The Hidden History of London's Brewers' Company: A Medieval Tale of Love, Adventure and Secret Symbols
- More Curricular
- May 1
- 7 min read
The Moorish Guardian of London's Brewing Heritage
At the pinnacle of the Brewers' Company's heraldic achievement stands an extraordinary figure: a "demi morien," or half-figure of a Moorish woman, her golden hair flowing as she holds three ears of barley in each hand. This isn't mere decoration – it's a 500-year-old tribute to an African woman whose legendary story became so intertwined with English history that it earned a permanent place in one of London's most prestigious institutions.
A Merchant's Adventure in Medieval North Africa
The story begins with Gilbert Becket, a prosperous London merchant in the early 12th century. Like many of his contemporaries, Gilbert ventured far beyond England's shores in pursuit of trade opportunities. Medieval London was already a cosmopolitan hub, with merchants regularly sailing to the Mediterranean, the Baltic and beyond. It was during one such expedition that Gilbert's fortunes took a dramatic turn.
According to the legend preserved in the Brewers' Company records, Gilbert was captured whilst trading off the North African coast. Whether by pirates, rival merchants or local authorities, we cannot know for certain – the medieval world was fraught with such dangers for travelling merchants. What we do know is that his captivity would have meant certain death or lifelong slavery, were it not for an unexpected ally.
A local Moorish woman – described in some versions of the legend as the daughter of a Saracen prince – took pity on the foreign merchant. Medieval chronicles are frustratingly vague about her motivations. Was it compassion for a stranger in distress? Political calculation? Or perhaps something deeper? Whatever drove her initial act of mercy, she helped Gilbert escape his captivity, setting in motion a chain of events that would echo through the centuries.
A Journey of Love Across Continents
But here's where the story transcends typical medieval adventure tales. This unnamed woman didn't simply help Gilbert escape and bid him farewell. Instead, she made an extraordinary decision that speaks to the interconnected nature of the medieval world: she followed him to London.
Imagine the courage this would have required. A woman from North Africa, leaving everything she knew to pursue a foreign merchant across the Mediterranean and up to the fog-shrouded Thames. The practical challenges alone would have been immense – securing passage on ships, navigating language barriers, finding her way through unfamiliar territories. Yet according to the legend, she succeeded.
The romantic climax came when she arrived in London and was reunited with Gilbert. They married, and she became stepmother to Gilbert's son – a boy who would grow up to become one of the most famous figures in English history: Thomas Becket, the future Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Making of a Saint's Legend
Thomas Becket's story is well known to students of English history. Born around 1119, he rose from merchant-class origins to become Chancellor under Henry II, then Archbishop of Canterbury. His dramatic conflict with the king over the rights of the Church led to his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, making him one of medieval Europe's most celebrated martyrs.
But the legend of his Moorish stepmother adds a fascinating dimension to the familiar narrative. It suggests that England's great saint was raised, at least in part, by an African woman who had crossed continents for love. This multicultural aspect of Becket's family history was clearly significant enough to medieval Londoners that it became permanently enshrined in the heraldic traditions of one of the city's most important guilds.
Heraldic Secrets and Religious Politics
The Brewers' Company first received a grant of arms in 1468, nearly three centuries after Becket's death. Initially, their shield featured the arms of Thomas Becket himself, impaled (placed side by side) with the company's own symbols. This made perfect sense – Becket was their patron saint, and many medieval guilds incorporated religious imagery into their heraldic displays.
However, by 1544, the religious landscape of England had shifted dramatically. Henry VIII's break with Rome and the subsequent Reformation made overt Catholic symbolism politically dangerous. Saints were falling from favour, their shrines destroyed, their feast days abolished. Thomas Becket, as one of the most prominent symbols of Church authority over royal power, was particularly targeted.
The Brewers' Company faced a dilemma. How could they maintain their connection to their patron saint without running afoul of the new religious settlement? Their solution was ingenious: they removed Becket's arms from their shield and replaced them with a subtle reference that only the initiated would understand.
The new coat of arms, granted in 1544 and still in use today, features the demi morien as its crest. To casual observers, she simply represents the exotic nature of medieval trade, holding barley ears that obviously relate to the brewing business. But to those who knew the legend, she was unmistakably Thomas Becket's stepmother – a coded reference to their patron saint that could slip past even the most zealous Protestant reformers.
