Alice Cairns meets the man charged with upholding an ancient Thames tradition
It’s been a bad winter for swans. The seasonal outbreak of avian flu that first appeared back in November may not have claimed any human scalps, but it has certainly caused ripples on the Thames. An unhealthy percentage of Her Majesty’s swans on the river have succumbed to the deadly virus, and for David Barber, present holder of the post of Royal Swan Marker, it has been a nervy few months.
“This is the first time we’ve had bird flu here since I’ve been Marker,” he tells me, sitting back in his office in Cookham. “We’ve lost nearly 70 swans from Windsor, which is a lot, given that our flock averages around 200. It’s all been a bit of a shock to us, but I think it’s nearly passed. Within the next two weeks hopefully it will disappear.”
Worse things have been and gone since the 12th century, when the first Royal Swan Master (as the post was originally called) started work. Back then, swans were valued for their meat, with cygnets the nobility’s dish of choice at banquets and feasts. Consequently, it was important to keep track of ownership – a feat accomplished during the annual ceremony of Swan Upping by nicking the creatures’ bills. Then as now, the Crown enjoyed ownership of all unmarked swans swimming in open water, except those for which it had delegated the rights.
Swan Upping still continues, but today it is essentially a census with the emphasis on conservation. During the third week of July, David and a team of 18 other swan uppers conduct a five-day journey upstream from Sunbury to mid-Oxfordshire in traditional rowing skiffs, some of which are over 100 years old.
Clad in a decorative scarlet uniform, and with the Queen’s cypher flying from the stern of their boats, the royal swan uppers greet each bevy of birds with a cry of ‘All up!’ The swans are then lifted out of the water, weighed, measured and given a check-up. Professor Chris Perrins, an acclaimed ornithologist from Oxford University, travels in one of the boats to keep detailed records.
As for David, 2018 sees him complete a quarter of a century in the role of Royal Swan Marker.
“I used to help my predecessor at swan uppings. When he retired he put my name forward, along with 22 other people,” he recalls. “The interview was at Buckingham Palace and I was lucky enough to get the job.”
David’s days are varied: authorizing licences to move swans, navigating EU regulations, clearing swans out of the way of Henley Regatta, even removing them from the runways at Heathrow. An errant swan is no friend to an accelerating 747.
But his favourite aspect of the job is education. Over the years he has developed close links with local schools, and during swan upping excited pupils have the chance to handle cygnets and learn all about the Thames ecosystem.
“I always present the schools with a certificate from Buckingham Palace. We often have celebrities along to make the actual presentation – people like Martin Clunes, Ben Fogle and Maureen Lipman. It’s very special.”
And what is it like to have the Queen for your boss?
“Well, she came swan upping a few years ago. Of course, you ask yourself what on earth you’re going to speak about, but she’s a most delightful person, very easy to talk to.”
Meanwhile the flu threat, receding though it is, still beats its ominous wings above the Thames. The public have been urged not to feed the swans while they’re poorly. At the moment, the birds are being cared for and nourished by Swan Support, the local rescue organisation. But normally, agrees David, feeding them is a brilliant local tradition.
“People come from all around the world to visit Windsor, and feeding the swans is one of the things they really love to do. One thing though: if you must give them bread, make it brown bread, although it’s far better to feed them grain or corn.”
Leaving David’s office, I reflected on how the story of swan upping combines modernity and tradition in a way peculiar to our Royal Borough. The practice could easily have died out when poultry replaced swans as the nation’s go-to meat. Instead, it has acquired rich new meanings and, under David’s enduring leadership, now plays an important role in conservation and education alike.
Eccentric and quaint it may be, but Swan Upping is so much more than a nostalgic pageant from the past. Mark it well: Her Majesty’s swans have a safe and healthy future in store.
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