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The Royal Family are well known for their centuries-old traditions. From Trooping the Colour to Garter Day, royal schedules have forever been punctured by long-established celebrations. However, perhaps the oddest ceremonial event still upheld by the Windsors is Swan Upping: an 800-year-old tradition that sees a member of the Royal Family and several ‘Swan Uppers’ row up the Thames on a five-day journey rounding up swans on the water, in order to check their health.
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Swan Upping is the traditional means by which the nation’s swans are apportioned among three proprietors. In Britain, the ownership of swans is shared equally between the Crown, Vintners’ Livery Company and Dyers’ Livery Company – both trade associations. Today, however, its main practical purpose is an annual census of mute swans on the river, making the tradition an important element of wildlife conservation.
Royal ownership dates back to the Middle Ages, when the birds were considered a symbol of status and a culinary delicacy. To own them, you needed to purchase an official (and 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.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s last appearance at Swan Upping was in 2009. Previously, the Princess Royal represented the Queen by undertaking the journey along the river with five 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. The team weigh the cygnets (baby swans), measure their beaks and examined them for any injuries.
