COMPANY NEWS

SWAN VOYAGE

Article provided by Taxi Cab News

By Jim Rainbird
Master of The Worshipful Company Of Hackney Carriage Drivers

On 20th July 2011 I was honoured, along with our Clerk, Mary Whitworth, to be invited by the Worshipful Company of Vintners' on this year's Swan Voyage to witness the 'Swan Upping'. By ancient custom all the swans on the River Thames are owned by the Sovereign, the Dyers' Company and the Vintners' Company. The term 'Swan Upping' may derive from the flotilla of 'skiffs' being rowed up river on the voyage or from the cry of "All up!" ("Aaaaaaall up!" when you hear it on the river) which is shouted by all of the 'Uppers' when a brood of swans is located. It takes place each year in July, combining Royal Pageantry and a useful scientific element. The health and population of the swans is monitored while the new cygnets are marked with rings to denote ownership. This used to be done with 'nicks' on the birds bills – no nicks for the Sovereign, one for the Dyers' and two for the Vintners'. All birds are now marked on the right leg with a British Trust for Ornithology stainless steel identification number ring. In addition, and so that the tradition continues, the Dyers' and Vintners' birds have similar rings fitted on their left legs. The Dyers' bird's rings have one Coat of Arms and the Vintners' have two. These ring marks are still referred to as 'nicks'. The eight Vintners' Company Swan Uppers are all members of the Watermen and Lightermen's Company. They have all won the prestigious Doggett's Coat and Badge rowing race, have British and World Championship rowing experience and one has Olympic Games rowing experience. Five are Queen's Watermen as well and one of them attempted to row across the Atlantic for charity in 2005 but his boat capsized and sank. He waited 48 hours in a life raft to be rescued! Six of them still work full time as River Thames Licensed Watermen. When a brood of swans is spotted, the cry of "Aaaaall up!" is heard and the skiffs form a floating pen to force the swans to the bank. Some of the uppers jump ashore and catch the whole brood of swans and gently restrain their legs. Once this is done the family of birds are completely calm and are transported in the skiffs back to the Vintners' launch, the MV Waterman, where they are checked over. The cygnets are measured, weighed and marked and then transported back in the skiffs, along with their proud parents, to where they were found and released with no fuss. It has been found this year that a virus has actually reduced the Thames swan population by over 10 percent. This will take some years for the numbers to return to what they were previously. Thankfully, swans are no longer widely consumed as food, in fact Henry VIII forbid the eating of Thames swans other than by the Dyers' and Vintners' Companies. The Vintners' still have an annual 'Swan Feast' but swan is no longer on the menu.

Although this all takes place way up river in Berkshire its roots are in the square mile. The route used to start at Blackfriars but as the food source for the swans declined in central London, the swans moved up river. This special day as a guest of The Vintners' on their Swan Voyage was the last official engagement of my year as Master of The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers. My thanks go to their Master, Clerk, Wardens and Swan Uppers for an experience I will never forget.