page_title: The Merchant Venturer
section_title: Society of Merchant Venturers
hierarchical_section_title: The Merchant Venturer / Society of Merchant Venturers
caption_attribution_description: English: Arms of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of Bristol: Barry wavy of eight argent and azure, on a bend or a dragon passant wings indorsed tail extended vert on a chief gules a lion passant guardant of the third between two bezants. detail from 1569 Charter of King Edward VI incorporating the Merchant Venturers of Bristol. Collection of Bristol Record Office, object no. SMV/1/1/2/1
context_page_description: The Merchant Venturer was a named train of British Railways. It ran over eleven Summer seasons from 3 May 1951 to 9 September 1961.
  Together with The William Shakespeare, this began as one of two excursions from London on the Western Region, as part of the Festival of Britain. Both of them ran from London and were intended for a short trip out from the capital, to some of the cultural highlights that were the focuses of the Festival. For The Merchant Venturer this was to Bristol, Bath or beyond to Weston super Mare. The William Shakespeare ran to Stratford upon Avon. Both of them used carriages in the new carmine and cream livery of British Railways.
context_section_description: The Society of Merchant Venturers, originally 'Adventurers', is an organisation in Bristol. It grew from the medieval guild structures and received its Royal Charter in 1552. It has long been associated with maritime trade through Bristol and enforced a monopoly such that only members of the Society were permitted to trade 'beyond the seas' through Bristol. Equally they opposed monopolies when against the interests of the Society, such as when they petitioned Parliament to withdraw that of the Royal African Company in 1698, opening up the profitable slave trade for the benefit of Bristol merchants.
caption: Arms of the Society, from their 1569 Grant of Arms
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