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My wonderful year has come to an end, I quite liked being Master.  In my report to the Installation Court I commended the role of Master to our Court Assistants and told the Court that being Master was one of the most important services that a liveryman can provide for the Company. 

The year ended in a bit if a rush.  During week beginning 23^rd June I was in the Mansion House on the Monday attending an event organised by Natural Resources Wales where our deputy master Peter Mathews is chief executive.  After attending so many livery events where I gradually came to know many people I knew no one at Peter’s event save for a few Conservators; the strangeness of the situation struck me quite forcibly.  On Tuesday I had a good morning along with my Thames Warden; we took breakfast at Haberdashers and then attended Common Council to elect sheriffs for the ensuing year.  This event is restricted to Liverymen on the pain of imprisonment if you are not a Liveryman.  I was pleased that Andrew Parmley, who is our honorary liveryman, was elected; then we were off to lunch on the Wellington where we were entertained by the Worshipful Company of Master Mariners to a very good curry lunch.  On the Thursday I was back in London for my ‘Master’s Dinner’ when I entertained the partners of the Court at Waterman’s Hall.  Friday saw me and David at a private lunch at the Mansion House, guests of the Lord Mayor’s Consort Mr Nicholas Woolf.  It was quite a small gathering, just 11 of us, and exceptionally pleasant.  I was in Cardiff Castle on the Saturday night as a guest of Alan Longhurst, Master of the Constructors Company for their dinner during a Company visit to South Wales.

Finally it was on to the Installation Court and Lunch, where did that year go?

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Preparatory work is now focussed on the Installation Lunch at Carpenters Hall; I would say that from my now relatively detached viewpoint everything is in hand.  I attended the Master’ Reception at the Firefighters yesterday at Winchester House which was the former home of Sir Eyre Massey Shaw who was the first Chief Fire Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.  A goodly number of Masters enjoyed a short presentation on the history of the house, followed by a tour of the firefighters’ museum where their interesting display includes an elm water conduit.  I suggested to our guide that this might well be a ‘Myddelton’ pipe from the early 17^th century.  It looked to me as if it was a complete pipe.  The Master of the Firefighters, Mrs Beryl Jeffrey, completes her year just 2 days after I complete mine.  We have met a great many times during the year.

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After a quiet couple of weeks, which I needed after a hectic spell a week earlier, I attended the Past master’s lunch on 28th along with our Master-elect.  I presented my report on the year that has quickly passed by.  The Master-elect also presented his report as plans for the year ahead.  The past Masters report on meeting the will be received by the Court.

This last week I attended the FM&GP meeting at the ASE offices and followed this up with a meeting of the Master’s Committee.  My FM&GP was thanked for their work and then dismissed because the Master-elect will re-form a new FM&GP of his choosing.  The Master’s Committee intends to continue its work. 

On Thursday I had a working lunch with Judy Ling Wong , I am very hopeful that development in London schools with come about, but we must be patient though; since time passes quickly and memories do fade then records of activities along with persistence will prove to be important.  This programme will need to be joined by volunteers.  Judy and I have a project in mind that we hope will excite and get some involved so the need for organisation and help is fast approaching. 


Thursday evening saw we with Gown Hat and Pendant boarding our Cutter, ‘The forget me not’ and along with my cox (thank goodness) and the 4 ladies who are our team of rowers.  The Bargemaster recommended that I did not wear the gown since if I did fall then my retrieval would be made more difficult.  The gown stayed in the safety boat.  It was essential that I took a passenger with me so I was accompanied by Maister Plaisterer, Ms De Bradashaw.  Lining up across the river with the competing boats took quite a while, all allowed for in the programme, quite a crowd of guests attending the Palace Of Westminster were given an interesting start to their evening.  At the start we were off like a shot, led the whole way, and ended up comfortable winners of the Ladies event (as we are expected to!).  The evening was rounded –off with prize presentations, photographs and an excellent buffet.  Once again a thoroughly enjoyable event attended by many Masters. 





Friday morning it was back from London to the office very briefly to collect my Bailiff and head off to Ironbridge along with some 80 other Masters.  I could only stay for the Friday night because I had to be in Cardiff the following day to join in the celebrations of the Company of Wales receiving its Royal Charter; this involved a service in St John’s Church and the a parade through the city lead by a military Band and mounted police.  The traffic was stopped for quite some time as we walked slowly towards the City Hall, it was quite a spectacle. We then all needed a drink which was follows by an excellent banquet in the admirable style of the Welsh Livery.

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Following on from the Tudor Pull David, my bailiff and I attended the 360^th festival of the Sons and Friends of the Clergy at St Paul’s on Tuesday last week followed by dinner at Merchant Taylors’ Hall.  St Paul’s was well filled.  The service was attended by the Lord Mayor Locum Tenens along with the majority of Masters.  I enjoyed the music and singing.  The choir of St Paul’s was joined by the choirs of Peterborough and Wakefield Cathedrals.  The dinner was exceptional in that there were bishops and other senior clerics seated at close centres among the guests.  The dinner itself was fine too.