A Hidden History - Decoding the Heraldic Language
The official heraldic description of the Brewers' Company's full achievement reads: "Upon the helm on a torse argent and azure a demi morien in her proper colour vested azure fretted argent the hair or holding in either hand three barley ears of the same mantled sable doubled argent."
Translated from heraldic language, this describes a half-figure of a Moorish woman in her natural skin colour, wearing a blue dress decorated with silver netting or lattice work. Her hair is golden (or), and she holds three ears of barley in each hand. She stands on a wreath of silver and blue, with mantling (decorative cloth) that is black on the outside and silver on the inside.
The choice to depict her with golden hair has intrigued heraldic scholars. Some suggest this might indicate mixed heritage – African features combined with fair hair could represent someone of both African and European ancestry. Others see it simply as artistic licence, or perhaps a way to make the figure more acceptable to 16th-century English sensibilities.
Medieval London's Multicultural Reality
The story of the demi morien reflects a broader truth about medieval London that often gets overlooked in popular histories: the city was remarkably diverse. Archaeological evidence from medieval London reveals the presence of people from across the known world. Merchants, diplomats, scholars and adventurers brought not just goods but also ideas, customs and sometimes families from distant lands.
The presence of North Africans in medieval England is well documented. The Crusades, despite their religious antagonisms, created extensive networks of trade and cultural exchange between Christian Europe and the Islamic world. Spanish and Portuguese merchants brought Moorish influences northward, whilst English traders ventured into Mediterranean ports where they encountered diverse populations.
Moreover, the story of Gilbert Becket's wife, whether historically accurate or not, clearly resonated with medieval Londoners. It was believable enough to become part of official guild tradition, suggesting that such cross-cultural relationships, whilst perhaps unusual, were not unthinkable.
The Brewers' Company Through the Centuries
The Worshipful Company of Brewers has been a fixture of London life for over 600 years. Like other livery companies, it began as a trade guild, regulating the quality of beer and ale produced in the city. Brewing was crucial work in medieval London – ale was often safer to drink than water, making brewers essential to public health.
The company's current hall, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and again after World War II bombing, continues to display the arms featuring the demi morien. Modern members of the company are well aware of the legend behind their crest, though like many medieval stories, its historical accuracy remains debatable.
What's undeniable is the story's staying power. For nearly 500 years, the Brewers' Company has maintained this unique heraldic tribute to an African woman whose legendary courage and love supposedly shaped the family life of England's most famous medieval saint.
Questioning the Legend
Modern historians approach the story of Thomas Becket's Moorish stepmother with appropriate scepticism. No contemporary sources from Becket's lifetime mention such a dramatic family background. The earliest versions of the legend appear to date from centuries after his death, when romantic embellishments commonly attached themselves to the biographies of popular saints.
Some scholars suggest the story might be a medieval invention, created to explain certain aspects of Becket's character or to add exotic appeal to his biography. Others propose it could be a garbled version of real events – perhaps Gilbert Becket did have business connections in North Africa, or married a woman from that region, but the details became romanticised over time.
Yet the legend's persistence suggests it served important functions for medieval Londoners. Whether or not it was literally true, it provided a compelling narrative that connected their local saint to the wider medieval world. It validated the international nature of London's trade networks and acknowledged the diverse origins of the city's population.
Hidden Stories in Plain Sight
The demi morien of the Brewers' Company represents something larger than just one guild's heraldic choices. She embodies the hidden diversity of medieval and Tudor London – stories of international connection, cultural exchange and human courage that mainstream historical narratives often overlook.
Walking through the modern City of London, it's easy to assume that England's multicultural character is purely a modern phenomenon. Yet the evidence is there, literally carved in stone and painted on ancient coats of arms, if we know how to read it. The Brewers' Company's crest is just one example of how the supposedly "pure" English past actually teems with international influences and cross-cultural stories.
This is why exploring London's hidden histories can be so revelatory. Behind the familiar facades of ancient institutions lie extraordinary tales of human connection that transcend the boundaries we might expect from the medieval world. The story of the demi morien reminds us that love, adventure and courage have always been universal human experiences, capable of bridging any divide.
Discovering More Hidden Tudors
The legend of the Brewers' Company's Moorish guardian opens just one window into the remarkable diversity of Tudor London. If this story of cross-cultural love and coded heraldic symbols has captured your imagination, there are countless more waiting to be discovered on our specialised Black Tudors Walking Tour in the City of London, Westminster or the Southwark Riverside. Go to www.morecurricular.co.uk/tours now!
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