Archives
The Archives of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers date from the 13th century with most records surviving from 1454 onwards. Older archives are stored on behalf of the Company by the Guildhall Library in the City of London and may be consulted there and via their online catalogue.
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Please note that this resource is a work in progress and may not yet contain all the more recently transferred items. To consult the Ironmongers’ records in the Guildhall Library reading room you will need to use the relevant Guildhall Library manuscript reference (MS) number at the end of the CLC/L/IB reference. So for the reference CLC/L/IB/A/002/MS16965/001 you will only need to put MS16965/001 on your order form.
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These Ironmongers’ records mainly cover the period from 1454 up to 1979, but also include deeds dating from 1273. Registers of freedom admissions from 1555 and of apprentice bindings from 1511, as well as records relating to the Company’s Irish estates, can also be found. A summary of the Ironmongers’ archives at the Guildhall Library (as well as those of other livery companies) can also be found in the printed handbook City of London Livery Companies and Related Organisations: A Guide to their Archives in Guildhall Library (City of London, 2010 [fourth edition]).​
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The Company’s original charters, more recent Court Minutes (from 1973) and other modern records are still held by the Company at Ironmongers’ Hall and may be consulted at the discretion of the Archivist.​ ​​​
Histories of the Ironmongers' Company
The Ironmongers’ Company: A History (2025)
This is a new history written by Dr Penelope Hunting and produced to mark the centenary of Ironmongers' Hall. This handsome volume takes an innovative thematic approach that incorporates extensive research into City records, revealing that Ironmongers were influential in the government of the medieval City; they were also astute merchants trading in commodities that ranged from iron rods to silk.
At 432 pages with some 420 illustrations this is an attractive volume, essential reading for members of the Company, and a handsome gift for anybody interested in the history of London and the City livery companies.
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Readers may relish biographies of notable Ironmongers through the centuries, and will surely be intrigued by the evolution of the Ironmongers’ Company from its origins as an informal fellowship based in Ironmonger Lane to its place as number ten of the Great XII in 1517. The saga continues with chapters on ‘Ironmongers’ Halls’, ‘Property’, ‘Festivals, Feasts, Pageants and Barges’, and the last of eleven chapters explores ‘The Future of the Past’.
If you would like to buy a copy of the book, priced at £50 for members and £100 for non-members, please contact the Assistant Clerk at Ironmongers’ Hall. We will arrange a time for you to collect your copy from Ironmongers' Hall. Where this isn't logistically possible, there will be an additional price for postage and packaging depending on your location.
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One Hundred Treasures of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers (2016)
A book celebrating the Ironmongers’ Company was the late Leslie Weller’s brainchild with an aim of widening the knowledge of Company members and others interested in its treasured objects. Items in the collection at the Hall today have, in the main, been gathered since the fifteenth century and range in date from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century. This book’s selection of one hundred of these Company treasures has been divided into sections covering Furniture, Silver, Sculptures, Paintings, Miscellaneous Items and Archives & Books.
To purchase a copy, at the price of £45 (plus postage & packing), please email the Assistant Clerk.
