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TheWorshipfulCompany ofBlacksmiths

Newsletter21st IssueOctober 2002

Editors:Past Prime Warden James Latham

andDr Arthur M. Sage Ph.D. (Eng), B.Sc., C.Eng., F.I.M.

Published by: The Publicity and Public Relations Committee,Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, 48 Upwood Road, Lee, London SE12 8AN

www.blacksmithscompany.org.uk

Signpresentedto theInnholdersCompany

An appreciationfor many years’hospitality

For story of making the sign see page 3

On Other PagesPrime Warden attends unique Palace Jubilee Parade 2New Liverymen 2Making of the Innholders’ sign 3The Tonypandy Cup 2002 3The Prime Warden’s Badge 4Prime Warden’s Schedule January to July 2002 4The Prime Warden’s Weekend 2002 5Beating the Bounds 6The Annual Banquet 2002 7

Court Member elected Sheriff 8Company Awards 8Obituaries 9Barry Graham – Prime Warden 2002-3 10City churches give thanks for their witness 10Company celebrates Golden Jubilee 11Silver gilt commemorative dishes 11Company Calendar 2002-2003 12Champion Blacksmith 2002 12Best Blacksmith 2002 12

PrimeWarden attends unique Palace Jubilee ParadeBlacksmiths join with eleven other Companies to provide newmace for Royal Hospital

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On Friday 5th July the Prime Warden and PearlAllcard attended the unique Jubilee Parade heldat Buckingham Palace. A special occasion at

which Her Majesty’s Bodyguards and Royal Companiespresented themselves for her inspection.

The Royal Companies represented were: the HonourableCorps of Gentlemen atArms, the Military Knights of Windsor,the Body of Yeoman Warders, the In-Pensioners of the RoyalHospital Chelsea, The Royal Company of Archers and theYeomen of the Guard. The pipes and drums of the RoyalScots Dragoon Guards, the Band of the Irish Guards and thePipes and Drums of the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordonsand Camerons) provided the musical accompaniment.

Apart from the respect paid to the Queen by theseorganisatons the major event of the morning was thepresentation of The Sovereign’s Mace. The Royal HospitalChelsea has no Colour, Standard or Guidon to parade onformal occasions and so this ceremonial mace has beenconstructed for the Jubilee and for her Majesty to present tothe Royal Hospital. The Mace is carried by one of theIn-Pensioners, escorted by four In-Pensioners carryingHalberds.

Blacksmiths’ involvementWhen the idea of this new Mace was evolving,

Past Prime Warden Colonel Sir Neil Thorne suggestedthat The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths mightmake a contribution towards the cost. We were oneof only twelve Livery Companies to be involved andas a result the Prime Warden was invited to attend theParade.

It is a matter of great pride that our ancient Companyhas been involved in this unique gift which, I am told,can be used by us if a sufficiently important occasionarises.

An informal moment with the QueenWhile any visit to Buckingham Palace is to be

remembered by those attending, Peter and Pearl willparticularly recall this one. The Parade had finished andthey had just taken some light refreshment when they wereapproached by Her Majesty who involved them in severalminutes’ conversation.

Christopher Jeal

Ladyday Court LunchAt the Ladyday Court meeting wewere pleased to welcome AlistairCourt-Smith as a Liveryman. He hasbeen to many of the Companyfunctions as a guest of his sponsor,Geoffrey McMorrough Kavanagh. Heis a project management consultantand has been able to influence theintroduction of the work ofblacksmiths to schemes for whichhe has been responsible. DavidWoodings was also admitted atthe same meeting. He is a medicalpractitioner who has many

background elements in commonwith the Father of the Company. Heis a Medicines Control Agent at theDepartment of Health utilising theexperience of his qualifications andcareer.

Midsummer Court LunchThe Midsummer Court saw

another working blacksmith join theLivery. ‘Hector’ Cole is a SilverMedal holder which recognises hisconsiderable skills. He is also abladesmith and was interviewed ontelevision after the body of a Viking

warrior had been found and Hectorgave his expert opinion on the swordthat was discovered at the sametime. Dr. Peter Farr was alsoadmitted to the Livery. His linkswith blacksmithing come from hisacademic career as for 40 years hehas taught in a leading School ofMetallurgy and is President of theInstitute of Metal Finishing.

All four of our new Liverymenbring a special breadth to ourmembership and we look forward toseeing them at Company functions inthe future.

New Liverymen

Making of the Innholders’ sign

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The new hanging sign for the Innholders’ Hall was given byThe Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths as a “thank you” gift in

recognition of their hospitalityover the years until the WCBoutgrew their dining hall.

