Keeper of the Queen's Swans
Former royal office in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Keeper of the King's/Queen's Swans was a late medieval-founded office in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of England, later Great Britain and ultimately the United Kingdom. He was earlier called the King's/Queen's Swanmaster. The office existed to perform Swan-Upping marking and health-checking carried out using Thames skiffs on many of the non-tidal reaches of the River Thames in latter years from Sunbury-on-Thames passing Windsor, Berkshire to Henley on Thames. In 1993 it was replaced by two separate offices: Warden of the Swans and Marker of the Swans.
History
The keeper's office dates from the 13th century.[1] He was supported by three swanherdsmen. The principal duties of this official team of four people were to conduct the annual Swan-Upping on much of non-tidal reaches of the River Thames including Windsor.[2]
It was abolished in 1993, when it was replaced by two new offices, the Warden of the Swans and the Marker of the Swans.