ABSTRACT
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were times of great change and uncertainty for the City of London and its livery companies, not least for the guild of Tailors and Linen-Armourers, reincorporated in 1503 as the Merchant Taylors’ Company. This chapter describes the political and civic roles of the Company, and its relations with the other companies and with the Crown, concluding with the controversial grant of a new charter by Henry VII in 1503. The political outlook of the Company can be glimpsed in its involvement in the constitutional debates and conflict that took place in London in the reign of Richard II. In 1376 radical reforms were introduced by a ‘party’ within the City government, headed by a draper named John of Northampton. Despite the turbulent events, the reign of Richard II nevertheless saw the Tailors and Linen-Armourers consolidate their position in the City, and on 30 July 1390 they acquired their third royal charter.