Hand forged by Don Barker– Elected to the Court of Assistants in October 2002

The Tonypandy Cup 2002“Scotsman” scoops Cup

Awarded to Phil Johnson

The Innholders were consultedabout the sign and after severalmeetings it was decided to depict theirheraldic coat of arms on a double-sided hanging sign. It had to appearthat each side was the right side andneither was the back – quite a challenge!

The sign and bracket were made byDon Barker FWCB using mostlytraditional techniques but with a fewmodern techniques such as electricarc welding and casting where thiswas appropriate. The bracket washand forged and fire welded and thehorses were also hand forged fromsolid bar. The acanthus leaves and

helm were hammered from sheet steelover a pitch block, a technique knownas repoussé work. The name plateswhich simply state “Innholders” werecast using a wooden pattern whichDon also made. Once it wasassembled it had to be painted in thecorrect colours – a job requiring asteady hand. It was finally carried upthe stairs of the Innholders’ Hall, withsome assistance from helping hands,guided out through a window andfitted into its present position where itremains as a symbol of the wonderfulco-operation and friendship betweenour two companies.

The panel that assesses thenominations for the Tonypandy Cupunanimously agreed that the signsurmounting the entrance to ‘TheScotsman’ building in HolyroodRoad, Edinburgh should be awardedthe Cup for 2002. It is the work ofPhil Johnson and his team at RathoByres Forge.

The word ‘sign’ does not fullyreflect the nature of this piece aboveand across the entrance of BarclayHouse, the new building housing‘The Scotsman’. It is a bold design butadmirably restrained, allied to superbforging of the leaves and thistles. It is

a brilliant concept which incorporates alight box for illumination. It measures7 metres x 2 metres x 1 metre and issuspended 10 metres above the mainentrance to the building.

The entire project is a masterpieceof ingenious design, innovativeelements and a magnificent exampleof the blacksmith’s art and craft at itsbest. In addition to all the technical

and production elements the teamhad to work to an extremely tighttimetable as the Queen was due toopen the new building on St. Andrew’sDay. The contract for the piece wastwo weeks ahead of schedule.

We congratulate Phil Johnson andall his team for their work andsalute him as the winner of theTonypandy Cup.

The Prime Warden’s Badge

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Of all the Company’s treasures, that which is most frequentlyon view is the Prime Warden’s Badge, which was presentedto the company in July 1870 by James Abbiss J.P.

Made of 18ct yellow gold and enamel, the badge depicts the Armsand Crest of the company, mounted in Victorian Gothic style andweighs over 100.gms.

Adorned by a phoenix which is firing herself by the rays of the sun,(“A Phoenix in Glory”), the centre piece features the Company’straditional three hammers with crowns above and separated by amaroon coloured Chevron.

Beneath the centre piece is the motto “By hammer and hand allarts do stand” which replaced, in 1610, theBlacksmiths’ original motto “As God will, sobe it”.

The coat of arms below the centre isbelieved to be the motto of the donor, and theacorn which hangs at the bottom of thebadge is a replacement of the original, muchlarger, detachable acorn which was lost someyears ago; its significance is unclear.

The ‘sidearms’ of the badge are VictorianGothic style decoration and not strictly partof our Coat of Arms.

When worn with the Prime Warden’s fullgown, the badge is hung from the 18ctfiligree gold chain which was presented tothe company by Past Prime Warden CharlesRavenhill in 1870.

Peter Allcard

Prime Warden’s Schedule to July 2002

Shipwrights DinnerPewterers Dinner

Lord Mayor’s DinnerUnited Guilds Service

Annual Mansion House BanquetChartered Surveyors Lunch

Loriners LunchNAFBAE AGM

Engineers Dinner

The Cutlers FeastThe Prime Warden’s Weekend

Wax Chandlers DinnerSons of the Clergy

Spencer House ReceptionHouse of Lords Lunch

Ironbridge VisitElection of Sheriffs

Farriers Company Dinner

HMS President ReceptionJubilee Dinner – Gibson Hall

Buckingham Palace Parade & ReceptionBuckingham Palace Garden Party

Tower of London TourFletchers Company Dinner

Sheriff & Recorder’s Fund LunchHMS Sultan Visit

The Prime Warden represented the Company in the first half of 2002 at the following functions:

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Company visits Chatsworth by day anddines with the Master Cutler in the evening

They came from the ends of theearth, well, at least distant partsof the United Kingdom. The

Father of the Company came fromSissinghurst, the Champions fromBox Hill, and others from equallyexotic parts. Richard Sage even flewin from the Continent. To where didthey come and why? To Bakewell forthe highlight of the social calendar,the Prime Warden’s weekend. We allstayed in the Rutland Arms hotel,small but comfortable. We almosttook over the place and thefew non-blacksmith guests lookedsomewhat bemused at this influx ofunclassifiable people.

