My name is Richard Turk…and I live in Lone Tree, Colorado USA.

The Swan Upping process starts at Sunbury and ends up at Abingdon, with delays to pass the various locks in between. Swan Upping. The Vintners’ Swan Uppers are all also members of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen and have all previously won the Doggett’s Coat and Badge, the world’s oldest rowing race. Cygnets are carefully weighed and marked under the watchful eye of Christopher Perrins, professor of Ornithology at Oxford University and the Queen’s Swan Warden. This annual census of the swan population is known as Swan Upping.

The two Vinters boats at the back with one of the Queen’s boats at the front: Another view taken by my father of one of the Vinters boats. He did not date the photos, but from checking photos on the same strips of negatives, I am reasonably certain that the year was 1953. My father took photos of the event when it still had a City of London start, on Swan Wharf at the end of Swan Lane, near London Bridge. The feathers were usually trimmed to make the quills easier to use – a detail ignored by many a producer of historical dramas! Swan Upping is an event which takes place in the third week of July each year. Six traditional Thames rowing skiffs are used to travel the river. I’ve lived in London for over 20 years and still find it a city of surprises.

The Vintners’ Company supports two sanctuaries at Eton and Teddington, where sick and injured swans along the Thames Valley are looked after. This year, Swan Upping will begin on Monday 15th July, departing from Sunbury lock cut and will finish at Abingdon Bridge, Oxfordshire on Friday 19th July. Great to know the traditions continue – Interesting that the black & white photo’s are more ‘colourful’ then the colour photo’s!

The day starts around 10:30, with the aim of finding swans and cygnets as soon as possible. Thus the ownership of swans in the Thames is shared equally among the Crown, the Vintners' C… This year, in amongst work and other commitments I was able to fit in a visit to Goring in South Oxfordshire to see the Swan Uppers pass through the lock on their way along the Thames. The ownership of swans in a given body of water was commonly granted to landowners up to the 16th century. All unmarked birds, of course, were considered royal. Perhaps something relating to the Royal Victorian Order might be in there somewhere too…, Andrew, thank you for this information and the links. An annual ceremony, dating back 900 years, in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released.

Presumably this Richard Turk is related to the family of Thames watermen who have been in business since at least 1710 – http://www.turks.co.uk/home-page/about-us/, I think he was a royal boatman before he became bargemaster for the Vintners.

They are also a little more docile than normal – a comforting thought to those who have to check their condition. Thousands of people want to see this process.

Swans owned by the Queen are left unmarked. They wear white tops, the Dyers are in blue, while the Queen’s uppers wear red. The cap badge of the Vinters Swan Marker and Barge Master is taken from the armorial bearings of the Vintners Company with the chevron and three wine barrels being used. Might try it out in a future post.

For the Vintners, this isn’t just because they’re so keen on swans. I have often thought about using black & white rather than colour. Although Swan Upping has now moved out of central London, the Livery Companies maintain the link with the City and Swan Upping now performs the very important task of monitoring the health and numbers of Mute Swans on the Thames. David Barber, the current Queen’s Swan Marker and Barge Master: The two Vinters boats having left Goring lock make their way up river: Swans are having a challenging time on the river. Their quills were also prized as writing instruments – they lasted much longer than a cheaper goose’s one.

These days, all are marked with a stainless-steel ring on their right leg, containing a British Trust for Ornithology identification number. By prerogative right, the British Crown enjoys ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water.

The significant reduction attributed to the use of lead weights in fishing, these have now been banned. It is often stated that fact is stranger than fiction, and to prove the point, many literary figures have complicated and interesting stories themselves. In November, the company holds a Swan Feast, where the Swan Warden, who arranges Swan Upping, traditionally presented swan to the guests.

We always thought our Turk line from across the pond connected the Swan Master……. I suspect the difference being that the Thames did have many wharfs and gradual foreshore leading up the bank and plenty of inlets whereas the river today through central London now runs through a channel with vertical embankments on either side. You know how family stories can go. A remarkable period of time to hold the role and the changes he must have seen along the Thames as Swan Upping was performed each year must have been fascinating. Today, headgear and striped jumpers have been replaced by less colourful attire, however the shirts still bear the badge of the relevant livery company. The first skiff from the Dyers arriving at Goring: The Dyers flag contains the Dyers armorial bearings which are shown below, and are very similar to that of the Vinters, however barrels are replaced by three bags of madder. They wear traditional garb of scarlet jackets frimmed with gold, white cricketing trousers, and caps (into which a swan's feather may be tucked}.

Swan Uppers from the Vinters Company.

It’s not known exactly when or how the two livery companies became connected with swans.

