The Coronation Lunch, Cutlers' Hall, 24 May 2023
To celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on 6th May 2023 the company held a luncheon for Bowyers, friends and supporters at the Cutlers' Hall on 24th May 2023. The Cutlers' decked their hall in red, white and blue, and some of our guests were similarly attired. The Master welcomed our principal guests including from our fellow warrior companies the Master Cutler, Christopher Robinson, and the Master Gunmaker, Rowlie McBeath.
40 of us much enjoyed the proceedings where we were royally entertained by the Cutlers' including:
- A serendipitous visit to the Cutlers' Hall by the Sheriffs themselves on horseback with a HAC mounted guard, together with a fresh supply of large carrots for the horses;
- the grace proposed by Liveryman Derram Attfield;
- Court assistant Simon Leach's talk on Bowyers historical records we have for prior coronations with some salient facts noted below.
The master presiding at the dinner in 1911 was Sir Douglas Straight who had had a varied career as journalist, barrister, Member of Parliament, Judge in the High Court in Allahabad, and editor of the Pall Mall Gazette (a London evening paper which later merged with the Evening Standard).
There were 15 distinguished guests including Field Marshall Sir Evelyn Wood VC, hero of the Indian Mutiny; Admiral Sir Reginal Henderson, regarded as father of the Royal Australian Navy; Sir Harold Harmsworth, owner of the Daily Mail; Sir Francis Carruthers Gould, satirist and political cartoonist; and Sir James Crichton-Browne FRS, a leading psychiatrist of the day who was possibly the guest of Past Master Thomas Halhed Fischer KC. Ficsher held the most unfortunate job title of "Master in Lunacy". Hard to believe but it was an actual Judicial Office which was not discontinued until 1947. Were he alive today, Thomas Fischer would sit in the Court of Protection. Amongst the other guests there were lawyers, politicians, Indian Civil Servants, an Indian Judge, publishers and writers which reflected the varied career of the master, Sir Douglas Straight. Whatever was on the menu that night is not recorded, but one can safely say that it was not Coronation Quiche.
After lunch we moved downstairs for a stirrup cup and the proceedings ended at 3.30pm.
Long live the King!
Nigel Heilpern
Master
2022-24
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