Introduction to Membership

City of London Livery Companies have their origins in the Medieval period of craft guilds. These guilds controlled much of the work in the City such as the prices and wages paid, but were also responsible for maintaining quality and provide training and welfare of their members and apprentices. They also had obligations to support the Crown and Government of the day e.g. through financing militia units.

Today there are 111 Livery Companies and nearly all are known as “Worshipful Company of….”.

They are still associated with their craft but today are primarily involved in promoting fellowship in their trade e.g. holding social functions and supporting education, charities and affiliated organisations linked to their trade. Some have their own Halls and those that don’t have the opportunity of using the Halls of other Companies for their own social functions.

The Worshipful Company of Lightmongers is 96th in order of precedence within the Livery companies of the City of London. Although a comparatively modern Livery company, we maintain the core traditions of a City of London Livery company and play an active role in the life of the City.

All our members are involved in the lighting industry through engineering, manufacture, design, electrical installation, distribution and promotion.

The core values of our Livery Company are:

• To foster the art and science of lighting by bringing together those practising in the many different skills involved and to promote goodwill in our industry;
• To encourage invention and imagination in the use of light by the use of prizes, scholarships and other appropriate means;
• To develop fellowship and good citizenship

The main objects of the Lightmongers are:

• Promote fellowship and networking amongst our members;
• Invest in the future of the industry by encouraging the development of education and training programmes;
• Provide support to charities helping those who suffer from sensory impairment where good lighting can enhance quality of life;
• Support, preserve and be part of the heritage of the City of London;
• Maintain links with our affiliated organisations e.g. specialist schools, units of our Armed Forces and others.

Fellowship is a widely used word encompassing all sorts of things such as camaraderie, friendship, community, networking and a feeling of belonging. In Livery Companies this is generally achieved through meeting a broad range of like-minded individuals, in convivial surroundings.

The Lightmongers’ principal charitable efforts are directed towards those with sensory impairment, in particular sight and hearing.

Our Company has a full programme of events, in addition to our Company Dinners and Receptions, many of which raise funds for the benefit of our charities.

The activities include dinners with a speaker, educational lectures, visits to interesting places, golf day, clay pigeon shoot and participation in the life of the City including the Lord Mayor’s Show.

Charity

Membership of the Company implies that you are willing to donate to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers Charitable Trust.

Our Charitable Trust makes gifts and donations on behalf of the Company, primarily to organisations that relate specifically to our charitable objectives in the field of sensory impairment and supporting City of London charities. The Company, through the Charitable Trust, also presents Educational Awards to our affiliated schools, military units and in support of education in lighting.

School Affiliations

• Mary Hare School for Deaf Children
• New College Worcester for the Visually Impaired

Both are specialist schools taking children from around the country and they achieve exceptional results. The affiliation reflects our charitable objectives to alleviate blindness and deafness, as well as linking with a wide range of educational awards.

Military Affiliations

From early times the City of London and its Guilds, like other great European cities, had maintained a militia, partly to protect it from internal mob violence, but also from outside interference. Livery Companies maintain that historical tradition through affiliations with our armed forces. Representatives of the services play a full part in the social and ceremonial occasions through being honourary members. The current military affiliations of the Lightmongers are:

Army – 579 Field Squadron (Volunteers) under the command of the regular Army 101
(City of London) Engineer Regiment for explosive ordinance disposal.

Navy – HMS Queen Elizabeth, Haringey Sea Cadets

Royal Air Force – 606 (Chiltern) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire.
56 (Woolwich) Squadron Air Training Corps

Becoming a member of a Livery Company should be seen as a life-long commitment and, along with
the many benefits, come obligations and responsibilities.

Members should have a genuine desire to give something back to society, mainly by offering
financial support to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers Charitable Trust. They are also
expected to support the Company by attending its Annual Members Dinner as well as other events
during the year.

We hope that some members will become more actively involved in the work of the Company by
joining a Committee, joining the Court and even making their way through the Chair and becoming
Master Lightmonger.

Like many things in life, until you put something in you do not realise how much you get out of it!

How to join

Membership usually takes the form of three stages:

• Admission as a Freeman member
• Attaining Freedom of the City of London
• Progression to full membership as a Liveryman

There is an Application Form that you will need to complete. These are available on request from
the Clerk or downloadable from the Lightmongers website. There is also a document “Information
for Prospective Members” that gives a much fuller guide to the whole process.

As a prospective member you will need to be sponsored to become a Freeman by two existing
Liverymen of the Company who you may already know. If you need support in identifying sponsors
you should contact the Clerk.

Once an application is approved a ‘Fine’ or fee would become payable and thereafter “Quarterage”
of an annual subscription. Details of the current amounts can be found in the document
“Information for Prospective Members” or from the Clerk.

It is expected that by becoming a Freeman of the Company you will progress through to full
membership by attaining both Freedom of the City of London and then be clothed in the Livery of
the Company to become a Liveryman and a full member.

We hope this brief outline of who we are and what we do has stimulated your interest in our Company.

For further information on The Worshipful Company
of Lightmongers please contact us via email: clerk@lightmongers.co.uk