Digital Index now available to all Members

New Member Research Facility

Historically, researching details of Company members involved trawling through signatures in the Company’s Roll Books, a mammoth task particularly if the period of membership or approximate date of joining was unclear. A handwritten alphabetical index used to be kept but fell into disuse and is now long out of date.

Recognising this difficulty and what was becoming a gap in recording Company members, the Archives and Treasures Committee has produced a digital index of all individuals joining the Company since 1681 and member access is now available through a laptop in the Archive Room in Merchants’ Hall.

The digital index which is updated with new members after each Stated Meeting, is contained in an alphabetical Excel workbook with the surnames on each page listed chronologically by date of joining. The index contains the full name, the actual date of joining as contained in the Roll Book, and the offices held (Master, Treasurer and Assistants), of 5,181 members since the first meeting on 1st December 1681 to the most recent Stated Meeting on 1st October 2026. As the information held is limited and not sensitive, and members consent to sharing information under the terms of membership, the index is not affected by GDPR.

The index which is now available to all members, is password protected with the password available from Graham McDonald, Senior Company Officer and Facilities Manager.