What do Montgomery\u2019s Rolls Royce and a butcher\u2019s handcart have in common? On that day, they appeared in a London ritual dating back to 1667.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I admit that the first time I heard the name of the ceremony\u2014Cart Marking Under the Worshipful Company of Carmen\u2014I wondered who Carmen<\/em> was. We now call them truck drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Celebrating trades from the past is part of London\u2019s culture and an interesting way to brush up on historic trivia. The Worshipful Company of Woolmen, for example, still recalls its historic right to bring sheep to market by driving them across the Thames, although not necessarily across the London Bridge anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am at Guildhall Yard, in the oldest part of London, known as the City. With\u00a0some one hundred spectators, I am here for entertainment, but cart marking is linked to transportation, itself the backbone of commerce, and human mass movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As London\u2019s\u00a0population grew, cartage became so costly trash was uncollected, and the streets were in dire need of help. In 1517, the carmen took the matter into their hands and started a fellowship to “clense, purge and kepe clene all the Stretes of\u2026 Donge\u2026”\u00a0for a reasonable price. They got licensed for the trade of plying for hire<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Carmen Company is still a Guild of the City of London, and, as a Livery Company, members are entitled to a livery uniform. It\u2019s also the oldest transport organization in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guilds of this kind existed all over Europe as a way to regulate their trade. Today, they retain their rights under the title \u201cWorshipful Company of\u2026\u201d and the stewardship of the Guild of Freemen. Their mission is to \u201cbring together free men and women for the purpose of charity, benevolence, education, and social interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The licensing of vehicles was passed on to the Keeper of the Guildhall in 1838 but by 1965 the practice of \u201cstanding for hire\u201d became incompatible with street traffic, and parking regulations. It was abolished, except for cart marking. Today, the symbolic marking is branded on a wooden plaque affixed to the side of a vintage or modern vehicle that belongs to members of the Company of Carmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fanfare gets everyone\u2019s attention as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama opens the march into the Guildhall Yard. One tradition calling for another, Master Glover presents gloves to Master Carman. The first vehicle then appears in a drive-through passage to the Yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a 1938 Austin Taxi Cab, and the most recognizable symbol of London. It replaced horse-drawn carriages and was the first electrically powered vehicle, until the better-range gasoline-powered engine took over, in 1903.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Master Carman symbolically inspects the cab. Then, the Hall Keeper, in protective gloves, uses a red-hot iron to brand the letter for the year on a wooden plate\u2014X for 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 1910 Dust Car 2 Horses precedes a 1935 Albion 5T Bakery Van: Lyon\u2019s Swiss Rolls, bearing the Royal Warrant \u201cBy Appointment to his Majesty the King & H.R.R. the Prince of Wales,\u201d and a distinction granted to trades supplying goods and services to the King and\/or Queen, and to the Prince of Wales. At the time, the King was Queen Elizabeth\u2019s father, George VI, and the Prince of Wales was Edward\u2014who would abdicate as king in 1936.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vehicles follow one another in ascending parade numbers, in no particular order of make, type, or year. The program shows a 1932 Ford A Type Woody, a 2008 Volvo FM440 Tractor Unit, and then an 1890 Landau 2 Horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forty-five minutes into the ceremony, the fanfare announces the arrival of Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. In commendable British panache, Lord Mayor steps out of a car in a red cape outlined with mink, a black plumed hat, and the mayoral gold collar. It\u2019s his turn to share in the marking duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The eclectic parade continues with a c1920 Bumaree\u2019s Handcart loaded with a fake meat quarter, a 2008 Vetrix Eco Scooter, and a glossy 1920 Fowler Road Locomotive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clattering of hooves then precedes a carriage pulled by four horses. Let\u2019s imagine the scene of the first meat mass supply by land transportation: a pack of up to 60 horses and the lead horse fitted with a warning bell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ensuing dung-clearing crew parades just as well\u2014and just in time for an upcoming Rolls-Royce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The model is listed as a 1938 Wraith Staff Car. My history-fanatic husband immediately recognizes Field Marshall Montgomery\u2019s Phantom III Rolls Royce. How does he know? \u201cIt has five stars,\u201d he says, \u201cHe was the only British General with such a status.\u201d I notice the five red stars as an announcement acknowledges \u201cMonty\u2019s\u201d car\u2014and his very-elderly chauffeur as the passenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ceremony ends inside the Great Hall, where dignitaries have entertained state visitors for centuries. It\u2019s also the venue for the meetings of the City of London, and private functions such as the ensuing Cart Marking charity lunch. An invitation by a member of the Worshipful Company of Carmen is an opportunity to see the Great Hall and learn a bit of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The original Guildhall Yard was built in the 15-th century, on top of an amphitheater dating back to Roman times. It has been reconstructed after the London fires and the Second World War. Such imposing buildings reflected the importance of the ruling elite. The original word gild\u2014<\/em>meaning payment\u2014suggests it\u2019s where people paid their taxes. It also houses a library and an art gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imposing columns and arches support the ceiling. Massive chandeliers gleam on the statues of national heroes such as Sir Winston Churchill. In the crypt, stained-glass windows enliven the medieval architecture animated by the colorful shields of London\u2019s 12 principal liveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s now time for Master Carman to welcome the Queen and other royals… as if they were in attendance. \u201cScite, Cite, Certo\u201d<\/em> is the Company of Carmen\u2019s motto: \u201cSkillfully, Swiftly, Surely.\u201d And so, it remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\nWho Are the Carmen?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is Cart Marking?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let the Branding Begin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lunch at the Great Hall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n