History of The Royal Warrant

Since 1155 tradesmen and women have served their sovereign by providing goods and services, from making regalia to repairing roofs and making fine jewelry.
Originally the recognition was in the form of a Royal Charter which was granted to trade guilds, later known as livery companies. The earliest recorded Royal Charter was granted to the Weavers’ Company in 1155 by Henry II. In 1394 Dick Whittington obtained a Royal Charter for his own company, The Mercers, who traded in luxury fabrics.

William Caxton, the first English printer circa 1476
By the 15th century individual tradesmen were being recognized by means of a Royal Warrant of Appointment. One of the earliest recipients was William Caxton, the first English printer, who was appointed King’s printer in 1476 by Edward IV after setting up his press at Westminster.

Charles II (1660-1685)
In 1684 Charles II’s list of Royal Warrant holders included, a Sword Cutter, an Operator of Teeth and a Goffe-club Maker, whilst under George III in 1789 some of the Warrant holders included a pin maker, a mole trapper, a card maker and a rat catcher.

George III (1760-1820)
 
By the 18th century if you were honored with a Royal Warrant you were bestowed the privilege of displaying the Royal Coat of Arms on your premises and stationery. Under Queen Victoria’s 64 year reign (1837-1901) the Royal Warrants gained

Queen Victoria
(1837-1901)
even more prestige and honor which they enjoy today. Under Victoria’s rule such companies as Fortnum & Mason, Schweppes and Twinings Tea were honored with the Royal Warrants, all of whom still hold Warrants today.

Queen Elizabeth II
 
To be a Warrant holder you must first supply the Royal Household with unrivaled quality products or services for five consecutive years. The Lord Chamberlain
( head of the Royal Household) advises the grantors on the granting of Royal Warrants but the final decision rests with the grantor concerned. Thereafter the Warrant is reviewed every five years. Hypnos has been handcrafting the finest bespoke mattresses for two of only four Royal Warrant holders. The four are; The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and The Prince of Wales.
 
To this day only the finest quality products are associated with the Royal Warrant and Hypnos is extremely proud to carry the Royal Warrants of Her Majesty The Queen and The Late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for over 37 years.
To be honored by two Royal Households is unprecedented. Some of the companies recognized by the Queen and The Late Queen Mother during the last century include, Rolls Royce & Bentley Motorcars, Aston Martin, Burberry Limited, Royal Doulton, Jaguar Motorcars, Austin Reed Group PLC, Steinway & Sons and Land Rover & Range Rover.