers were also victorious
in the Giant Slalom on the Saturday,
thanks to the Williams brothers and
Antony Barrow. Mark Williams used all
his racing experience to post the fastest
time – beating Antony by one fifth of a
second! The B team also did especially
well. Pete Womersley really put his foot
down and sped into the top ten. His
result was closely followed by the other
members of the team. Sarah Swanson,
unable to participate the previous
evening, did well in this race – despite
starting last, when the track was in its
worst condition – and posted a score in
the top half of the leader board, thus
rounding off a very successful weekend
for the Company. In the Hotel L’Equipe
that evening, we were presented with the
coveted Overall Team Champion Trophy,
whilst Antony Barrow also received an
individual award as the fastest man in his
age category. It was a fantastic weekend,
which we hope to repeat next year.
Alex Newton
effect. We are extremely grateful to Erica
Pienaar for coming along to provide us
with an insight into both education and
the Livery’s affiliation with the
Prendergast schools.
In May we were fortunate enough to
have a bird’s eye view of the
development site at 100 Bishopsgate
which envelops the site of our former
Hall. Brookfield, the developer, kindly
opened their marketing suite on the
23rd floor of Tower 42 from where we
had an overview of the 900,000 sq ft
development about to be built. Once
back on terra firma a thorough de-brief
was carried out in the hostelry opposite.
There are a now a number of other
Livery Companies organising “Young
inter-Livery” events to which we would
draw your attention and which we ask
you to support. For more information,
please see the Company’s website,
www.leathersellers.co.uk
We are hoping to arrange another
event this autumn – details to follow –
and on 16 May we plan to hold our
dinner aboard HQS Wellington, the
Master Mariners’ Hall alongside the
Embankment on the Thames.
Tom Swanson, Chairman
Yo u n g L i v e r y
he Young Livery continues to attract
and involve the younger members of
the Livery and this year hosted a number
of informal and formal events.
At the end of the year a small crowd
gathered at Bankside, SE1 for Christmas
drinks in training for the festive season.
Despite a low turn-out it was good to see
some new faces and share a few drinks.
Then to kick off the year the
Committee hosted a Black Tie “James
Bond” themed dinner at Dyers’ Hall on
26 January. This was well attended and
livened up once Malcolm’s martinis
(definitely shaken and not stirred) took
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L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
COMMITTEES
C A L E N DA R
FOR THE MASTER’S YEAR 2012/2013
2012
*POLICY COMMITTEE
Wednesday 12th September (Vintners’ Hall)
Master,Wardens & Ladies’ Luncheon
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Michael Biscoe
Anthony Collinson
Michael Binyon OBE
Nigel Pullman JP
Mr. Simon Polito
Mr. Ian Russell MBE
Mr. Andrew Strong
Wednesday 17th October (Haberdashers’ Hall)
Livery & Guests’ Dinner
*PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE
Mr. Michael Biscoe
Mr. Anthony Lister
Mr. Richard Peart
Mr. Simon Polito
*FINANCE COMMITTEE
The Third Warden
Mr. Anthony Lister
Mr. Anthony Collinson
Mr. Charles Barrow
Mr. Richard Fildes
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Ian Russell MBE
Martin Dove
Alistair Tusting
Timothy Lister
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Gavin Bacon
Nicholas Tusting
Patrick Hollis
Caspar Williams
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mike Bradly Russell
Gavin Bacon
Martin Phillips
Mark Berman
2013
Thursday 17th January (Innholders’ Hall)
Nissen Dinner
Thursday 21st February (Grocers’ Hall)
Second Livery Dinner (Services)
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Thursday 18th April (Fishmongers’ Hall)
Third Livery Dinner (Lord Mayor)
Thursday 16th May (HQS Wellington)
Young Livery Dinner
Wednesday 12th June (Vintners’ Hall)
Election Day Service & Lunch
*E D U C AT I O N C O M M I T T E E
The Fourth Warden
Mr. Antony Barrow
Judge Anthony Thornton
Mr. Christopher Barrow
Mr. Andrew Strong
Thursday 13th December (Vintners’ Hall)
Court and Ladies’ Dinner
Thursday 14th March (Barbers’ Hall)
Fourth Livery Dinner (Charities)
*E S TAT E S C O M M I T T E E
The Fourth Warden
Sir John Newton Bt
Mr. Nigel Pullman JP
Judge Anthony Thornton QC
Mr. Antony Barrow
Mr. Simon Polito
Saturday 10th November
Lord Mayor’s Show
Thursday 15th November (Vintners’ Hall)
First Livery Dinner (Education)
*CHARITIES GRANTS COMMITTEE
The Third Warden
Mr. Michael Binyon OBE
Mr. Richard Peart
Mr. Peter Newton
Mr. Martin Dove
Monday 1st October
Election of Lord Mayor
Simon Polito
Mark Williams
Thomas Carter
Giles Lister
Thursday 4th July (Vintners’ Hall)
Masters, Prime Wardens & Clerks’ Dinner
Wednesday 17th July (Vintners’ Hall)
Confirmation Court
YOUNG LIVERY COMMITTEE
Mr. Tom Swanson (Chairman)
Mr. Edward Kershaw
Mr. David Noel
Mr. Oliver Emley
Miss Harriet Pellereau
Mr. Oliver Buckley
Mrs. Sophie Collett
Mr. Oliver Russell
Miss Katherine Russell
*The Master, Second Warden and Immediate
Pastmaster serve ex-officio on these Committees
L E AT H E R S E L L E R S ’ R E V I E W 2 0 11 / 2 0 1 2
31
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