The Worshipful Company
of Bowyers
Forthcoming Bowyer Events
Click here for details of proposed future Bowyers' Events
Online Talk: 'Piercing Plate Armour with Arrows - Fact or Fiction'
10 March 2021, 7.00pm
Online Cheese & Wine Night:
17 March 2021, 7.15pm
Online Talk: 'UK Defence and Security in the New Strategic Environment'
25 March 2021, 7pm
City and other News
Lord Mayor's Bulletin January 2021
Click here to view
The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch 2021: Not just a Lunch - but three months of fundraising for Veterans
1st February - 29th April
Click here to view
Eucharist service from St Botolph
Although the church building at St Botolph remains closed, the Priest in Charge (and our Chaplain, Fr David Armstrong) will continue to stream a short Eucharist service at 8.10am every Tuesday morning, and a Eucharist service with sermon every Wednesday lunchtime at 1.10pm. These can be viewed at any time, and are found at www.botolph.org.uk/online-service-video/
Mercian Regiment Update
A copy of the regiment's latest quarterly newsletter can be found at this link
Suited and Booted newsletter
Download a copy here
City of London Livery Briefing
Download the latest edition
Tracing Your Bowyer Ancestors
The Records of London's Livery Companies Online, known as RollCo, is a project which was begun in 2008 to make the membership records of the Companies more readily accessible by a setting up a searchable database.
The Worshipful Company of Bowyers supported the project by providing transcriptions of admission records which are now freely available online at www.londonroll.org and contain details of Apprentices and Freemen of the Company from 1680 to 1900.
About the Bowyers
The Worshipful Company of Bowyers is one of the older and smaller of the City of London's livery companies. We celebrate our piece of history, we work hard at our charitable activity, and we provide a convivial sociable environment that keeps our members engaged... Find out more
News from Suited & Booted
We were delighted to see in the 2021 New Year Honours list that the founder and director of the Suited & Booted charity, Dr Maria Lenn, has been made an MBE 'for services to unemployed in London'. We're delighted for her; it's very well-deserved recognition for all the selfless work she has put in over the past few years to building and running this extraordinarily successful small charity that kits out the unemployed for interviews and provides them with coaching.
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2020
Sadly the usual Garden of Remembrance event at St Paul's, where we would normally have planted a cross on behalf of the Company, was cancelled this year. However, I am pleased to tell you that we were able to arrange for a wreath from the Bowyers Company to be laid, on our behalf, at a small military ceremony at Warminster Garrison. The wreath was laid outside of Headquarters Infantry and our Liveryman Lt Col Tony Marinos was later able to pay respects on behalf of the Company.
Agincourt Dinner, 15 October 2020
On 15th October, a day before London began its Tier 2 lockdown, the Bowyers Company commemorated the anniversary of Agincourt. Whilst it was not possible to hold our traditional Agincourt Banquet in its full glory, the anniversary did not go unmarked.
In the grand but welcoming setting of the National Liberal Club and with the support of the Beadle, the Clerk and the Chaplain, 19 Bowyers gathered to meet and dine with one another.
Our Coat of Arms
The arms of the Company were granted by Sir Thomas Holme, Clarenceux King of Arms on 10 November 1488. The main charge is the 'flote' which was a device for planing and smoothing the bow stave. The chevron has no special meaning but is simply to separate the 'flotes' in the design. It is commonly found at this time in arms granted to corporations, livery companies and others. Likewise, so far as we know the mullets are merely decorative.
The Crest of three bows may represent the product in use and ties up neatly with the motto: Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt.
The Supporters were granted in July 1996. The dexter is a representative of a medieval bowyer in the livery of his Company (black and white) holding a 'flote' as one of the tools of his trade. The sinister, a representation of an archer of the time of Agincourt symbolises the product in use.
The supporters stand upon a green mound which is strewn with pointed stakes set at an angle such as were used by the archers at Agincourt as a defence against cavalry.
