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of the Worshipful Company of Scriveners
of the City of London
NEWS
Spring Dinner at Vintners' Hall
Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank GCB, LVO, OBE, DL, former Chief of the Defence Staff, was the Company's principal guest at the Spring Dinner on 17 April at Vintners' Hall, and was accompanied by The Lady Guthrie.
Other Company guests included Commander Sarah West RN, Commanding Officer of HMS Portland, the Company's affiliate ship; Lieutenant Commander Suzi Nielsen RN, Logistics Officer; Colonel David Rankin-Hunt LVO, MBE, TD, 'A' Company, the London Regiment; Major Stuart Young TD, Regimental Secretary; Mr Kevin Dewey, Master Stationer, and Mr William Alden MBE, DL, Clerk; Mr Martin Roberts, Master Solicitor, and Mr Neil Cameron, Clerk; Mr Adrian Widdowson, Master, The Guild of Scriveners of the City of York, accompanied by Mrs Katharine Widdowson and Mr Tim Hinton, Clerk.
Among the Master's personal guests were Mr David Lentaigne, Master Gunmaker, and Mrs Caroline Lentaigne.
Presentation to Sheriffs and Handwriting Prizes
Photo: Alison Robinson
The annual presentation of quill pens to the Sheriffs took place on Tuesday 15 January at St Lawrence Jewry. The Master, Sir Henry Bedingfeld, Bt, presented Alderman and Sheriff Jeffrey Evans and Sheriff Nigel Pullman with the quill pens with which they signed themselves into office in September last. The Master also presented them with Scriveners' fountain pens and a donation to the Sheriffs' and Recorder's Fund.
He also presented a Scriveners' fountain pen to the church, for use in signing the register for weddings and other ceremonies, and this was accepted by the Reverend Canon David Parrott, who welcomed all those attending.
Prizes and certificates were also presented to the winners of the Karen Nehammer Handwriting Competition for Schools. Awarded for the 'clarity and excellence of their handwriting' the prizes went to:
Scarlett Robinson (Year 7 prize) - City of London Freemen's School
Kate Pesenti (Year 8 prize) - City of London School for Girls
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Annual Quill Pen Lunch
Photos: Gerald Sharp Photography
On Monday 3 December, at a lunch held at the Mansion House, the Master, Sir Henry Bedingfeld, Bt, presented The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor, Alderman Roger Gifford, with the quill pen with which he signed himself into office at the Silent Ceremony. The Master also presented him with a donation to the Lord Mayor's Appeal, as well as presenting the Lady Mayoress with a Scriveners' fountain pen.
As mentioned by the Lord Mayor in his speech, the Scriveners are the only Company to hold an annual lunch in the Salon at the Mansion House. The presentation of quill pens, and fountain pens, to the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs is one of the newer traditions of the Company, being a mere 29 years old (although the first Ordinances date from 1373).
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Autumn Dinner
The Scriveners' Autumn Dinner was held on 16 October at Apothecaries' Hall. The principal guest was His Grace the Duke of Norfolk, accompanied by the Duchess of Norfolk.
Other Company guests were Capt. John Freestone, the Master Mariner, accompanied by his Clerk, Commodore Angus Menzies, Professor Rodney Taylor, Master Apothecary, accompanied by his Clerk, Mr Andrew Wallington-Smith, and Mr Hew Dundas, Master Arbitrator, accompanied by his Clerk, Mrs Gaye Duffy.
Among the personal guests were: Mr Thomas Woodcock CVO, Garter Principal King of Arms, Mrs Margaret Holland Prior JP, Mr Howard Mundy, IPM Bowyer, Dr Eamonn Hall and Maitre Michel Burgan.
Musical entertainment was provided by Mr Oliver Nelson (violin) and Mr William Godfree (piano).
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Updating the List of Masters, Wardens and Clerks
Past Master Donald Jackson MVO updated the Scriveners' List of Masters, Wardens and Clerks on 19 October. This is displayed, in two large frames, on board HQS Wellington, where the Company is based, and lists all officers of the Company from 1392 to the present day.
Donald has spent the best part of the last thirteen years on his world-renowned St John's Bible project, now complete, whereby he designed, illuminated and 'scrivened' the entire Bible with a team of illuminators and calligraphers. It is the first hand-illuminated, hand-written bible in the modern era (see www.saintjohnsbible.org). The multi-million dollar project was commissioned by St John's Abbey and University in Minnesota USA, and is an extraordinary work of art in seven volumes. An authorised copy (one of only two in the UK) is housed at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The image below shows an early sample page depicting Jacob's Ladder.