On the following Saturday David and I were guests of the Master Glass Seller Andrew Parmley at a dinner to mark the completion of the Glass Sellers company visit to South Wales.  We share our beadle with the Glass sellers, and continuing from demonstrating his linguistic prowess at my events, Tony introduced Andrew in Welsh; we had practised it a few times beforehand.  Andrew began his response to the toast with a very passable Welsh introduction.  It was a very pleasant evening.

Some of us will miss Tony’s introductions at next year’s Conservator events when I guess that we will revert to a Barbarian tongue.

The Clerk returns from two week’s holiday today!

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On 11^th May I took part in the Tudor Pull which began with a colourful ceremony at Hampton Court where, after a short speech, I presented the Stella (which I think is a piece of a Myddelton elm water pipe) to the Duty Manager at the Palace who then passed it on the Royal Bargemaster.  The Royal Bargemaster was accompanied by a party of Royal watermen. After another short speech we three, Duty Manager, Bargemaster and I took a drink from a ‘River Cup’ and then we all proceeded down to the Gloriana at the river’s edge.  The Beadle and I were transported from Hampton Court to Richmond on the Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana under the control of the Queen’s Bargemaster.  Bob prentice, Master Watermen and Lightermen was part of the crew.  We had a ‘comfort break’ at Richmond and then the Beadle and I transferred to our cutter, the ‘Water Forget me not’ and were propelled down to the Tower by four young ladies.  Mr Bargemaster and his crew were working the safety boat somewhere alongside us.   There were several Livery Company cutters in our flotilla of ‘small boats’. 

Thank goodness the day was dry.  We started at Hampton Court at 10.00am and arrived at the Tower sometime after 4.00pm.  At the Tower there was quite a scramble to get ashore from the cutters so the Beadle and I missed the handing-over ceremony at the Tower.

I was delighted to meet Richard and Jackie Waller at Hampton Court; they followed us down to Richmond which involved a great deal of waving, but not waving goodbye as it turned out.

My sincere thanks must go to all the people who either assisted me during the day or occasionally came to my rescue.  In particular I must thank our crew of four ladies and their cox who saw us safely down to the Tower of London.

It was an exceptional day.

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I mentioned the 100 Club lunch in my last entry.  Well it was a very friendly and informal event in the hall of the Information Technologists.  I was ‘on my feet’ responding on behalf of the guest for just a few minutes.  There were seven Masters in attendance, along with eight clerks and members of the Court of the World Traders.

The following morning I met Judy Ling Wong to discuss possible projects for the Trust and then I attended a lunch at Goldsmiths’ Hall.   This lunch is an annual event that follows the Trial of the Pyx; which is of very ancient origin and involves the Assay Office conducting an examination of the coinage and reporting its verdict.  The principal guest was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who made an interesting and what I thought was a light hearted speech.  The chancellor has attended every year.  I was sitting close to Miss Ransome Wallis, the Art Director and Curator at Goldsmiths who was interested in my stories about Hugh Myddelton, the lead mines and his chalice in Ruthin.   After lunch she took to me to see the portrait of Sir Hugh by Cornelius Janssen.  I also met the Assistant Librarian Eleni Bide who was most pleased to send me images of the portrait.  I have included one here.

Image, courtesy of The Goldsmiths’ Company

I also met the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, who recognised me as a Water Conservator; I confess that I was wearing my tear drop; he is an honorary member of the Company.

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The Election Court held on April 16^th marked the beginning of my count-down (so I thought) to the next Installation Court in July.  I am pleased that our Master-elect and his three Wardens have been elected, they are already planning ahead.  I am looking forward to the Installation Court on 02^nd July.  At the well-attended Election lunch in the elegant Cutler’s Hall our principal guest was Ms July Ling Wong CBE who is highly regarded in the social and environmental world and would like to help us develop our schools programme.  Leading and learning from the future as it emerges leads to many surprises, Judy is one such emergent surprise.  I hope that a good relationship will develop between the Master’s committee and Judy.

On St George’s day the Clerk and I attended the annual lunch at Watermen’s Hall when the Watermen and Lightermen celebrated the English Saint.  There were red roses for everyone.  The Masters and Clerks were seated on separate tables which was an interesting approach.  Masters of about 40 old and modern companies were well mixed up.  I was sitting between the Master Girdler and the Master Management Consultant with the Master Coachmaker and Master Wax Chandler opposite.  It was an excellent 14-hour day which left me exhausted on the day following.  We share our beadle with the Watermen so it was pleasing to here Mr Beadle’s fine voice, he looked after me throughout the day.

This Master business is tough.  At the 100 Club lunch next week I have been told that I will be the Senior Master attending since the other Masters will be from Company numbers 103 to 110.  So I will be on my feet again when I had thought that I was finished with all of that.