Last Updated on 11/02/2026
There is no strict definition of what makes a Livery Company “modern”, but the convention remains that the first of them was the Master Mariners, formed in 1926 and granted livery status in 1932. Any City Company that has achieved livery status since 1932 is considered modern – even if the organisation existed earlier or the profession it represents is centuries old.
To illustrate this, several “modern” companies actually pre‑date the Master Mariners:
- City of London Solicitors’ Company – formed in 1908, granted livery status in 1944.
- Newspaper Makers – formed in 1931 and intended to build a grand hall, but merged into the Stationers’ Company in 1937 (the Stationers having achieved livery status in 1559).
Thus, formation date alone does not determine modernity.
Does the age of the profession matter?
The professions represented by modern companies often long pre‑date the companies themselves. For example:
- Hackney Carriage Drivers – first regulated under Cromwell and granted livery status only in 2004.
- Educators – granted livery status in 2013, more than 800 years after a group of scholars left Oxford to found Cambridge University.
So even an ancient, well‑regulated profession does not disqualify a company from being “modern”.
Why begin with the Master Mariners?
Before the Master Mariners achieved livery status in 1932, the previous new livery creation had been the Carmen in 1848. The 84‑year gap between them created a natural breakpoint: everything after that long hiatus is considered modern.
Earlier gaps were even longer (e.g., the Fan Makers, incorporated in 1709—a 139‑year gap before the Carmen). But it was the Carmen–Master Mariners interval that stuck as the dividing line, and so the Master Mariners will remain the first modern company no matter how many centuries pass.
Modern companies representing modern professions
Many modern Livery Companies reflect contemporary industries or Chartered professions, such as:
- Information Technologists
- Management Consultants
- Marketors
- Actuaries
- Tax Advisers
- Scriveners
- Various Chartered profession companies
However, not all modern companies represent modern trades. For example, the Tobacco Pipe Makers & Tobacco Blenders and the Farmers are classed as modern by date, not by the nature of their trade.
Newest modern Livery Companies
Recent decades have seen increased recognition of modern professions. Notable very recent additions include:
- Worshipful Company of Human Resource Professionals – granted livery status in February 2026, becoming the 114th Livery Company.
This reinforces that “modern” is a chronological term, not a commentary on how new or old the profession itself may be.
For more information, please visit Paul Jagger’s webiste. Paul D Jagger, Author & Blogger