Friday afternoonwas as usual occupiedwith arrivals, greetingsand settling in. Thedire warnings aboutcar parking were notreally necessary, weall fitted in withouttoo much trouble. Toanybody who has beento Bakewell beforethe main street has notchanged but behindthe front row therehas been considerabledevelopment of smalland interesting shopsin a rambling street layout. The earlyarrivals went out after lunch and didtheir souvenir shopping before therush, and to take advantage of thegood weather. Dinner was as usual inthe hotel, but before this a few peoplecelebrated this year’s birthday boy,myself, and later the Prime Wardengenerously provided us all withchampagne to whet our appetites.This period of aperitifs is alwaysdevoted to greeting old friends,meeting those attending for the firsttime and inquiring about absentfriends. One happy face that wasmissed was Peter Wolf, who sadlydied very recently after a stroke. Alsomissing was our Clerk, Chris Jeal,who was on hospital duty for hiswife. The operation was a success andLinda is well on the way to recovery.Chris had arranged for MauriceGreenberg to act for him but Mauricecontracted food poisoning at the

beginning of the week so he also wasabsent. He is fully recovered now. Itwas interesting to see Peter Allcardacting as his own Clerk, a situationwith which I was very familiar, but intrue managerial spirit he delegatedmost of the work to Pearl; and veryefficient she was.

Dinner had been chosen byeveryone earlier and Chris had sentus reminders but many had forgotten,so Pearl had provided herself witha list and directed the right dishesto the right people. After dinnerwe retired to the lounge to continuea convivial evening, but the tired

and elderly just retired.Here we found anotherthoughtful touch, a littlepacket of goodnightchocolates from Peter andPearl. Next morning afterbreakfast, which was ofthe same excellentstandard as the previousnight’s dinner, we alljoined our coach forChatsworth, leaving at

a civilisedhour, onlyJ o h nB a r b e rbeing late!

The weather waskind to us again,sunshine and a lightbreeze making forvery pleasant day. Some went directlyto the horse trials being held atChatsworth that weekend, theremainder toured the house,wandered round the gardens andlater had lunch. There must be afascination about blacksmiths for twoladies of mature age attachedthemselves to our party, tried to joinus for lunch and eventually prevailed

on the Prime Warden to give them alift back to Bakewell! We all returnedto Bakewell in time to wash andchange ready to be wafted to Cutlers’Hall in Sheffield, a mere thirtyminutes away by coach. On arrivalwe were immediately conducted tothe private apartments and greetedby the Master and Mistress Cutler,Mr. and Mrs. Richard Prest. Somebold souls requested a sight of theMistress Cutler’s bathroom, recentlyrefurbished to a magnificentstandard. After being supplied withdrinks we were given a lightning tourof the Hall before returning to theprivate apartments for more aperitifsand eventually proceeding to theHughes room, the Master Cutler’sprivate dining room. The usualconvivial evening ensued andspeeches were kept to the absoluteminimum required by courtesy. Wewent to our coach and returned toBakewell for a well earned night’s rest.

The following morning afterbreakfast, some departed for home,but others went to Haddon Hall to

visit the Hall andadmire the gardens.Lunch was providedfor those who still hadany appetite for foodand then everyonedeparted.

For those of uswho know Bakewelland for those whosevisit was their first,we were all reluctantto leave and will nodoubt return. One wholiked it so well and

did not want to leave was Harry Iles’doglet, who, confined to the car forSaturday evening, spent the timeripping all the maps to shreds in themistaken impression that the Ilescould not then leave.

A memorable and very enjoyableweekend, thank you sincerely, Peterand Pearl.

Peter Rayner

The PrimeWarden’s Weekend 2002

In the garden ofChatsworth House

The party at Haddon Hall

Rutland Arms at Bakewell

Chatsworth Houseexplained

Beating the BoundsCompany takes part in ancient ceremony

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What an enjoyable, fascinatingand informative event inwhich to take part! The six

liverymen in attendance, Barry Graham,Hugh Adams, Geoffrey McMorrough-Kavanagh, Richard Chellew, John Jeal andChristopher Jeal, your Clerk, all agreedthat it had been an evening well spent.

