Welcome to Trade in Early Modern London: Livery Company Records, 1450-1750

Trade in Early Modern London brings together court records and financial accounts from some of London's principal livery companies, covering more than 300 years of history. The documents provide fascinating insights into the world of early modern London, through the lens of the trade guilds that dominated the economic, social, cultural, and political life of the city. 

What is a Livery Company?

An introduction to the role of the livery companies, the records they held, and what the records can tell us about early modern London.

Nature and Scope

Find out more about the nature and scope of the documents included in Trade in Early Modern London.

Essays and Video Interviews

Learn more about the material within Trade in Early Modern London with these contextual essays and video interviews, contributed by leading scholars.

Guide to the Archival Collections

Find out more about the livery companies who have contributed to this resource.

Thematic Guides

Discover key themes that can be studied through the records in Trade in Early Modern London.

Digital Humanities

Examples of datasets from Trade in Early Modern London that could be used for digital humanities projects.