The herald., 1920-12-09
The Garden a. me prapers' Hall.
ERIVING its name from the
French "Drapperie," meaning
cloth work, the Diapers


ER1VING its name from the
French "Drapperie." meaning
cloth work, the Drapers
company, as early as 11S0,
has been associated with the textile
trade Of London; and has numbered
many distinguished men among its
members since the proud day, In the
reign Of Henry /, when Henry Fitz-
Alvin, member Of the company, be-
came LOndOn's first lord mayor,
which office he continued to hold for
"a years.
Between 1881 and 17l4 no less than
SO diapers We're thus honored, Nays the
Christian Science Monitor. Not only
did Fitz-Alwin bring civic dignity to
the company, but he left It all his
lands in st. Mary BOthawe.
Cloth was made in England from
very early days but from Saxon times
onward the chief seat of the indus
try was The Netherlands, whose
weavers obtained the raw wool from
England. Edward III, anxious to fos-
ter 1t as British trade, forbade both
the export of English wool, and the
import of cloth, and invited balloon
weavers to settle in England. He
gave the first charter to the Diapers
company In 1864, to enable II to en-
force the statutes relating to the sale
of cloths.
Growth Of the Industry.
The industry had so rapidly in
creased by 1885 that Sir Nicholas
Brembre, mayor of London, issued an
order separating drapery from tailory
and the weaving business.
Busy times were the fairs Of st.
Bartholomew, West Smithfield and
Southwark, where an enormous trade
in textiles was done; and which
the drapers and the merchant tailors
attended for their trade search, so as
to keep sharp guard over Illicit prac-
tices, such as cloth Of unlawful width,
or short measure.
Edward III is credited with present
ing the "Drapers' Ell" to the company,
and frequent items in their accounts
are disbursements for new yards" or
companies standards" and also for
cases In which to keep them.
BY the reign of Henry VI the
diapers had become so powerful that
the king granted them their charter
of incorporation In 143S, which, with
their six other charters, Is still pre-
served. 1t is a very splendid affair,
beautifully illuminated with a head
piece Of gold, and colors of the finest
work, and Is In a perfect state Of
preservation.
A Tilt With Royalty.
Royal extortions and levies DO not
appear to have affected the diapers
as much as some Of the other COM
panies, but in 1921 we read Of great
activity being displayed by them, in
conjunction with the "divers auncyant
felishippes" who assembled at "Frers
Austyns" to discuss how they could
either avoid or lessen the heavy con-
tribution demanded of them by Henry
VIII toward the fitting out Of FIVE
ships for the explorer, Sebastian
Cabot. With great bravery they in
formed the king that he had no legal
right to extort their contributions;
and that It was "a sore adventure to
jopard ye ships with men and goods
unto the said island (Newfoundland)
upon the singular trust Of one man,"
but finally peremptory message
from my Lord Cardynall" brought the
truculent spirits into due submission.
Keen business men were these stall
wart drapers, for not only do their
records contain many entries illustra-
tive Of their trade activities, but they
show that the management Of their
charities was equally alert. In 1927
they entered into a prolonged dispute
with the Crutched Friars, regarding
the boundaries of the ground pur-
chased for almshouses by Sir John
Milborn, and Of the keeping up by the
frIars of certain observances In his
memory.
Paueants and Professions.
II the drapers displayed energy in
business and kindly works, they were
also always to the fore In the civic
pleasures which abounded In the mid
die ages; and Of their "ridings," pag-
eants by land and water. their mid
summer walks" and their professions,
when one OF their number chanced to
become lord mayor. there are many
quaint and interesting records.
On the occasion Of the marriage OF
Henry VII and Elizabeth, We hear Of
the draperS. with the others. going
CHARTER.