When Oliver Hylton theChurchwarden of St.Andrew-by-theWardrobe wrote to our Clerk askingwhether the Company would beinterested in attending this ceremony, hereadily agreed, and, assuming that itwould be a low key rather quaint custom,we would be delighted to take part.

Origins of the CeremonyBeating the Bounds is an ancient

custom with its origins in mediaeval timeswhen parishes re-affirmed theirboundaries by a procession round them atRogation tide.

The ceremony was to take place onTuesday 7th May, beginning with a shortservice at St.Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe,prior to making a procession round theparish stopping at various points en routewhere the “Bounds” would be beaten.

Imagine the Clerk’s surprise when fulldetails of the ceremony were sent to him!

The procession consisted of:• The Lord Mayor’s Bodyguard

(Pikemen & Musketeers, HonourableArtillery Company)

• Yeoman Warder of Tower of London.• The Ward Beadle, four

Churchwardens, The Alderman andCommon Councilmen of CastleBaynard Ward, members of TheWorshipful Companies of ParishClerks, Cordwainers, SpectacleMakers, Upholders and ourselves.

• Players from Shakespeare’s GlobeTheatre.

• The English Chamber Choir.• The Pearly Kings and Queens of

Stepney, Poplar, Isle of Dogs andHomerton.The day itself started dull with

drizzling rain but fortune smiles on therighteous, and by the time we assembled atSt. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe at 6.00 p.m.the sun was shining brightly. TheLiverymen were able to wear their gowns.

After a welcoming address by theRector, and a fascinating introductionfrom Mr. Oswald Clark, the Parish Clerkof St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, when,among other things, he informed us thatthe City of London, at one time, wasdivided into 25 wards containing 109parishes and, surprisingly, St.Paul’sCathedral is not in any one of them, theprocession and ceremony dulycommenced – preceded by a drummerwith a solemn single beat.

(One can imagine the looks of surpriseon the faces of “happy hour” city officeworkers and sundry Japanese tourists, asthey saw this procession passing by!).

Our route beat the boundaries of themodern parish of St.Andrew with St.Annwhich encompasses no less than nine

ancient parishes. There were 5 BoundaryMarks where the bounds were beaten andat each one the procedure was:

A reader, who welcomed us and gave abrief history of each mark. The rector thensaid a prayer.

One verse of the hymn ‘Praise my soul,the King of Heaven’ was sung.

Marking the BoundsThe Alderman then calls upon ‘all

honest and sober persons assembled tomark the lawful bounds and limits of thisparish etc.’

All then chant ‘Cursed is he thatremoveth his neighbour’s landmark! Thiswas repeated 3 times as they beat theground with a stick (provided as we leftthe church).

Between the second and third marksour party broke away in order thatMari McMorrough-Kavanagh could takea photo of us by the plaque that marksthe site of the original Blacksmiths’ Hall.

In addition to the ritual of beatingthe bounds the procession stopped at

Playhouse Yard in St.Ann’s parish whereWilliam Shakespeare once resided andperformed, before he moved across theThames to build the Globe Theatre. Herewe were entertained by the players fromthat theatre with a selection of shortspeeches including a reading from apamphlet, printed in Cromwell’s timedenouncing the evils and debauchery ofthe theatre and its players.

A further stop was made in theApothecaries’ Hall Courtyard where theEnglish Chamber Choir sang a shortmedley of mediaeval songs.

Apparently the 4th Boundary Mark isat the low-tide mark on the Southwarkside of the river and this entailed crossingThe Millennium Bridge! This part of theritual was truncated as we would haveobstructed the many tourists andsightseers who were using it. The sight, ina glorious sunset, of the Pikemen in theirancient uniform on the most modernbridge in the City presented a remarkablecontrast.

After the TourAfter a tour lasting two and a half-

hours the proceedings ended at TheRising Sun in Carter Lane for theAleconning Ceremony where the CityAleconner tested the ale of the parish.Needless to say it proved drinkable andall thirsts were duly slaked!

One of the guests was Revd. StephenAyres from Old North Church, Boston, USA.This church was built in exactly the samestyle as St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe byone of its founder rectors who was a greatadmirer of Sir Christopher Wren. So, if anyof our company should find themselves inBoston, it could be worth a visit.

During the procession collections weremade and £1,000 was provided forBarnados.

While driving sheep across LondonBridge was a ‘one-off’ event, the Rectorhopes to repeat this one and, if he does, itis thoroughly deserving of our furthersupport!

