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Showing posts from January, 2018

The City's relationship with the Monarch and the Royal Family

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Of all the myth and lore that envelopes the Square Mile perhaps none is more persistent than the idea that the Monarch has to ask to enter the City of London and may not do so without the permission of the Lord Mayor.  While it is true to say that the City's relationship with the Crown is complex and exceptionally ancient, the myth that the Monarch is in some way subordinate to the Lord Mayor is simply nonsense. The very fact that the Lord Mayor has to be approved by the Monarch at a ceremony that takes place in the House of Lords, and later makes an oath of allegiance to the Monarch at the Royal Courts of Justice during the annual Lord Mayor's Show should put paid to this myth, yet it continues to spread. The genesis of this myth is likely to be the Ceremony of the Pearl Sword which has, from time to time, been held at the former site of Temple Bar on Fleet Street. During the ceremony the Monarch's carriage procession draws up, the City Police pull a red cord across the

The City Livery Club's Root and Branch Award

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In 2014 the City Livery Club celebrated its centenary and marked the occasion in several ways including the publication of the Club's history (One hundred not out) and by instituting an award to recognise 'exceptional service within and across the Livery'.  The City Livery Club's Root and Branch Award is unique in that it is the only pan Livery award and in just four years it has become a hallmark of excellence for Liverymen who have supported the wider aims of the Livery in a truly exceptional manner.  Because the City Livery Club unites all the Companies and promotes fellowship it is ideally placed to judge and moderate nominations for the award. Livery Companies are encouraged to nominate Liverymen who they believe are worthy of recognition by the City Livery Club and the deadline for nominations for 2019 is 17 April. How does the award benefit the Livery? The City Livery Club's Root and Branch Award has rapidly gained visibility among the Livery Com