Among the Company’s earliest Court Orders, between 1537 and 1541, are references to several men, including one John Clerk, without a title or successively called ‘officer to our craft’. It would seem that they were not necessarily holding one office in succession but were what we would regard simply as employees. There is certainly a reference in 1540 to ‘the officers of our craft’ and, in the same year, two men were admitted ‘officer to our craft’, one apparently in a distinctly honorary capacity. One or more of these officers must have accomplished the duties of Clerk without mention of such a title. John Brown, appointed ‘Officer’ in 1541, was the first specifically referred to as ‘our Clerk’, on 19th July 1542. He was ‘now Clerk’ in August 1562.
| Clerk | With effect from |
|---|
| John BROWN |
5th April 1541 |
| John HUMFREY |
5th October 1570 |
| (John Warren sworn deputy to John Humfrey, 17th July 1605) |
| John WARREN |
11th March 1618 |
| Thomas ROGERS |
14th March 1638 |
| Thomas WEST |
2nd September 1639 |
| Maurice BLOUNT |
7th January 1640 |
| Thomas DUTTON |
17th December 1664 |
| Edward GOURNEY |
25th June 1675 |
| John CHASE |
1st June 1703 |
| Thomas HENNAND |
12th January 1715 |
| Harry POLLARD |
29th January 1735 |
| John SKYNNER |
10th January 1766 |
| (Giles Crompe appointed as the first Assistant Clerk, 12th March 1766) |
| Giles CROMPE |
22nd August 1766 |
| Giles CROMPE jr. |
1st March 1826 |
| Allen PERING |
24th June 1837 |
| Robert Beckwith TOWSE |
1st January 1845 |
| (Sir) Owen ROBERTS |
3rd July 1867 |
| Peter MacIntyre EVANS |
24th July 1907 |
| Walter Frank POTHECARY |
19th July 1933 |
| John Edward COOMBER |
1st August 1950 |
| Edward John REED |
13th April 1963 |
| Christopher Martyn MOWLL |
26th July 1978 |
| Michael George Temple HARRIS |
22nd July 1992 |
| Andrew Charles BLESSLEY |
25th July 2001 |