Working at The Worshipful Company of Barbers

The Barbers' Company is a City of London Livery Company.  The first record of the Company's role in overseeing its trade is in 1308 when Richard Le Barbour was appointed by the Court of Aldermen to oversee the maintenance of standards amongst barbers in the City of London.   The Company ceased to have formal responsibility for its trade in 1745.

Today, the Company is a fellowship organsiation, with around 350 members.  Half are drawn from the medical professions and half from a multitude of other professions.   The purpose of the Company is now about its charitable work.  The Company is the trustee of three charities which collectively make grants of about £300K pa, largely in support of medical education or for the relief of suffering.

The Company is incorporated by the Act of Parliament which separated Barbers from Surgeons in 1745, and is governed by its Court - a group of members who act as the non-exectutive board of the Company.   The day-to-day management of all aspects of the Company is delegated to the Clerk, who is the de facto Chief Executive, and who is supported by a team of five other permanent employees.

Barber-Surgeons' Hall, in Monkwell Square, is the home of the Company; it has had a Hall on the site since 1440.  The Hall is where the members of the Company gather to celebrate their fellowship.  It is also an event hospitality venue, hired regularly for lunches, dinners and conferences.