The Livery Newsletter and Gazette Issue 26 Winter 2016 | Page 22

The lunch was deliciously catered by Mark Grove
and his team at Cook & Butler and we cracked
along at a goodly pace. Our guests were admirably
introduced by Liveryman Fran Morrison and our
Principal Guest, Tim Wonnacott gave a generous and
very humorous reply to which I responded initially
by drenching poor Tim in a glass of water - he was
very kind about it (sorry Tim!). I was very pleased
to show off the newly found Livery Grant of Arms
and Letters Patent which have been missing for many
years - our Clerk tenaciously sought them out, and
the new Immediate Past Master, Chris Allen, and his
IPM, Mark Gower-Smith have funded a beautiful representation and they are now resplendent in frames
carved with tobacco leaves (or close to); Sandra also
located a huge banner not seen since 1985 and Angus
Menzies, Clerk to the Master Mariners and never shy
of a challenge saw to it that it was displayed on the
Quarterdeck.
Whilst all this was going on, apparently biblicalstyle downpours were being had all over London
- oblivious to all that drama we ended our lunch
and trooped back to the quarterdeck where Coffee,
Cigars, and Cognac awaited us (I did mention that
our Livery enjoyed dining on the High C’s..) and
which seemed to hit the mark – Liveryman Jemma
Freeman had kindly provided the torpedo cigars
and had had them placed in souvenir tubes with our
Crest emblazoned on it. Several of us also sported
a limited edition Livery Smoking hat - originally
conceived as a sort of shooting hat, it serves its
purpose so well as a “team” hat, that of the twenty
ordered, but one remained by the close of the day!
Thank you to the Master Mariners for allowing us the
use of the venue, to Tim for being a perfect Principal
Guest, and for everyone attending and giving my
year such a special start.

The Mistress Event – A
visit to the College of Arms
It was on Thursday 6th October that I found myself a
fortunate interloper at this event - a last minute drop
out had given up one of the precious 20 places and
so I was the only male visitor to attend this long-sold
out event. We were met and guided by the Windsor
Herald, William Hunt who was a mine of data. The
whole place is run on properly Feudal lines - it sort of
sidesteps all attempts to be captured by the modern
world and, as such, amazingly receives no public funds
at all - and yet the service it provides and, more to
the point, the records it maintains are of staggering
consequence to our nation - the only “copies” are on
microfiche, nothing is digitized or stored off site as
there’re no monies to do so, and yet the nations life
blood - beautifully illustrated on vellum, parchment or
quality paper is all contained here.

The Master

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