Swan Upping is the Traditional means by which the Nation’s Swans are apportioned among 3-Proprietors. In Britain, the Ownership of Swans is shared equally between the Crown, Vintners’ Livery Company & Dyers’ Livery Company – both Trade Associations; and Swan Upping is undertaken by the 3-Parties concerned to Count & Mark the Swans & Cygnets. Today, however, its main practical purpose is an Annual Census of Mute Swans on the River Thames, making the Tradition an important element of Wildlife Conservation from Sunbury-on-Thames to Abingdon on Thames. Swans were kept for a variety of reasons. As a Royal Bird they were highly valued and created an air of distinction. They made highly prized Gifts and were customarily Eaten at Christmas & at Banquets. As they were cheap to rear they could easily be turned to Profit through Sale.
The Dyers’ Arms predate the 1st Records held by the College of Arms (which began in 1530), but they were Confirmed and the Supporters & Crest added in November 1577 by Robert Cooke, Clarenceux King of Arms. The Emblazonment is:
Arms – Sable, a Chevron Engrailed Argent, between 3-Bags of Madder of the last, Corded Or.
Crest – On a wreath of the colours, 3-Sprigs of a Graintree erect Vert, fructed Gules.
Supporters – Two Panthers Incensed Rampant Guardant Argent, spotted various colours, fire issuing form their Ears & Mouth proper, both Ducally Crowned Or.
Motto – Da Gloriam Deo (Give Glory to God).
The Vinteners Arms were Officially Granted on 17th September 1447; Confirmed at the Visitations of 1590 and 1634; Crest & supporters Granted 20th June 1957
Arms : Sable, a Chevron between 3-Wine Tuns Argent.
Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours, A Caravel Or laden with Tuns proper, the sails gules, the Mainsail charged with a Cartwheel Or, and from the Masthead a Pennon Argent.
Supporters: On either side a Swan, the Dexter a Cob, the Sinister a Pen, both Nicked in the Beak with the Mark of the Company, all Proper, about the Neck of each a Riband azure, Pendant therefrom a Bunch of Grapes also Proper.
Motto: Vinum exhilarat animum.
The Swan’s R0yal Status was formally enshrined in the Act of Swans which came into Force in 1482. The Act provided formal Legislation concerning the Ownership and Marking of Swans. Swan Marking was necessary, as with other animals, to distinguish Ownership. Swan-Marks were essentially in the form of Scars. Upper Bill Marks were the most Common, with less common Marks being made on the Lower Bill, Leg, Foot or Wing. Beak Marks on the Upper or Lower Bill were produced by Cutting with a Sharp Knife, creating a Scar. Once Legally obtained by Grant or Prescription from the Crown, the Swan Mark together with the ‘Game’ of Swans Marked with it became the absolute Property of the Owner. Swan Rolls were kept to record each Mark and the name of the Owner. The Traditional Marks for the Trades were 2-Nicks on the Beak for the Vintners & 1-Nick for the Dyers’; Royal Birds were (and still are) Unmarked. Swans caught by the King’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 (BTO). Those caught by the Dyers and Vintners receive a similar Ring on the other leg.
Royal Ownership dates back to the Middle-Ages, when the Birds were considered a symbol of Status & a Culinary delicacy. The Ownership of Swans in a given Body of Water was commonly Granted to Landowners up to the 16thC. To Own them, you needed to Purchase an Official (& Expensive) Swan Mark from the Government. In order to Protect the Birds as a Commodity, the Crown declared that any Unmarked Swans in Open Waters belonged to them. The British Monarch thus added ‘Seigneur of the Swans’ to their Title, and the Tradition of Swan Upping was born. Eight Centuries Later, although no one is eating Swans, the Tradition lives on. The Annual Event of Swan Upping takes place in the 3rd week of July. Nowadays, Swan Upping is about Checking & Counting of the Swans to make sure they are Healthy & Educating people about the importance of Swan Upping.
This Video from ‘Swan Lifeline’ provides an informative account of Swan Upping today.
QueenElizabeth II’s last appearance at Swan Upping was in 2009. Princess Anne represented the Queen by undertaking the Journey along the River with 5-Swan Uppers. The Group travelled for miles in a Traditional Wooden Rowing Boat, carrying out the necessary Checks on the Birds. The Annual Event takes place in the final weeks of July, and sees a Member of the Royal Family out on the Water surveying the Professional Procedures. The Team weigh the Cygnets, measure their Beaks and examined them for any Injuries.
The Vintners’ Company’s Ownership of Swans and the Annual ‘Swan Upping‘ takes place on the River Thames in July each year. The Company’s Right to Own Swans is generally said to be ‘by Prescription’. This Specific Legal Expression implies that the Right has been exercised for so long that it has never been challenged. In theory it stretches as far back as ‘Legal Memory’ itself, fixed by Statute as starting from the Accession of Richard I in 1189. The Vintners have therefore Owned Swans since ‘Time Immemorial’, in the correct Legal Sense of that common phrase.
Black Swans Cygnus atratus are Native to Australia
Folklore: The Swan has a harmonious Voice, with which it pours out a sweet Song. They can sing so sweetly because of their long curved necks down which their Voices travel, making their Song more pleasant. In the Hyperborean Regions Swans are attracted by the sound of a Zither or Harp and Sing along with the Bard when one is played (Hyperboreans were believed to live beyond the Riphean Mountains). The Song a Swan Sings before it Dies is the sweetest of all.
Sailors consider the sighting of a Swan to be Auspicious.
The White Feathers of the Swan signify Deception; just as the White Feathers hide the Swan’s Black Skin so does man’s Deception hide a sinful Heart. As the Swan likes to Sing in company so are those who live for their Desires and seek out like-minded Company.
The Idea that the Swan Sings sweetest as it is about to Die is the Origin of the phrase “Swan Song“, the magnificent Final Performance of a Musician, Poet or Artist.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 