On 13th December 1308 Richard le Barbour was elected Master of the Company and presented to the Court of Aldermen at Guildhall. The event is recorded in the Corporation of London’s Letter Book C, folio 96, now stored at London Metropolitan Archives. An image of the entry in the Letter Book is on the right, and a translation of the Latin entry, is below.
Richard le Barbour, dwelling opposite to the Church of All Hallows the Less, was chosen and presented by the Barbers of London, on the Tuesday next after the Feast of St. Lucy the Virgin [13 December] in the second year of the reign of King Edward, son of King Edward, before Sir Nicholas de Farndone, the then Mayor of London, John de Wengrave, and other Aldermen, to have supervision over the trade of the barbers, etc. And he was admitted, and made oath that every year he would make scrutiny throughout the whole of his trade; and if he should find any among them keeping brothels, or acting unseemly in any other way, and to the scandal of the trade, he was to distrain upon them, and cause the distress so made to be taken to the Guildhall, etc.
The Church of All Hallows the Less was situated opposite Suffolk Lane, in Thames Street near what is now Cannon Street station. It was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. See below for a map showing the likely location of le Barbour's house.
The Corporation of London’s Letter Books have been digitised and are available to view online via the London Metropolitan Archive catalogue https://search.lma.gov.uk/ Search for “COL/AD/01/003” to find Letter Book C and the entry for Richard Le Barber is on page 217.
Richard le Barbour is the first recorded Master so 1308 has been adopted as the Company's anniversary. However, it is very likely there was a group of Barbers in London before this date who were organised enough to nominate le Barbour to have supervision over the trade.
In 1908, to mark 600th anniversary, Sidney Young wrote "A Short Account of Richard le Barbour" which includes biographical informatio and an early history of the Company. In it he states that le Barbour was a man of some importance, being a Serjeant of the Ward of Dowgate and owner of considerable property in the City. He dies around 1310 and in his his tenements and rents from properties in Bread Street, Queenhithe, Cordwainer Street at London Stone, and in Whitecross Street, Cripplegate apportioned between his widow Katherine, his daughter Johanna and his apprentice Thomas de Mangrave. He bequeathed 20s to the fabric of London Bridge and the residue to pious uses.
Images taken from "A Short Account of Richard le Barbour" by Sidney Young.