Last Saturday was a lovely day – sunny weather and a mudlarking exhibition which also gave me the opportunity to visit the splendid Watermen’s Hall.
First of all, here are images of some of the fascinating items discovered by the mudlarking community on the Thames foreshore.
Surely this item was disposed of in the river after it was used in some nefarious activity …
I can imagine people feeling in their pocket or around a chain and thinking ‘Oh no, I must have dropped it in the river!’ These keys may have been lost getting on or off a river vessel …
Various collections on display …
I have often wondered where Nemo ended up …
My little personal collection, gifted to me by my friend Penny, a registered mudlark …
Now a little about Watermen’s Hall and the watermen themselves.
The earliest mention of the first Hall of the Company of Watermen was in 1603. At the time of this view of 1647 it was located at Cold Harbour, to the east of the modern Charing Cross, a mansion that had been acquired from Earl Gilbert …
It was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 along with the Company’s records. The Company moved to the present Hall at St. Mary at Hill, upon its completion in 1780 …
The coat of arms …
A magnificent door with the arms of the company incorporated in the knocker …
The arms indoors above a fireplace. The Latin motto reads At Command of our Superiors …
For centuries, the quickest and most convenient way to travel within the City, or cross the river, or east or west from London, was by water. London Bridge was the only dry crossing over the River Thames in the immediate London area until the early 18th century but it was narrow and congested. The roads into and out of the capital were in a poor state. It was easier to take a ferry, or a wherry rowed by a waterman.
The full name of the institution is ‘The Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames’. Those who transported people along and over the river were known as watermen, whereas those who transported goods, particularly from larger ships to shore, were lightermen, i.e. they were making the larger ships ‘lighter’ by relieving them of their goods.
Thames wherries depicted in 19th century illustrations…
As you enter the building, there are various backboards from old wherries on display …
Thames lightermen around 1861 …
Lightermen posing in the middle of a dock in 1946 …
Prior to the early 16th century it was pretty much a free-for-all, but in 1514 the government started regulating the fares on the river. In 1555 governors were appointed to oversee the regulation and as a result the Watermen’s Company was born. The lightermen joined in 1700.
The hallway …
Before climbing the stairs, you encounter a ship made of mutton bone, said to have been constructed by veterans from the Battle of Trafalgar …
Nice stained glass …
In the hall is the portrait of a man called John Taylor (1578-1653) …
He was a waterman on the Thames but was also a clerk and wrote poetry, with over 150 publications in his lifetime …
In 1613 he became a waterman to the King, for employment in ceremonial occasions. An eccentric character, he dubbed himself the ‘King’s water poet’. In 1622, possibly to make a statement about a lack of appreciation for the watermen amongst Londoners, he sailed along the Thames a boat made from paper and two inflated pigs bladders, propelled along by two oars made of cane and dried fish.
After the civil war and the Puritans seized power in England, Cromwell famously banned the festivities around Christmas. They believed there should be special church service and definitely no drinking and merry-making. In 1653 John Taylor published a treatise arguing vehemently in favour of the celebrations. It is said that he was the man to persuade King Charles II in exile, when he was restored to the throne, to swiftly reinstate it. The Company therefore call him the man that saved Christmas.
Some even believe that John Taylor became so associated with Christmas that when the Victorians created the classic image of Father Christmas that we think of today, they were inspired by the red coat and ruff in the painting above. You can read much more about this fascinating man here in a Spitalfields Life article by Gillian Tindall.
In 1715 the London-based Irish comic actor and theatre manager, Thomas Doggett, founded the ‘wager’ of a sculling race for Thames Watermen to celebrate the anniversary of the accession to the throne of King George I.
Mr Doggett …
The race was open to six watermen who had completed their apprenticeship in the previous twelve months. It took place between Swan Stairs at London Bridge and the White Swan Tavern at Chelsea, a distance of about five miles, rowing against the tide.
Continuing to this day, Doggett’s Coat and Badge stands as the revered prize for the world’s oldest continuous rowing race. This prestigious honour is fiercely contested by up to six apprentice watermen. The challenging 4-mile 5-furlong (7.44 km) race navigates the upstream course from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier, Chelsea, passing beneath a total of eleven bridges.
The coveted winner’s prize is a traditional watermen’s red coat adorned with a silver badge, featuring the horse of the House of Hanover and the word “Liberty” in homage to George I’s accession to the throne …
All participants completing the course receive a miniature Doggett’s Badge for their lapel in a ceremony at Watermen’s Hall – silver for the winner and bronze for the others. The Fishmongers’ Company extends monetary prizes to the rowing clubs involved, with £1,000 for the winner’s club, £600 for second place, £400 for third, and £200 for fourth.
Coats and badges on display …
Along with the beautiful uniform of the late Queen’s Bargemaster …
Until the middle of the nineteenth century the Sovereign regularly travelled on the river Thames, either on State occasions or between the Royal Palaces of Windsor, Westminster, Hampton Court, Greenwich and the Tower of London.
The Royal Barge Gloriana, Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Barge presented to her at her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 …
The men who rowed the Royal Barges up and down the river Thames were known as Royal Watermen. The Sovereign today still retains 24 Royal Watermen under the command of what is now the King’s Bargemaster, thereby continuing one of the most ancient appointments in the Royal Household. The original number of 48 was halved by King Edward VII.
Watermen did not have an untarnished reputation, not least because of their foul speech, or ‘water language’. The Company of Watermen derived part of its income from fining freemen for bad behaviour and language. As Taylor put it: “I must confess that there are many rude uncivil fellows in our Company.” There is a well-known cartoon drawn by Thomas Rowlandson, made in 1812 as part of his Miseries of London series. A group of watermen are gathered at Wapping Old Stairs where they are accosting a plump lady, each attempting to gain her business …
Some of the art and treasure on display …
The Watermen and Lightermen are officially a company ‘without livery’. They are recognised by the City but they do not ‘clothe liverymen’ and therefore do not participate in the annual election of the Sheriffs or Lord Mayor of the City.
They do however take part in many of the City’s ceremonies and traditions. For example they march at the front of the procession in the annual Lord Mayor’s Show. This is because originally it was largely a river procession. Incidentally, that is why we still say that parades are made up of ‘floats’ …
If you want to experience this wonderful building yourself, there are some dates coming up for afternoon teas and you will find more information here. You will find their general website here.
For more reading I recommend the great Living London History blog along with this History of London post.
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