J. Jeal

The Annual BanquetCompany host to the Lord Mayor, the Master Cutler andMasters of the Worshipful Companies of Ironmongers, Cutlers,Turners and Wheelwrights

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In “Diary of a Nobody” Charles Pooter is two hoursaway from a ball at the Manion House when slippingon a piece of cabbage dropped by the grocer’s boy

leaves him: “stunned, but when I recovered I crawledupstairs into the drawingroom and on looking into thechimney-glass discovered that my chin was bleeding, myshirt smeared with the coalblocks, and my left trouser tornat the knee.” I trust that none of the happy souls whogathered at the Mansion House on 12th April had anythinglike such a traumatic preparation.

As one stands in the queue on the delightfully crookedstaircase the window shows the light outside in thecommercial city, which seems so far away from theenchanted atmosphere inside. The reception always seemsto be over before one has had a chance to catch up with halfthe friends one meant to, and reminded oneself of one’sfavourite paintings in the various rooms.

Return of ToastmasterMr Sullivan was Toastmaster - his confident presence

always enables the main participants to relax, knowing thatthey are in capable hands.

The Royal Artillery Orchestra included some welcomeless familiar works in the programme. The fact that it wasan orchestra rather than a band did prompt the question“How practical were ‘cellos ever on a battlefield?” but thesound of the piano quintet as we came in was quite lovely.Full military style was provided by the trumpeters whoperformed their duty in silencing the throng for entrancesand speeches, as well as the usual demonstration piece:their willingness to test the limits of their ability inspectacular style always brings the diners to sharpattention.

Chester Boyd do a rather impressive job of serving somany people promptly with good food, and mostunusually this year by actually serving the Tournedos rare,which met with the approval of your correspondent.Whoever chose the South African red wine deserves aspecial congratulation - it was quite excellent.

As usual, the company joined in whole-heartedly withthe singing of The Blacksmiths’ Song.

The Prime Warden welcomed the Lord Mayor to thelatter’s own dining room. He also shared with thecompany the reason why he is always particularly promptfor the Annual Dinner - at his first appearance thirty years

ago he had underestimated the traffic jams and made anembarrassing late entrance. He was able to announce thethe existence of a trade mark which the Company canlicense for use by smiths. The Prime Warden hesitated infinding the cheque to present for the Square Smile appealjust long enough to make the Clerk feel worried.A personal gift to the Lord Mayor of a wrought-ironpaper-knife was replied to with a coin and a silver(computer) mouse.

Lord Mayor enjoys Blacksmiths’ songThe Lord Mayor was particularly taken with the lines

from our song: “And still every lovely young Maiden will proveTo Vulcan’s descendants most yielding and kind”, althoughhe was relieved that we had mellowed since the fifteenthcentury when his research had shown that we spent “thedays carousing and the nights working at full volume”.Now we are in the twenty-first century we just carouse ona Friday evening and nobody lives next to the MansionHouse so our noise does not prevent them sleeping. TheLord Mayor had brought with him to dinner the swordpictured in the last newsletter, made by Paul Allen AWCB,LWCB, around which a crowd gathered at the end of theformal proceedings to admire, weigh, and brandish, beforeone of the staff prevented us damaging ourselves.

The Fourth Warden’s speech is not generally the mostsought-after duty. Owing to the unfortunate indispositionof Rodney Bole, the Renter Warden gamely took on the taskfor the second year running and elegantly proved thatpractice certainly makes even difficult things easier.

The reply by the Master Cutler of Hallamshire alsoalluded to a previous dinner at the Mansion House - wherethe embarrassment had been limited to the printersaccording his then belle the title of wife. A chaplain to whomthis was explained at the dinner brought the legal form intoline with the printer’s impression the following year.

The turnout from Sheffield to support the Prime Wardenwas impressive - one of the party confided that it was thesize of two rugby teams, a netball team, and a referee,although they would have been more likely to win ifplaying golf.

As always the evening seemed to be over too soon, andwe look forward to our next visit to the Mansion House.

Richard Sage

At Common Hall on 24th June our HonoraryMember of the Court of Assistants, DavidBrewer, was elected a Sheriff for the year

2002/2003. This should be a matter of great pride for allLiverymen as it is the first time in our contemporaryhistory that a Blacksmith has attained such a high office inthe City of London. We all wish him a most enjoyable andsuccessful year in office.

