News

A day's work makes history

Swan Marker, Raven Master, York Herald: These quirky British careers share ancient roots - and 21st century relevancy.

By Mary Ann Hemphill, Special to the Times
Published October 30, 2007

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LONDON - On the morning of July 16, one of the Queen's Uppers asked, "Mr. David, could we make one up?"

David Barber, in a gold-trimmed scarlet blazer with a swan feather on his cap, nodded his assent. Rum and milk having then been concocted and drunk by the Uppers - robust rowers on two traditional wooden Thames skiffs - the annual Swan Upping began.

Barber, Swan Marker to Her Majesty the Queen, led the annual five-day census in the third week in July in the village of Sunbury-on-Thames. The crew marked the Queen's own swans on a 78-mile stretch of the River Thames.

If "swan upping" seems a peculiar occupation, consider two other quirky British careers, each based on ancient traditions and institutions: York Herald Henry Paston-Bedingfeld designs coats of arms, and Yeoman Raven Master Derrick Coyle tends a flock of large, black birds.

Eccentric as they may be, these positions have retained their relevance in the 21st century.

By prerogative, all the swans on the Thames belong to the reigning monarch - with the exception of those belonging to two ancient livery companies, the Vintners and the Dyers.

Barber says swan upping started in the 12th century, when the crown claimed rights to all the mute (white) swans, then considered a status-laden delicacy served at feasts and banquets.

In the 15th century, the crown ran low on funds, so it granted charters to the landed gentry and to the livery companies allowing them to own swans. As swans went out of favor, only the Vintners and the Dyers maintained the royal rights.

Each July, boats from each livery company follow the Queen's skiffs.

"All up!" The Bowman on one of the boats has spotted a brood of fluffy grey cygnets and their parents. The boats encircle the swans, and the feathered family is lifted by hand into the boats, then taken up onto the riverbank - the origin of the word "upping."

On shore, professor Christopher Perrins from Oxford University weighs each cygnet, measures its beak and checks for entangled fishing lines or hooks. The cygnets are then differentiated, following their father's mark, as belonging to the crown or to one of the livery companies. The companies' cygnets have a stainless steel ring on one leg. Her Majesty's swans are unmarked.

The swan marker's duty is to count the cygnets and ensure that the population is maintained. But, Barber says, "I knew when I took over 15 years ago, that I wanted to . . . give the public more insight on how to protect the swans."

Barber's educational and conservation programs include preserving the swans' habitat, and he initiated a ban on lead fishing weights, which had killed a large number of swans.

During the Swan Upping, Barber paused to talk to groups of children. "We try to educate the kids on how to look after the birds. . . . It is absolutely wonderful to have the young kids and their questions, such as 'How does the Queen manage to feed all the swans in the morning?' "

A call to arms

Back in London, a dark, narrow and crooked stairway in a 17th century building near St. Paul's Cathedral leads to the office of Henry Paston-Bedingfeld. He is one of the 13 Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, all of whom design coats of arms for clients.

King Richard III granted the charter to the College of Arms in 1484, making this the oldest existing such college in the world.

Paston-Bedingfeld's position as York Herald dates to the Middle Ages when, he explains, "Anyone of status had a herald, who was sort of a personal assistant . . . setting up tournaments."

The heralds were also scorekeepers, so they had to quickly identify the jousting knights by designs on their shields and crests on their helmets. Heralds became responsible for recording the designs, termed arms.

British citizens who have gained distinction may qualify for coats of arms - for a fee of about $7,350. Distinguished Yanks may be granted honorary coats by proving descent from a subject of the British Crown.

Since there is little use in the 21st century for either knightly shields or helmets, what does one do with the family armorial bearings? Paston-Bedingfeld has several suggestions: "They can go on flags, Christmas cards, frames, bookplates, stationery, even stained glass."

All coats of arms are also painted in fat, bound books in the Record Room. Dating back centuries, these books are a genealogical treasury, a key research source for the Officers of Arms, who have been genealogists since the 15th century.

'In, you lot'

The Swan Uppers are not charged with tending to Her Majesty the Queen's birds. Rather, meet Derrick Coyle, Yeoman Raven Master at the Tower of London.

