The Fishmongers' Company is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London and amongst the most ancient of the City Guilds, with an unbroken existence of more than 700 years. The Fishmongers of London are known to have been an organised community long before Edward I (AD 1272) granted them their first Charter. That, and others granted in the reigns of Edward II and Edward III, provided that no fish could be sold in London except by the Mistery of Fishmongers; they also limited the markets at which fish could be sold in the City and made it the duty of the Wardens of the Mistery to oversee the selling of fish and to ensure that none but sound fish was offered. Later Charters, granted in the reigns of Richard II, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth I and James I, formally incorporated the Company and laid down rules for its governance and regulation of the trade.

The fourteenth century was a period of great expansion for the Fishmongers. They had secured a complete monopoly of the sale of fish - one of the chief necessities of life in the Middle Ages. With the granting of their Charters, their wealth and influence had increased enormously and they took a prominent part in the affairs of the City. They were even required to furnish three ships for the Royal Navy in the reign of Edward I, and on his return from the successful war in Scotland they furnished him with an imposing pageant. Another pageant was provided by the Guild in the reign of Edward II (1307-27) on the birth of the young prince who afterwards became Edward III (1327-77). In this a boat was fitted out "in guise of a great ship with all manner of tackle that belongs to a ship and it sailed through Chepe as far as Westminster". The Fishmongers there presented the ship to the Queen and then "all well mounted and costumed very richly" escorted her through the City on her way to Canterbury on pilgrimage. In the reign of Edward III the Company made a substantial contribution to the cost of the Hundred Years' War with France.

From the beginning to the end of the fourteenth century the City of London was much disturbed by the vexed question of whether there should be free trade in food or not. The Fishmongers were at the head of what were known as the Victualling Guilds, whose interests in retaining their monopolies in various foodstuffs were opposed by the Craft Guilds who wanted free trade in food, but not in the goods they manufactured themselves. The Fishmongers' monopoly had been challenged unsuccessfully in the reign of Edward II and was confirmed by Charters of Edward III.

In 1383 an influential Mayor of London and grocer, John of Northampton, who was the leader of the Guilds wanting free trade in foodstuffs, persuaded the Common Council to declare that the Fishmongers were not entitled to monopolise the fish trade. That decision was confirmed by Parliament, but later, in a Charter granted to the Fishmongers by Richard II in 1399, all their privileges were restored and they were given license to elect six Wardens, which is the present number.

Until the end of the fourteenth century the Fishmongers had their own Court of Law (Leyhalmode) at which all disputes relating to fish were adjudged by the Wardens, whether such disputes were between members of the Company amongst themselves or with "foreigners", i.e. non-members of the Guild.

Current as at August 09, 2003