David was born in Luton and waseducated at St. Paul’s School and theUniversity of Grenoble. His entirecareer has been in the insurance worldwith the Sedgwick Group. He wasresponsible for opening its office inTokyo where he lived for three years.His commitment to the far east hascontinued over the years as heaccompanied Sir John Chalstrey andLord Levene when, each as LordMayor, visited China in 1996 and 1999respectively.

Although he has now ‘retired’ David remains the SeniorConsultant for the Asia region to Marsh Inc. Now based atthe International Financial Services in London he is theirconsultant for the region and is a member of the Europeanadvisory board of Credit Lyonnais. He was appointedCompanion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George(CMG) in 1999.

David’s Mother Company is the Merchant Taylorswhere he was introduced at the age of fourteen whenapprenticed to his father who was a consultant at Bart’s.He was admitted to the Livery in 1968 and joined the Courtin 1985 and has just completed his term as Master ofthe Company.

David was elected for the Ward of Bassishaw in 1992 andAlderman of the Ward in 1996. Heserved on many of the Corporation’scommittees and the Asian connectioncontinues as a Governor of the Schoolof Oriental and African Studies.

David married in 1985 and theyhave two daughters. They live inWestminster, almost next doorneighbours to Past Prime WardenColonel Sir Neil Thorne. Music isimportant to both David and Tessa asshe is a Liveryman of The WorshipfulCompany of Musicians and David isa member of the Advisory Council of

the London Symphony Orchestra and a Director of the Cityof London Sinfonia.

I am sure that all members of the Company will wishDavid well in his responsibilities as Sheriff and it will bewith additional pleasure that we will welcome the LordMayor and the two Sheriffs to our Banquet in 2003.

Christopher Jeal

Court Member elected Sheriff

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David Brewer brings honour to the Company

Company AwardsAwards made since the last issue of the “Newsletter”

Silver MedalPeter Cronshaw

Bronze MedalDon Barker

LicentiateDavid Waight

DiplomaNicholas John Oates

The following awards have been made to Blacksmiths of approved competence since the last issue of the Newsletter

L ive rymanLt. Col. JohnF. Webb, TD

(Fellow) BSc DIC FCGI FIE Aust FICE.It is with sadness that I write this

obituary: John was my colleague andmy friend.

I met John in 1991 on his returnto the U.K. from Acer’s Hong Kongoffice where he had been ChiefExecutive of our Far East andAustralian practice. John had workedin the Far East since 1973 when hewas posted there as a gifted youngengineer with Freeman Fox andPartners. In 1987 Freeman Foxtogether with John Taylor and Sonscreated Acer Consultants; John wasappointed M.D. (Far East) a role hedeveloped and nurtured. In 1991 Johnwas promoted to the Board of AcerGroup with overall control of AcerGroup major projects worldwide. Itwas during this period that I worked

closely with John, and when togetherwe identified and developed majorprojects in Europe and the MiddleEast. I soon identified him as asuitable candidate for our Livery:

John was admitted to the Liveryof The Worshipful Company ofBlacksmiths at the Epiphany Courtheld on 6th January 1994.

At the meeting of the CraftCommittee held on 2nd November1999 the Chairman, John Smith,reported that he had asked JohnWebb to become Chairman of theTrade Mark sub-committee. He waswelcomed as a member, therefore, ofthe Craft Committee.

John’s careful, disciplined andmethodical work on this project,while bringing it to an amicableand successful conclusion, meansthat he has made an outstandingand valuable contribution to thedevelopment of The Worshipful

Company of Blacksmiths and,particularly, its relationship withworking blacksmiths.

John was promoted Lt. Col. RoyalEngineers (Transport), a rank heldwith flair and responsibility. He wasawarded a Territorial decoration in1985. He was also a gifted actor anddirector with an extensive knowledgeof literature and music, (a passion heshared with his wife Russ). They alsoenjoyed travelling to some of thelesser-known corners of this planet.

John will be sadly missed by hismany friends and colleagues, manywho are members of this ancientLivery.

John is survived by his wife, Russ,and their two children, Juliette andRoyston. We look forward to seeingRuss at future Livery functions.