Originally starting in the City of London and running to Henley, Swan Upping now starts in Sunbury and travels the Thames over a 5 day period to finish in Abingdon. document.addEventListener( 'wpcf7mailsent', function( event ) { Rights over swans may, however, be granted to a subject by the Crown (accordingly they may also be claimed by prescription.) David, I wonder if you’ve read this, on the reasons behind the decline in cygnet numbers…, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-33653994. The dyers company have a table on their site at http://www.dyerscompany.co.uk/ which does show fluctuating numbers, but what appears to be a gradual decline.
The Dyers have a document dated 1473 that mentions Swan Upping and makes reference to the Vintners, so we can assume that both companies were involved with the practice as early as the 15th century. Cygnets allocated to the Livery Companies will have rings placed on their legs by the Livery Company swan marker. Having had a primarily ceremonial function when the tradition was begun over 900 years ago, it’s now come to play a significant role in wildlife conservation. One of the 1953 Swan Uppers. At the end of July, an annual ceremony of marking young swans is held, called "swan upping." On the route from Sunbury to Abingdon in 2014 there were 34 broods with 120 cygnets, numbers at the low-end of the past 12 years. During that week, members of the Vintners’ and Dyers’ companies join them on a special Swan Voyage.

The only bodies still to exercise such rights are two livery companies of the City of London. A very depressing message.

Wednesday 16 th July was a busy day for the City livery companies! So he made contact before the trip.

Swan Upping is the annual search of the Thames for all Mute Swans, originally to ensure their ownership is marked, but today more for conservation purposes (counting the number of swans and cygnets, checking their health, taking measurements etc. During July, the Queen’s Swan Marker, accompanied by the Vintners’ Swan Marker and Dyers’ Bargemaster, spend five days travelling 79 miles along the Thames.

An annual ceremony, dating back 900 years, in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released.

The flags are the same today. (Madder are plants from the genus Rubia and their roots produce a red dye which was used in the dyeing process). ), although the year’s new cygnets are still marked. The reason for Swan Upping now starting in Sunbury was the lack of breeding Mute Swans in central London, however I was surprised that this was only a relatively recent change which implies there were breeding Mute Swans on the river in central London in the post war period. Swan Upping, the annual census of the swan population on the River Thames, has been announced by The Queen’s Swan Marker, David Barber.

I think they might be jubilee and coronation medals – the first looks like Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the second like Edward VII’s Coronation Medal.

Not sure about the third, but I think he also has George V’s Coronation and Silver Jubilee Medals, and George VI’s Coronation. Guy Fairbank, a Blue Badge Tourist Guide and a Liveryman of the Vintners’ Company, explains the annual ceremonial census of the swan population, known as Swan Upping. Swan Upping would have once been a familiar sight in London itself, but the embankment of the Thames makes it an unsympathetic place for breeding swans these days and so the Swan … Let’s explore some of them on a tour of London’s Chelsea neighbourhood. Please sign up with first name, last name, and email address for an occasional email with our recommendations. Waiting for the Goring lock gates to open with a cluster of flags: A Vinters boat with an empty Queen’s boat ready to leave Swan Wharf in 1953: When swans are caught, the cygnets are marked according to the ownership of their parent birds. Swan Upping 2019. It was fascinating to watch this event at Goring.

Up until 1996, the bills (note: not beaks) were marked with either one nick (Dyers) or two (Vintners), while the sovereign’s birds were left unmarked.
Swan Upping. Photo Credit: © Guy Fairbank. The Thames swans, which were prized as a culinary delicacy, are thought to have been brought here from Cyprus in the 12th or 13 centuries.

Not a reflectionon your photography, more a relection on the quaintness of the 1950’s swan-uppers. The main purpose of the event today is to conduct a census of swans, and to check their helath. THANK you for all the wonderful posts~ I ALWAYS learn something interesting..usually many interesting things and share many on my Facebook page. Visit the beautiful City of Oxford; home to one of the world’s oldest and most famous Universities. He held this position from 1904 to 1960. Two for the Queen’s Swan Marker and Royal Swan Uppers and two each for the Vintners and Dyers.

On the back of this photo my father had written that on the right is Mr E. Lefever and in the centre is Mr G. Cole. Required fields are marked *.

On one previous occasion, members had to wait three hours before opening the Pol Roger.

This year’s results will be released in the coming week.

Your contact details will not be passed to any other party. A fascinating family heritage.

History fanatic, teller of tales and a bit of an actor, I love nothing better than showing you our wonderful city! Swan Upping takes place in the third week of July as by this time cygnets are reasonably well grown but have not yet reached the stage when they can fly. The ceremony is held over five days in the third week of July.

10 Top Things That May Surprise You About Harry Potter’s London, Swan Upping: Counting the Crown’s Swans On The River Thames. This is my father’s photo of Mr Richard Turk who was the Vintners Swan Marker and Barge Master. Join me as I explore London past and present over the coming months.

Swan Upping is an event which takes place in the third week of July each year.

NEWS SWAN UPPING 2020 COVID-19 update from David Barber MVO, The Queen’s Swan Marker. I’d be delighted to take you on a tour of its many wonderful….


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