Swan Upping With The Queen’s Swan Marker David Barber MVO, And Swan Uppers From The Vintners’ and Dyers’ Livery Companies

Swan upping takes place once a year in July on the River Thames. The Royal Swan Uppers, lead by David Barber MVO, The Queen’s Swan Marker,(www.royalswan.co.uk) wear the scarlet uniform of Her Majesty The Queen and travel in traditional rowing skiffs together with Swan Uppers from the Vintners’ and Dyers’ livery companies. The Swan Uppers weigh and measure the cygnets and check them for any signs of injury, commonly caused by fishing hooks and line. The young cygnets are ringed with individual identification numbers that denote their ownership if they belong to the Vintners or the Dyers livery companies; they cygnets’ ownership is determined by their parentage.Photographed by Peter Dazeley July 2021, photograph taken between Sonning Lock and Mapledurham Lock on the River Thames, England