Geoffrey McMorrough Kavanagh28th August 2002

ObituariesJohnWebb

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Peter was born in Buckfastleigh,Devon on 23rd September 1929.After an uneventful childhood he

attended Wellingborough School, where I first met him. Wewere then only casual acquaintances, being in differentHouses and different forms. We did come together forspecial tuition with the Chaplain who tried to beat someGreek into Peter and some Latin into me. Not literally,although I think he sometimes felt like it. It was duringthese sessions that we started on the process of egging eachother on, which lasted all our lives. On leaving school Peterjoined the army for his National Service and managed toget himself posted to Oslo where he shared anoffice in the old castle with Ed Botwin, anAmerican from New York. They seemed tospend most of their time skiing! It was duringthis period that Peter acquired his taste for gin,the gin ration being generous. Their friendshiplasted up to Peter’s death, corresponding andvisiting each other from time to time. This wascharacteristic of Peter: almost everyone who got to knowhim at all well remained good friends with him all theirlives. After the army, Peter was articled to a solicitor friendof his father’s, who practised in London. He alwaysclaimed he drifted into law because he didn’t really knowwhat he wanted to do, but he regularly pointed out theoffices in Holborn every time we passed. I also was trainingso we very rarely saw each other during this period. Afterqualifying Peter returned to Birmingham, which is wherehis family had finally settled, and joined Hatwell, Pritchettand Co. He must have impressed because not too manyyears passed before he was made a partner.

Soon after Peter returned to Birmingham I also movedthere and, requiring a solicitor, asked Peter to look after my

affairs. We soon were meeting every two or three weeks fordinner, then adding weekends and later going on holidaystogether. We from here became and remained very goodand close friends.

Peter appeared frequently in Court prosecuting for thePost Office and other organisations. Again, despite hisdisclaimers, he must have impressed the powers that be, forone day in the train a suitably senior colleague suggestedthat he apply to the Lord Chancellor for a Registrarship,legal type, not births, etc. He was made an AssistantRegistrar for the area to the north west of Manchester,holding Court in several places like Wigan, Burnley, etc.

After a short while he was promoted toRegistrar then to District Judge when their titlewas changed to reduce confusion.

Peter always claimed to be a time server, buthe must have served very well because he wasasked to preside over tricky cases several times.

It was some time in the late seventies thatPeter started to be my guest at the Banquet, and

later to other functions until he was coming to all theBlacksmiths’ social events. Eventually he felt he ought tojoin us and cease being a permanent-guest, being grantedthe Livery in Cliff Champion’s year. He looked forward toretirement and when it eventually arrived we spent evenmore time together, visiting and going on holiday tovarious parts of the world. On 7th April we were due to goto Florence but Peter was struck down by a stroke andnever really regained consciousness, dying on 24th April inWythenshaw Hospital. He was cremated on the 1st May.

He was a most charming and courteous man and as oneof his friends said, a proper English gentleman.

Peter Rayner

Peter Wolf

Company celebrates Golden Jubileewith a Dinner

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The Golden Jubilee Dinner was held on Friday 28thJune 2002 at Gibson Hall which is a remarkableexample of mid-Victorian commercial extravagance

which was finished in 1865 as the headquarters of theNational Bank. It is a truly remarkable structure with itspillars, fine plaster, ornate gilding and decoration to thehigh ceiling and a profusion of colours. Cleared of itsbanking paraphernalia it is a huge space and made aunique room for dining.

The layout for Dinner was round tables for ten peopleand each seated members of different Companies. Acordial atmosphere quickly developed and newfriendships were formed. Students of the Guildhall Schoolof Music provided music at the Reception and duringDinner. There were four toasts with brief speeches fromthe three Masters and the Prime Warden. Peter Allcardproposed the Loyal Toast and the Toast to the other

Members of the Royal Family, while the MasterWheelwright proposed the health of the Lord Mayor andthe Corporation of London. The Master Farrier proposeda toast to the four Companies represented at the Dinnerwhile the Master Turner proposed the health of theassembled company.

The general opinion was that it was a most enjoyableevening and I have been told that the members of oneCompany would like to make it a regular feature. The fourClerks maintained excellent relations throughout theplanning, and during the evening, as each was responsiblefor an aspect of the proceedings and I am most grateful fortheir support and the mutual encouragement we enjoyed.I am sure that if a repeat of the dinner were approved thenthe same teamwork would be repeated.

Christopher Jeal

The Wardens wanted to mark theGolden Jubilee in a very specialway and so in conjunction with theFarriers Company, the TurnersCompany and the WheelwrightsCompany a Golden Jubilee Dinnerwas arranged for the Members ofthe Courts and Liverymen of allfour Companies to come togetherto celebrate in unique style.

To mark Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee the Company has commissioned British Silverware Ltd of Sheffield to produce twostyles of a silver dish to be available for Liverymen to purchase. The details are as follows:

(plain) 83⁄4 inch Sterling Silver Dish 462 grams(edged) 83⁄4 inch Sterling Silver Dish 505 grams

In addition to the usual marks, the dishes also have the special Golden Jubilee year hallmark.The first order has been placed and if you require either (or both) style of dish when we re-order please contact the Clerk.

