About the Company
A City livery company rooted in British farming
Inspiring, developing and encouraging excellence in the management and leadership of UK agriculture. Eightieth in order of precedence among the livery companies of the City of London.
Where we came from
Farming’s place in the City
Agriculture can be said to be England’s oldest and most important industry. The growth of the City depended for centuries on the supply of food to support its population.
Yet while some livery companies were active as early as 1155, it is thought farmers were not represented until much later — they operated outside the square mile, unlike the related trades of Bakers, Butchers, Poulters, Woolmen and Fruiterers.
Our own roots stretch back to the Cornmongers Guild in the 14th century. The present, modern Company was formally established in 1952.
How the Company began
From wartime fundraising to a livery company
The Company’s origins lie in the Chairman’s Committee of the British Red Cross Agricultural Fund, set up during the Second World War to raise money for the war effort. The whole of agriculture and its ancillary trades combined to raise over £8.5 million.
To carry the Fund’s good intentions forward, plans were begun to create a livery company.
- 1946 The Company of Agriculturalists of the City of London is formed.
- 1952 Grant of Livery approved, as the Worshipful Company of Farmers.
- 1955 Royal Charter gained.
- 2001 HRH The Princess Royal serves as Master.
The Company today
A working company, not a museum
Our community of over 360 Liverymen — which includes many women, in spite of the name — is drawn from every part of the agricultural industry, not only from farmers and landowners.
We meet regularly at our own modern Livery Hall at 3 Cloth Street, Barbican, which we share with the Fletchers’ Company. For larger occasions such as the Annual Banquet and the Agricultural Lecture and Dinner, we gather in some of the great livery halls of the City. Visit the Hall’s website
Beyond those meetings, Liverymen enjoy a great deal of fellowship: a ski trip, a golf day, a clay shoot and the unmissable Summer Visit hosted by the Master of the day — alongside historic livery occasions like the Lord Mayor’s Show and the annual Sheep Drive across the Thames.
We also hold strong ties with the Forces, through our affiliations with HMS Defender, RAF Waddington, The Westminster Dragoons and the Middlesex Wing of the Air Training Corps.
Read on
More about the Company
Become part of the Company.
Joining as a Liveryman means a life-long fellowship of like-minded people from across farming and food. The Clerk will guide you from first enquiry to Clothing.