214. Consorts’ Tour of Cutlers’ Hall, 14 June 2024

Claire Pocock, Consort to the Master Cutler Michael, invited fellow Consorts on a tour of the Cutlers’ Hall, followed by lunch.  This was a generous non-reciprocal invitation.  The group of Consorts included the Lady Mayoress and the Sheriffs’ Consorts.

After a welcome cup of coffee on arrival, Master Michael greeted us briefly.  The Pocock family have been involved with the Cutlers’ Company for several generations.  Michael’s great-great-grandfather had been an apprentice cutler 150 years ago, and became Master (although he later “defected” to Sheffield!).  Michael was the 14th Pocock to become Master, although not all were in direct line of descent.

The company initially provided swords, daggers and knives, and were awarded their Charter after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 (despite the fact that it was the bowyers and archers who had really won the battle!). This was the only charter granted by Henry V.  After the use of swords diminished, the Company turned its attention more to surgical implements, but these are now often replaced by laser treatment.

The Beadle, David Hasler, showed us round the building, a lovely family manor house with a family feel to it.  David used to serve in the East Anglican Regiment.  Following a placement in the Foreign Office in Athens for ten years, David worked at Ramsbury Manor near Marlborough, which is about to open to the public.

The Company had recently run a competition for cutlery design.  Winners were awarded a cash prize plus the copyright of their design.  We saw a selection of the winning entries.

Member Adam Gee had won a BAFTA which is now kept at Cutlers’ Hall.  We all had a chance to hold it – it is remarkably heavy!

Also on exhibition in the foyer was a blade tree, made for the Great Exhibition of 1851 by ophthalmic instrument makers John Weiss & Son, comprising 1851 separate blades.

Once upstairs, we were shown cases containing swords which had belonged to various members of royalty, including Queen Victoria, and the Black Prince.  Also exhibited was the ceremonial sword of the future King Edward VIII, which had to be handed back to Buckingham Palace when the Prince of Wales had given up his right to the throne.  The sword had then been passed to the Cutlers for safe-keeping.  We saw the sword of Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, which, unusually, was sharpened on both sides.

We saw the sword of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.  The Duke fell in love with an actress from Covent Garden (even worse – she was an Irish Catholic!), and married her, without royal consent.  They had a daughter and two sons, but Queen Victoria refused to bestow any royal title on them. The Prince’s wife was known as Mrs Fairbrother, and later Mrs FitzGeorge.

We proceeded into the magnificent Livery Hall with its hammer beams, with the original Barge Banner used for the Lord Mayor’s procession in 1763 displayed on an end wall.





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