Swan Upping

By prerogative right, the British Crown holds ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water across the country. However, the Crown may grant swan rights to British subjects, and these rights can also be claimed through long-standing tradition. Until the 16th century, it was common for landowners to be granted ownership of swans in specific bodies of water. Today, only two livery companies in the City of London—the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers—share ownership of swans on the Thames with the Crown. This shared ownership is maintained through the ancient tradition of swan upping, which dates back to the 12th century.

Swan upping is the traditional method of apportioning swans on the Thames among the Crown, the Vintners, and the Dyers. Its primary purposes today are to conduct a swan census and to check the birds' health. This event occurs annually during the third week of July. Over five days, representatives of the Crown, Vintners, and Dyers, known as 'swan uppers,' row up the river in skiffs, covering the stretch from Sunbury to Abingdon.

The Marker of the Swans records the Crown’s swans, rowed along the river by oarsmen from the Company of Watermen and Lightermen. The Crown’s swan uppers, distinguished by their red uniforms, catch the swans, weigh and measure the cygnets, and check them for injuries. Based on their parentage, cygnets are identified as belonging to either the Crown, the Dyers, or the Vintners. The Crown’s swans remain unmarked, except for a lightweight ring linked to the British Trust for Ornithology’s database. Swans belonging to the Dyers and Vintners are similarly ringed on the other leg.

In the past, ownership was indicated by nicks made on the swans' bills with a metal implement—one nick for the Dyers and two for the Vintners, one on each side. This practice is remembered in the name of the former City pub, "The Swan with Two Necks," which is a corruption of "The Swan with Two Nicks."

On July 20, 2009, Queen Elizabeth II, in her role as "Seigneur of the Swans," attended the Swan Upping ceremony, marking the first time a reigning monarch had participated in this historic event.