Despatch will be directly to you at the address shown in the Livery List.Dishes are still available to purchase from the Clerk.

and the issue of

Silver gilt commemorative dishes

We congratulate Barry Graham on being electedand installed as Prime Warden of the Companyon 25th July 2002

On 15th July the Prime Warden (thenRenter Warden) and his wife togetherwith Prime Wardens and Masters ofother Livery Companies, choirs anddaytime congregations and friendsof City Churches made processions ofwitness through the City to St Paul’sCathedral, for a service ofthanksgiving. The Prime Warden,through the Company’s connectionwith St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe

joined the procession of about 300which started at St Mary le BowCheapside. Two other processions ofsimilar size started at St Bride, FleetStreet and St Bartholomew the Greatat Smithfield. The Wardens andMasters wore their gowns and theprocessions made an impressivesight.

The processions were greeted bythe Lord Mayor in the presence of the

Sheriffs and their ladies (the LadyMayoress was abseiling for Charity atCanary Wharf). Before entering theCathedral the combined processions,which now numbered over 1000, sanghymns on the steps of the Cathedral.

In his Sermon the Bishop of Londonreferred to the fourteenth anniversaryof the re-founding of the Dioceseof London which will be celebratedin 2004.

Barry GrahamPrime Warden 2002-2003

11

He was educated atBancroft’s, the Drapers’Company School, where he

was Head Boy and also gained hiscolours for the first XV. From schoolhe went to the City & Guilds College,which is the engineering school ofImperial College. He graduated witha BSc. and carried out research toobtain his Ph.D. Barry’s academicachievements did not precludecontinuing to use his rugby skills atCollege.

His first job was with MonsantoChemicals which included a twoyear secondment to the headquartersof its plastics division in SpringfieldMassachusetts. His principalinvolvement was research into the

manufacture at high pressure ofpolyethylene and the development ofa process to manufacture polystyrene.On his return to the United Kingdomthese areas continued to receive hisattention.

In 1963 he joined the Gas Councilwhere, over the years, he assumedincreasing responsibility for chemicalengineering development. He wasawarded the Gold Medal of theInstitution of Gas Engineers andserved a term on the EngineeringPractice Committee of the Institutionof Chemical Engineers. He completedhis career with the gas industry as itwent through its various changes tobecome British Gas.

Barry’s wife Pat was trained as a

nurse at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital,and they were married in the Churchof St. Bartholomew the Less which isthe parish church in the hospital.They have three children each ofwhom is a graduate and they are allmarried. Barry and Pat are able toenjoy their eight grandchildren.

Both are very involved with theirlocal community, in particular theirlocal Anglican Church, and take theirrelaxation in Fell walking.

An extensive programme of eventshas been planned for the year whichshould appeal to all Liverymen whowill want to support the PrimeWarden during his year of office.

Christopher JealJuly 2002

City churches give thanks for their witnessPrime Warden joins procession to St Paul’s

Company Calendar 2002-2003

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2002Thursday, 3rd October Awards Lunch at the Painter Stainers Hall

Thursday, 22nd October Prime Warden’s Reception at Drapers Hall

Friday, 13th December Carol Service at St Andrew’s by-the-Wardrobe

2003Tuesday, 9th January Epiphany Court Lunch

Tuesday, 20th March Ladyday Lunch

Wednesday, 28th March Annual Guild Service at St Paul’s

Friday, 11th April Annual Banquet

Monday, 7th May – provisional House of Lords Lunch

Friday, 9th -Sunday, 11th May Prime Warden’s Weekend

www.blacksmithscompany.org.uk

Champion Blacksmith 2002

Winner: Mr Len HuttonRunner up: Mr John Gould

Best piece made in country in the year

Best Blacksmith 2002

Winner: Mr Len HuttonRunner up: Mr Richard Bent

Best given piece made in specified time

Published by: The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. Printed by: Addiscan Graphics Limited, 12A Cowper Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 9RX

ARTICLES OMITTEDThe Editors regret that some of the articles submitted for this issue, including a second article on The HarmoniousBlacksmith, have had to be omitted due to limitation of space. The Editors hope to include them in the 22nd issue.

THANK YOU, RICHARDThe Editors experienced considerable difficulty in producing the last issue arising from the change in printer andthey would like to thank Liveryman Richard Sage for the considerable effort he put in to getting the 20th Newsletterout on time.