The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company was founded by a Royal Charter in 1629; it was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1809. The Company was empowered to set regulations and standards for optical devices; such a power was eroded away by the Industrial Revolution, after which trade restrictions were rendered difficult to enforce. The Company acquired the right, however, to set examinations that opticians had to pass before practising. Such a power was given up to other bodies in 1979. Now, the Company supports charities and research in the field of optics. The Spectacle Makers' Company ranks sixtieth in the order of precedence for Livery Companies.