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Master and Wardens 2012-13
Master - Sir Henry Bedingfeld, Bt
Upper Warden - John Tunesi of Liongam
Renter Warden - The Reverend Michael Lovegrove
(who also serves as our Honorary Chaplain).
Edward Gardiner continues as Notarial Deputy. The Immediate Past Master is William Kennair.
Sir Henry and Lady Bedingfeld (photos: Chris Alderman)
The Court Meeting was followed by a Summer Reception on HQS Wellington, where the Company is based. The Immediate Past Master's Lady, Mrs Karen Kennair, presented the new Master's Lady, Mary, Lady Bedingfeld, with the Scriveners' badge (in the form of a most attractive brooch) which she is entitled, and indeed encouraged, to wear for the year of office.
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Jubilee Chinese Banquet raises over £1,100
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Spring Dinner 2012 at Fishmongers' Hall
Our Spring Dinner was held on 16 May at Fishmongers' Hall, with Alderman Ian Luder as principal guest. The Upper Warden
proposed a toast to the guests, who included the Master Stationer and
Clerk, the Master Solicitor, the Master Information Technologist, the Master of the Guild of Scriveners of York and the Prime Warden of the Basketmakers. Alderman Luder responded on behalf of the guests and proposed a toast to the Master and the Scriveners Company; the Master then spoke, thanking Liveryman John Allen for his donation of a Master's Cup and concluding with a toast to the Clerk, to which the Clerk responded in the traditional fashion. Musical entertainment was provided by Stringfever.
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Peter Esslemont
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A New Master Installed
At the Court Meeting on 30 January 2012 at Information Technologists' Hall, William Brignall Kennair (seen above, right, with the Master Information Technologist) was installed as Master in succession to Ruth Margaret Campbell. Bill Kennair previously served as Master of the Company in 2008/09 and has returned to office for a six-month period owing to the withdrawal from office of Peter Esslemont, whose death we report above, with great sadness.
Bill Kennair is Senior Partner at John Venn & Sons, Scrivener Notaries & Translators, based in Aldwych, London. He has an LL.B (Hons.) from University College London and qualified as a Scrivener Notary in 1983. He speaks fluent German, French and Spanish.
He is a committee member of the Society of Scrivener
Notaries, having been its Chairman from 2003 to 2009. He is a member of the
General Council of the International Union of Notaries (UINL), where he is the
Secretary of its Commission of European Affairs. He is also Chargé d’Affaires
for the UINL to the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law
(UNCITRAL). Bill is also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.
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Past Master Sylvia Tutt
With great sadness, we note the passing of one of our most senior members and Master of the Company in 2007-o8. Sylvia had the distinction of being the first ever lady Master when she was Master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in 1983-84. She was also the first lady President of the City Livery Club. She was a very well-known figure in the City and very active in many organisations including the United Wards Club, the Royal Society of St George and the Farringdon Ward Club. Her funeral took place on 5 December. It was her request that only one representative of each of her two livery companies should be present. The Scriveners Company was represented by Past Master Robert Reeve.
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Quill Pen Lunch and Quill Pen Reception
Our annual lunch at Mansion House took place on 13 December. It is our custom to present the new Lord Mayor with the quill pen with which he signed himself into office at the Silent Ceremony, along with a donation to his Appeal. The Lady Mayoress is presented with a more day-to-day writing implement, namely a Parker Duofold fountain pen engraved with the Company coat of arms, the Lord Mayor having already received one during his year of office as Sheriff. In return the Lord Mayor presented the Master with... a fountain pen - a splendidly equal exchange - and surprised the Clerk by also presenting him with a specially commissioned Emma Bridgewater mug. Other Masters and Clerks are no doubt being accorded the same generosity.
On 12 January, we presented the Sheriffs with their quill pens in similar manner, at a reception held in the Judges' Dining Room at the Old Bailey. The Sheriffs very kindly supplied the champagne, and the Secondary and Under-Sheriff, Mr Charles Henty, took guests on a short tour of the courts and cells - a feature especially enjoyed by the winners of our Karen Nehammer Handwriting Prizes for Schools.
The 2011 winners of the Karen Nehammer prizes for clarity and excellence of handwriting are:
Year 7 - Aisling Blythe (City of London School for Girls)
Year 8 - Gus Strong (Reed's School)
Year 9 - Sadia Barry (City of London School for Girls)
Sadia is to be especially congratulated on winning the prize in all three years that she has entered. All winners receive a certificate signed by the Master and Clerk and an Amazon voucher - as well as the opportunity to meet the Sheriffs!
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