Membership of the Company
Normal Membership
Numbers. Although the Charter and Ordinances impose no limit on the number of members, total membership
is around 175, drawn from many spheres of life, with numerous instances of successive generations of the same family.
Most are Liverymen, that is full members of the Company, while the remainder are Freemen of the Company. As a matter
of policy, candidates for admission are expected to have existing connections with the Craft of Turning, the Company or the City
of London.
Admission. Admission to the Freedom of the Company is at the discretion of the Court and may be by:
Patrimony: Where the applicant's father or mother was a Freeman or Liveryman of the Company at the date
of the applicant's birth.
Servitude or apprenticeship: Where formal indentures have been entered into with a Liveryman of the Company
for a period of not less than four years, commencing when the applicant was not under 15 nor over 18 years of age.
Redemption or purchase: Where the candidate's curriculum vitae is submitted to the Court by the sponsoring
Liveryman for consideration.
Presentation or gift: Where the Court in its discretion desires to recognise outstanding services to the
Craft or the Company.
The Freedom Ceremony. The candidate is required to appear before the Master, Wardens and Court of
Assistants to make the statutory declaration of a Freeman. Having signed the register, he or she is then formally
introduced to the Master and Wardens and is presented with the Certificate of Freedom.
Freedom of the City. A Freeman of the Company must apply for admission to the Freedom of the City of
London before he can be eligible for admission to the Livery.
Admission to the Livery. Admission of a Freeman to the Livery is at the discretion of the Court. Usually,
an applicant will be admitted within about two years of joining the Company. The new Liveryman will attend a meeting of the Court
to make the statutory declaration, will be clothed as of the Livery and will be introduced to each Assistant. After a formal
welcome by the Master, the Liveryman is presented with the Company history, the Certificate of a Liveryman and the the Livery
Company medal and ribbon.
Honorary Membership
The following notable individuals have been granted honorary membership of the Company of Turners of London during the past 250 years:
Year |
Honorary Member |
Citation |
| 1872 |
Baroness Burdett-Coutts |
For her work in promoting the moral and social improvement of the people |
| 1872 |
H M Stanley |
For his enterprise in discovering the great traveller, Livingstone, in Central Africa |
| 1873 |
Sir Bartle Frere |
For bringing about the suppression of the slave trade in East Africa |
| 1874 |
Sir George Gilbert Scott
and Sir Charles Lyell |
For original investigations and published communications respecting the structure and materials used in turnery |
| 1876 |
The Rt Hon Sir William Ewart Gladstone |
For advocacy in favour of the 'chartered duties of the City Guilds' |
| 1879 |
Sir Frederick Leighton |
President of the Royal Academy |
| 1879 |
King Leopold II of the Belgians |
For his skill and keenness as an amateur turner |
| 1880 |
Sir Henry Bessemer |
Inventor of the Bessemer Converter |
| 1885 |
Sir John Alexander Macdonald |
Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada |
| 1890 |
Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker |
Designers and Constructors of the Forth Bridge |
| 1890 |
Sir John Gordon Sprigg |
Lately Premier of the Cape of Good Hope |
| 1892 |
The Hon George Gibbs |
Premier of New South Wales |
| 1893 |
Lady Amherst of Hackney |
For her skill as an amateur turner |
| 1899 |
Sir Edward Poynter |
President of the Royal Academy |
| 1909 |
Sir William Job Collins |
Vice-Chancellor of the University of London |
| 1913 |
Sir Joseph Ward |
Lately Premier of New Zealand |
| 1920 |
The Rt Hon David Lloyd George |
Prime Minister |
Page Published 20 November 2005
© The Worshipful Company of Turners