Keeper Of The Queen's Swans
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Keeper Of The Queen's Swans
The Keeper of the King's/Queen's Swans was a late medieval-founded office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of England, later Great Britain and ultimately the United Kingdom. He was earlier called the King's/Queen's Swanmaster. The office existed to perform Swan-Upping marking and health-checking carried out using Thames skiffs on many of the non-tidal reaches of the River Thames in latter years from Sunbury-on-Thames passing Windsor, Berkshire to Henley on Thames. In 1993 it was replaced by two separate offices: Warden of the Swans and Marker of the Swans. History The keeper's office dates from the 13th century. He was supported by three swanherdsmen. The principal duties of this official team of four people were to conduct the annual Swan-Upping on much of non-tidal reaches of the River Thames including Windsor. It was abolished in 1993, when it was replaced by two new offices, the Warden of the Swans and the Marker of the Swans Marker of the Swans, or ''Swan M ...
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Monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the Sovereign state, state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. Usually a monarch either personally inheritance, inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights (often referred to as ''the throne'' or ''the Crown, the crown'') or is elective monarchy, selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch. Alternatively, an individual may self-proclaimed monarchy, proclaim themself monarch, which may be backed and Legitimacy (political), legitimated through acclamation, right of conquest or a combination of means. If a young child is crowned the monarch, then a regent is often appointed to govern until the monarch reaches the requisite adult a ...
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is , with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 170 ...
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Swan Upping
Swan upping is an annual ceremony in England in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released. History By prerogative right, the British Crown enjoys ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water. Rights over swans may, however, be granted to a British subject by the Crown (accordingly they may also be claimed by prescription). The ownership of swans in a given body of water was commonly granted to landowners up to the 16th century. The only bodies still to exercise such rights are two livery companies of the City of London. Thus the ownership of swans in the Thames is shared equally among the Crown, the Vintners' Company and the Dyers' Company. The Crown's swans are recorded by the Marker of the Swans who is rowed in a skiff by oarsmen from the Company of Watermen and Lightermen. Description Swan upping is the traditional means by which the swans on the Thames are apportioned among the three proprietors. Its main practical pu ...
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Thames Skiff
A Thames skiff is a traditional River Thames wooden rowing boat used for the activity of skiffing. These boats evolved from Thames wherries in the Victorian era to meet a passion for river exploration and leisure outings on the water. Construction The Thames skiff owes its origins to the clinker boat building technique, of over-lapping timber planking, that's known to have existed in the region from before the 6th century Anglo-Saxon Snape and Sutton Hoo ship burials. Many of the terms used for parts of the skiff are of Germanic origin – " tholes", "thwarts", and " sax". Planks on either side of a wooden keel are laid down following the outline of a sham (temporary pattern) placed across the keel. The planks are nailed in place and then a transverse strengthening framework of ribs is added. Oars (or blades) are held in place by wooden thole pins at the side of the boat rather than rowlocks or outriggers. The thole pins are designed to give way if too much pressure is put o ...
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River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn. The river rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, and flows into the North Sea near Tilbury, Essex and Gravesend, Kent, via the Thames Estuary. From the west it flows through Oxford (where it is sometimes called the Isis), Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor. The Thames also drains the whole of Greater London. In August 2022, the source of the river moved five miles to beyond Somerford Keynes due to the heatwave in July 2022. The lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway, derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock. Its tidal section includes most of its London stretch and has a rise and fall of . From Oxford to th ...
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Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames (or commonly Sunbury) is a suburban town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, centred southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other surrounding towns were initially intended to form part of the newly created county of Greater London but were instead transferred to Surrey. Sunbury adjoins Feltham to the north, Hampton, London, Hampton to the east, Ashford, Middlesex, Ashford to the northwest and Shepperton to the southwest. Walton-on-Thames is to the south, on the opposite bank of the Thames. The town has two main focal points: Lower Sunbury (known locally as Sunbury Village) is the older part, adjoining the river. Sunbury Common (known locally as Sunbury Cross) is to the north and surrounds the Sunbury railway station, Surrey, railway station and the London end of the M3 motorway (Great Britain), M3 motorway. Lower Sunbury contains most of the town's parks, pubs and li ...
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Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west of Charing Cross, central London, southeast of Maidenhead, and east of the county town of Reading. It is immediately south of the River Thames, which forms its boundary with its smaller, ancient twin town of Eton. The village of Old Windsor, just over to the south, predates what is now called Windsor by around 300 years; in the past Windsor was formally referred to as New Windsor to distinguish the two. Etymology ''Windlesora'' is first mentioned in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.'' (The settlement had an earlier name but this is unknown.) The name originates from old English ''Windles-ore'' or ''winch by the riverside''.South S.R., ''The Book of Windsor'', Barracuda Books, 1977. By 1110, meetings of the Great Council, which had previousl ...
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Henley On Thames
Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. The population at the 2011 Census was 11,619. History Henley does not appear in Domesday Book of 1086; often it is mistaken for ''Henlei'' in the book which is in Surrey. There is archaeological evidence of people residing in Henley since the second century as part of the Romano-British period. The first record of Henley as a substantial settlement is from 1179, when it is recorded that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings". King John granted the manor of Benson and the town and manor of Henley to Robert Harcourt in 1199. A church at Henley is first mentioned in 1204. In 1205 the town received a tax for street paving, and in 1234 the bridge is first mentioned. In 1278 Henley is described as a hamlet of Ben ...
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Warden Of The Swans
The Warden of the Swans is an office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, created in 1993 when the ancient post of Keeper of the Kings Swans (which dated from the 13th century) was divided into two new posts. The second is the Marker of the Swans. The first office-holder, as so far the only Warden of the Swans, is Professor Christopher Perrins, LVO, appointed 1993. See also * Swan Upping Swan upping is an annual ceremony in England in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released. History By prerogative right, the British Crown enjoys ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water ... References External links Wardens get down to the task of swan-upping Positions within the British Royal Household Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom Culture associated with the River Thames Swans {{royalty-stub ...
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Marker Of The Swans
Marker of the Swans, or ''Swan Marker'', is an office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. History The role dates back to the twelfth century and through the years its title has changed from Master, Keeper, and in 1993, to Swan Marker. The new post of Swan Warden was also created at this time. Role of The King's Swan Marker The King's Swan Marker still organises the annual event of Swan Upping Swan upping is an annual ceremony in England in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released. History By prerogative right, the British Crown enjoys ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water ... on the River Thames. Apart from Swan Upping, The King's Swan Marker has other duties. He advises organisations throughout the country about swan welfare and incidents involving swans, he monitors the health of the local swan population and advises fishing and boating organisations how to work with wildli ...
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Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or New Zealand monarch, members of the monarch's family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, King Charles III, is the sovereign of the order, the order's motto is ''Victoria'', and its official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London. There is no limit on the number of individuals honoured at any grade, and admission remains at the sole discretion of the monarch, with each of the order's five grades and one medal with three levels representing different levels of service. While all those honoured may use the prescribed styles of the order – the top two grades grant titles of knighthood, and all grades accord distinct post-nominal letters – the Royal Victorian Order's ...
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