On this day in 1645, "Mr. William Kings ... freely gave for the ornament of this House a giant Tortoiseshell whereon at his own charge he hath given order for the Company's arms to be painted".
This tortoise or turtle shell now hangs in the Reception Room at Barber-Surgeons’ Hall.
Curator Emeritus, Liveryman Richard Palmer, gave a talk on the shell to the Barbers Historical Society in 2013 and a copy of the talk can be found here on the members section of the website.