Royal River: The Watermen’s Company and Pageantry on the Thames

The first volume of a History of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen was published in London in 1869, covering the period 1209 to 1699.1 It provides a journal style history of the Thames, including some unique information, as seen from a waterman’s perspective.[Figure 14.1]The History also records a number of royal processions and those of the nobility and the merchant companies of the City of London. These processions were expressions of status, and opportunities for royalty and nobility to raise their profile, as well as gain popularity and support amongst the citizenry of this, the largest city in England and one of the largest in Europe.