Livery and Porters.

[tglyn]

Hi all
One of our family from the past is noted as being a fellowship porter in the City of London..

What does the fellowship bit mean?
I assume he works as a porter with a two wheeled barrow
Does it have a Guild or something similar that I can refer or contat.
And what about a Livery
Thanks in advance
Tony

[Olde Crone Holden]

Off the top of my head, doesn't a fellowship porter normally work in a University, or Inns of Court or other exalted place? He is more of a custodian/housekeeper than an actual lugger-around of things.

Livery just means he wears a uniform specific to an institution or affiliation (rather than just a brown coat)

But...I could be completely wrong....

EDIT - porter as in doorman (portal) rather than porter, carrying stuff around.

OC

[tglyn]

Very interesting..mmm got me thinking now as I always thought the family was involved in the markets.
Thanks for that..
Tony

[Olde Crone Holden]

Some records here

:http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/porters.htm

The old definition of a fellowship porter was a bonded courier, who could be trusted with carrying valuables about.

LOTS of stuff on google!

OC

[andymak]

As far as I can make out a porter with livery would be a person who transfers messages for one of the London Livery companies. There is a list of current livery companies at this URL http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corpo...y/linklist.htm
Trade organisations that were not termed worshipful companies were known as fellowships or guilds.
More info on Livery companies here. http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/livapp.htm

Hope this helps.

[tglyn]

Hi all
Some really interesting detail, sounds like it was a good trusted person that would be able to pick goods or food mabe and ne totaly trusted for it carriage then.
I will check out if there was a guild or something he might be attached to.
Thanks again
Tony

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Ive also got one of those. I think I googled and found there is a guild for them.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

It appears that the Society of Fellowship Porters resulted from the need
of the Tackle-House and Ticket Porters to regulate themselves. Coal and
Corn porters were also included. This was about 1824. The Fellowship
Porters Hall was located at 17 Mary-at-Hill. Each porter would have worn a
badge with his membership number to indicate to the person booking him
that he was trustworthy.
They had a book of charges, for example from any quay to
Beer Lane or Pudding Lane: 1/2 cwt at 4d; 2 cwt at 1s
Leather Lane or Bethnal Green Church: 1/2 cwt at 1/6d; 2 cwt at 3s
Bow Church or Hyde Park Corner: 1/2 cwt at 2/9d; 2 cwt at 5s.
The Corporation of London appears not to have liked the society, which
appears to have been a mutual help organisation and a union rolled into
one and over a period of years passed many acts restricting the society's
powers.
The society was finally disbanded by an Act of the Corporation, Court of
Common Council in 1894. The Hall in St Mary-at-hill was sold.

[tglyn]

Hi Heather
Well what a very interesting history it seems the Fellowship had.
Impressed with all your detail, where the heck did you manage to find it.
The refernce to this occupation was for my gandad inlaw dated 1899.
I guess the any person with these credentials would have been very sought after by the big houses as a trustworthy person, I like that.
So nice to see the proper weights and pre decimal money quoted as I know its value, really don't understand grams and all that rubbish.
Interesting you mention the disband date as the refernce is on a certificate for 1899, mmmm

Thanks for the very interesting insite to the fellowship porters... cut a nd pasted as notes attached to the tree
Tony

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Google is my bible tglyn