At sixes and sevens
It’s always good when you learn something new, find out why something exists or even where a common phrase comes from.
Image: © The Clothworkers’ Company
This was the case this week when I went along to the Easter service of the Merchant Taylor’s, one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London.
I knew that these clubs went back to medieval times and were set up as fraternities to protect the interest of particular trades, in this case tailors, but I had not expected such a rich vein of stories.
My favourite tale of the day was in relation to the phrase “at sixes and sevens”. Some people attribute this to Shakespeare and some to Chaucer, but any self-respecting Merchant Taylor will tell you it comes from the intense rivalry between two of the great livery halls – the Taylors and The Skinners.
As with many disputes today, it was all came down to pecking order. In 1484 the rivalry between the two guilds erupted into lethal violence during the Mayor of London’s river procession.
The Mayor resolved the issue proposing that the companies take it in turn to lead each year. When a fixed order for the companies was eventually laid down in 1516, the Skinners and Merchant Taylors were confirmed as alternating between numbers six and seven. This practice continues to this day and every Easter the companies swap their order of precedence. Fortunately there is no bloodshed these days – although there is no doubt that the old rivalry is still as strong as it was 500 years ago.