Swan upping is an annual ceremony in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

in which

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, ho ...

s on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released.

History

By prerogative right, the

British Crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...

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 The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. 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 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 ...

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 purposes today are to conduct a

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of swans and check their health. It occurs annually in the third week of July. Over five days, the Crown's, Vintners' and the Dyers' respective swan uppers row up the river in

skiffs A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have deve ...

(in recent centuries from

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 ...

to Abingdon on Thames). Swans caught by the Crown's swan uppers under the direction of the Swan Marker are left unmarked, except for a lightweight ring linked to the database of the British Trust for Ornithology. Those caught by the Dyers and Vintners receive a similar ring on the other leg. Originally, rather than being ringed, swans' bills would be

nicked An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be Interro ...

using a metal implement, a practice reflected in the pub name '' The Swan with Two Necks'' in the City connected with the Vintners, a corruption of "The Swan with Two Nicks". On 20 July 2009,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, as "Seigneur of the Swans," attended the Swan Upping ceremony for the only time in her reign. This was the only time that the monarch had personally watched the ceremony in centuries.

Cancellations

In 2012, exceptional high river flows for summer prompted a partial cancellation: between

and Windsor, the first definitively known cancellation (albeit partial) in its 900-year history. The first known full cancellation took place in 2020 due to COVID-19 social distancing measures. File:Life on the upper Thames - swan-upping (1875).jpg, "Swan Upping on the Thames", from Henry Robert Robertson's ''Life on the Upper Thames'', (1875) File:Swan upping at Henley.jpg, A Queen's swan upper with a mute swan during 2010 swan upping at

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 ...

File:Vintners' swan marker.jpg, Swan marker of the

Worshipful Company of Vintners The Worshipful Company of Vintners is one of the oldest Livery Companies of the City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside ...

, in his blue uniform, during 2011 swan upping, Abingdon. File:Swan Upping at Cookham.jpg, ''Swan Upping at Cookham'', by Stanley Spencer, oil on canvas, 1915–19

References

* Norman Frederic Ticehurst, ''The Mute Swan in England: Its History, and the Ancient Custom of Swan Keeping'' (1957).

External links

The Royal Windsor website

The official British Monarchy website - Swan Upping

Vintners' Company website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan Upping British monarchy Swans Culture associated with the River Thames English traditions Ceremonies in the United Kingdom July events

History

Description

Cancellations

See also

References

External links