The Haberdashers' Company is one of the twelve 'great' Livery Companies of the City of London. The Livery Companies developed from the medieval trade guilds which controlled the quality of the goods sold by their members and laid down standards for the training of apprentices - in the case of the Haberdashers the goods were hats, costume accessories and other small wares.
A company of Haberdashers are known to have existed in 1371. The Company reached the peak of its commercial influence during the Tudor period, and it was not until the second half of the seventeenth century that its function began to change.
Today the main concern of the Company is the administration of the many charities, primarily concerned with education, of which it is the trustee.
As trustee of the Aske’s Charity, the Haberdashers’ Company continues to safeguard the original intentions of Robert Aske. It has been the main sponsor of Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College since its inception and supports students in many aspects of their education, including music and higher education, and this now includes Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy and Haberdashers’ Aske’s Crayford Academy on an equal basis.
For more information please see the Haberdashers’ website: http://www.haberdashers.co.uk
Temple Grove Schools Trust is an incorporated charity founded some 50 years ago and springs from one of the country’s oldest prep schools, Temple Grove - the subject of the books ‘Cradle of Empire’ and ‘Waterfield’s School’. Temple Grove Bursary Fund is working together, with the Trust, to share in its contemporary aim to inspire excellence in primary education, whilst creating meaningful and lasting cross-overs between the state and private sectors. The Trust's core interests are to:
For more information please see the Temple Grove Trust website: http://www.templegrove.org.uk