History

In the autumn of 1976 a small group of eminent members of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA)¹ met and responded to an invitation by Sir Kenneth Cork, a past Lord Mayor of the City of London, to the Chartered Accountants, Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Secretaries, to form “modern” livery companies to represent the newer professions operating in the City, alongside the much older and more traditional livery companies derived from the guilds and representing trades and crafts. The initiative was led by Mr John F Philips, a former Secretary of the Institute and a Past President.

The petition for the grant of a livery was sponsored by Sir Edward Howard Bt and submitted to the Lord Mayor Sir Robin Gillett Bt and the Court of Aldermen on 19 April 1977. The grant of livery was made on 19 July 1977 (subject to certain conditions) which created the company, 87^th in the order of precedence in the list of Livery Companies in the City of London. The formal presentation of the Letters Patent was in January 1978.

The first meeting of the Court of Assistants was held on 19 January 1977 to consider the draft Ordinances and petition. The next meeting was in October 1977 when many initial matters were set in train – the forms of declarations for admittance to the livery company and to the Court, obtaining a coat of arms, the appointment of a Beadle and a Deputy Clerk, appointing an auditor, opening a bank account and agreeing to purchase robes for the Master and Wardens. A decision on the purchase of a mace was deferred.

The Royal Charter was granted more than 30 years later in July 2008.

From October 2026 to October 2027, therefore, WCCSA is delighted to be celebrating its Golden Jubilee!

You can find out more about our history in “A very Modern Company – A history of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators 1976 – 2012”