Worshipful Company of Grocers
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The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. It was founded in the twelfth century as the Guild of Pepperers. In 1376, the Guild became the Company of Grocers of London. In 1428, the Company acquired a Royal Charter.
The Company was responsible for maintaining standards for the purity of spices and for the setting of certain weights and measures. Its members included London's pharmacists, who separated into the Society of Apothecaries in 1617. Today, the Grocers' Company exists as a charitable and ceremonial institution, is responsible for the maintenance of Oundle School and is represented on the council of University College School. In the order of precedence for Livery Companies, the Grocers' Company ranks second, after only the Mercers' Company, making it one of the "Great Twelve City Livery Companies". The Company's motto is God Grant Grace.
It is also responsible for maintenance of The Elms (1614), one of, if not the oldest Prep School in the country. The school is situated in rural Herefordshire at the foot of the Malvern Hills.