The Master’s Diary

The Master had a very busy Charter weekend entertaining our London friends and was delighted to be invited to lunch with both the Girdlers and the Saddlers at their Halls in London.

He attended the Induction and Institution of Revd Canon Anthony Howe at St James Garlickhythe, London.   Although Fr. Anthony is a personal friend, he was invited to attend as Master.

He and the Clerk enjoyed the Richmond Fellmongers St George’s Day Service and Supper, and he attended the Leather Lecture at York College, which replaced the Cordwainers prize this year.

Whilst in London, the Master sought the Cordwainer statue in the City of London, which was erected in 2002 by the Cordwainers Ward Club.

Livery Weekend 2024

The weather couldn’t have been better for our Livery weekend in May, with sunshine, blue skies and no rain.

We welcomed Masters and their Consorts from the London Companies of Leathersellers, Coachmakers, Girdlers, Glovers, Loriners and Curriers, along with their Clerks.   The Deacon Convenors from Dundee and Kirkcudbright also attended.

Before the dinner in the Merchant Adventurers Hall, the Master, Dr John Ridgeway-Wood, was sworn in for a second year along with the Master Elect and Court members.  We were also delighted to swear in 2 new Members, Keith Aspden and Mel Neale.

Eighty-five people sat down to dinner with the guest of honour being the Lord Mayor along with the Civic Party.   Masters from York and Richmond were also welcomed.    The guest speaker was the York Herald, Peter O’Donoghue; and the Lord Mayor proposed the toast to the Company.

On Sunday, we processed from Bedern Hall to All Saints Church, Pavement, for our annual Charter Day Service.   Again, we were joined by the Lord Mayor, the Civic Party, and visiting Masters.   Our Chaplain, Rev Liz Hassell, preached the sermon, and we returned to Bedern Hall for a reception.

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Wall of Guilds

When the Guildhall was refurbished, it was felt important to recognise the role of the Guilds in the life of the City. A wall on the first floor of the Guildhall now has the coat of arms of each York Guild on display, along with a resume of their history.

The Master, Immediate Past Master and Master Elect attended the “unveiling” of the Wall of Guilds performed by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Chris Cullwick.

As a Past Master of the Guild of Building, the Lord Mayor is well-versed in the history of the Guilds in the City.

The Cordwainers’ Prize Winning Student – 2023

Each year, the Cordwainers award a prize to a first-year BA fashion student at York College, and in 2023, the brief was to design and make a leather accessory. The students spend an afternoon at Bedern Hall meeting members and learning about the Company.

They then research, design and make their garment or accessory and members of the Court spend an afternoon at the College judging their entries.

Our winner in 2023 was Sydney Alicia Newman, who designed and made a leather belt with added pouches. She was awarded a cheque, a medal and a certificate by the Master.

Livery Weekend 2023

Despite the necessity of moving the Livery weekend, we were still able to celebrate the installation of the new Master as well as our Charter Day.

The installation ceremony in Bedern Hall was a bit of a squeeze, but we managed to successfully swear in the Master and the Court. Eight new members were also sworn in, followed by our member from Pennsylvania at the end of the dinner, as he didn’t quite make it in time. We welcome all of you to the Company.

The Master and Beadle welcome new member Brett Walker, who travelled from Pennsylvania to be sworn in.

The Master hosted a drinks reception where we were joined by our guests, who included the Lord Mayor and Sheriff, the Governor of the Merchant Adventurers, Masters of the Guild of Scriveners, the Gild of Freemen, the Merchant Taylors Company, the Media Arts and the IPM of the Company of Butchers. Also with us was the Master Fellmonger and the Warden of the Mercers, Grocers & Haberdashers of Richmond.

Fifty-two members and friends sat down to an excellent dinner provided by our new caterers, and this was followed by speeches from the Lord Mayor, the Master and his speaker Dr Geoff Thomason, Assistant Research Librarian at the Royal Northern College of Music.

The following morning we were joined by a number of York Masters, along with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, for our Charter Day service.

The preacher was our own Chaplain, Rev Liz Hassall. As ever, visitors to the City were a bit confused to see us processing with badges, gowns and maces, and we were grateful to the Lord Mayor’s chauffeur who cleared a path through the crowds on the Shambles. The coffee and biscuits were most welcome on our return to Bedern Hall.

 

 

A new role for our Chaplain

Rev Liz Hassall

Rev Liz Hassall

The Company of Coardwainers’ own Chaplain, Rev Liz Hassall, has also taken on the role of Sheriff of York’s Chaplain for the year.

I am sure that they will have an excellent year and hope that we will be able to welcome them to some events in their official capacity.

The Sheriff’s Coronation Ball

On May 7th, 21 assorted Cordwainers and friends joined the Coronation celebrations at the Sheriff’s Coronation Ball in the Assembly Rooms.

York has a tradition of holding Balls to celebrate the coronation of the new monarch, and 2023 was no exception.

Guests were greeted by the York Guard, resplendent in their scarlet tunics with flags and halberds, and enjoyed a champagne reception before sitting down to a 3-course meal.

Speeches were kept to a minimum, but the new King was enthusiastically toasted and dancing followed.

The Sheriff had tried to replicate the Ball held in 1953, and it was certainly a night to remember.

Charter Day Service 2021

Our normal colourful procession from Bedern Hall to All Saints, Pavement to celebrate our Charter was, of course, cancelled this year.

However, we were pleased that we were allowed five Court members in the church and were also able to invite the Lord Mayor.

The Master’s recent hip surgery meant that she couldn’t join us and the plan for her to read the lesson from home was failed by technology.  Master Elect Geoffrey Berry read instead.

We were all pleased to meet the new Priest in Charge, Liz Hassell, and to welcome the Lord Mayor, Cllr Janet Looker.  For her this was the first, and last, time that she had attended All Saints this year.

Inside there were masks, social distancing and only a cantor to sing the hymns and the responses, but we were pleased that we were able to attend, even in such a limited way.

Installation of the New Master

The new Master of the Cordwainers, Mrs Ann Deller, was installed at a Zoom meeting of the Company on 8th May 2021.

Like so many other organisations Zoom has become the new normal and restrictions meant that we couldn’t meet in person.

The Master was sworn in by the outgoing Master and Clerk, Mrs. Ann Reid, and thanked the Company for the honour.

Geoffrey Berry was sworn in as Master Elect.

The Officers of the Company and the Court of Assistants were also sworn in.

Charter Weekend 2021 – Update

Since March 2020 when this country went into the first of three lockdowns, and despite the introduction of the Tier system, the Company has continued to hold Court meetings, via Zoom of course.

During the most recent Court meeting in January, the first of 2021, it was agreed that with great regret the Charter Weekend, traditionally held in May, would have to be cancelled.

After further discussion, it was agreed that indeed no definite plans could be made for the rest of the year without a clear idea of how the Coronavirus would continue to affect the country.

An additional important decision was approved that the Court should now meet monthly to keep reviewing the situation.