Coyle has been a yeoman warder at the Tower for more than 23 years, eight of those as Yeoman Raven Master. "I'm the only one in the world," he proudly declares.

Step back into the 17th century to understand the relevancy of a Raven Master: Before the Greenwich Observatory was constructed, the Astronomer Royal was based at the Tower. As a natural consequence of the presence of hundreds of ravens, the astronomers' instruments became intolerably messy.

King Charles II was about to order the disposal of all the ravens when he was reminded of the legend that without the ravens, the famed White Tower would crumble . . . and with it, the monarchy and the kingdom.

Coyle lets the birds out of their cages around dawn. During the day, he leads tours around the Tower, talks to visitors about the ravens, then puts his charges back in their cages.

"I whistle," Coyle said, "then tell them, 'In, you lot.' And they march to their cages in their established pecking order."

Coyle also clips the ravens' lifting feathers, just on one side, so that the birds can fly up to certain heights. But they can't soar over the walls - thus no great harm will befall the kingdom.

The current "unkindness of ravens" (the correct ornithological term for a group of these birds) has eight: females Munin, Hugine and Erin, and males Thor, Gwyllum, Baldrick, Marley and Merlin.

The ravens looked alike to me, but Coyle identified them easily.

"That's Thor under the tree. I can tell by the way he stands. I know how each of them walks, how each of them sounds, how each of them stands.

"And they all know and look for me."

When Coyle was on vacation this year, for three weeks Hugin and Gwyllum sat on the wall by his apartment within the Tower grounds, calling for him for two hours every day.

Ravens may not be parakeet-cuddly, but they are, says Coyle, intelligent and long-lived. He explained how Thor learned to talk:

"He used to be a problem to put to bed, a bit wary of the cage when the birds were outside. I would tell him, 'Come on, that's a good lad, come on.'

"One night he said, 'That's a good lad.' "

Now Thor greets Coyle with "Good morning."

"Funny thing," Coyle said with a chuckle, "is that he sounds like me. He's picked up my accent."

Coyle takes meticulous care of the ravens. In 2006 they were moved indoors for three months to protect them from avian influenza. The Raven Master keeps their diet as natural as possible, feeding the ravens day-old chicks (three per bird each day), an occasional rat (they cost about $1.80 each and are sold 100 per box), lambs' hearts and livers from the famed Smithfield Market, and rabbits and pheasants from Coyle's country home.

"Nothing is good enough for these fellows," he said, paternally.

"I am well aware of the legend and I am protecting the ravens," says Coyle. "I want to be sure the monarchy stays where it is."

Mary Ann Hemphill is a freelance writer living in Newport Beach, Calif.

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Royal Swan Upping

After each year's Swan Upping, the Queen's Swan Marker delivers a report to Buckingham Palace. This year's statistics:Total number of broods: 33 Total number of cygnets: 90, of which 51 were retained by the Crown; 20 were given to the Vintners; 19 were given to the Dyers.How to watch: Observation points and times for the July event are listed on the Web site, www.royal.gov.uk.

Tower of London

Nearest Underground stop: Tower HillFor information: In England, call 44 0 870 756 6060; www.hrp.org.uk/TowerofLondon.Opening hours: March 1-Oct. 31: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday and Monday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tickets: Buy tickets in advance on the Tower's Web site or by calling 44 0 870 756 7070.

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Designing a coat of arms

A coat of arms bears reference to the bearer's profession, family, interests, place of residence or origins. What would the York Herald suggest for my surname, Hemphill?

He suggested a hill with hemp growing at the top. What about my maiden name, Gilbert? Paston-Bedingfeld said, "We could do a gilly flower, and, as you live in California, we could add a golden poppy."

The College of Arms

What: With hanging banners and portraits, the two-level Earl Marshall's Court, the College's finest room, is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays except on holidays.

Where: Queen Victoria Street (no street number). It is directly south of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Nearest Underground stop: Blackfriars and St. Paul's

www.college-of-arms.gov.uk.

 

[Last modified October 29, 2007, 14:50:06]