In recognition of its 500 years service to the Admiralty Court, the Corporation of Trinity House has been presented with a replica of the Admiralty Oar Mace.
The presentation of the Mace took place at the Admiralty Court in the Royal Court of Justice, the Rolls Building, on Fetter Lane, London, on Wednesday 12 February and will be displayed in the Corporation’s prestigious Tower Hill headquarters in London.
Above: Captain Ian McNaught (left) receives the replica Admiralty Oar Mace from The Hon. Mr Justice Teare, The Admiralty Judge.
The Elder Brethren of Trinity House have been serving the Admiralty Court as Assessors for c.500 years. The definitive history of Trinity House, Light upon the Waters written by maritime historian and Elder Brother Captain Richard Woodman and Younger Brother Captain Andrew Adams, states:
"On 19th March 1513 Thomas Spert, Master of Trinity House, together with his Court of brethren, laid a petition before King Henry VIII expressing their misgivings about the pilotage of ships in and out of the Thames. This was instrumental in the first Royal Charter being granted on 20th May 1514. Thomas Spert, master of the "Henri Grace a Dieu" was knighted at Whitehall Palace in 1529 and it is recorded that he sat in the Admiralty Court in 1536 as an Assessor when Trinity House's right to levy charges for pilotage in the Thames was challenged. This was upheld and Sir Thomas Spert's attendance is thought to be the first recorded instance of a specialist nautical assessor assisting the judge, a duty carried out by the Elder Brethren to the present day."
“Although no official records of Elder Brethren acting as Nautical Assessors to the Admiralty Court in 1514 survive, we are confident that they did, as Thomas Spert and his Court of Brethren were extremely influential, from 1513 onward, in many maritime matters,” said Captain Ian McNaught, Deputy Master of the Corporation, “there is a recorded case in Rumney and Wood 1541 where the ‘Oar Mace’, the symbol of Maritime Law, is being carried into Court by the Admiralty Marshal, followed by the Admiralty Judge and Trinity Masters as Assessors.
"The presentation of this replica Mace to the Corporation today recognises one of the oldest and most important duties of Trinity House, and one that we still carry out today. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Admiralty Court for this very special honour.”
In this the Corporation’s 500th anniversary year, the building on Tower Hill will be open to the public on Saturday 17 May between 10.00 and 15.00, in addition to opening on the Saturday of the London Open House event.
Notes To Editors
The Corporation of Trinity House
The safety of shipping, and the well being of seafarers, have been our prime concerns ever since Trinity House was granted a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1514.
Today we have three distinct functions:
The Trinity House Lighthouse Service
We are the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Our remit is to provide Aids to Navigation to assist the safe passage of a huge variety of vessels through some of the busiest sea-lanes in the world.
Regular traffic ranges from nimble dinghies to mighty super tankers, which have stopping distances running to miles and turning circles to match. To meet our obligations we deploy an impressive array of in excess of 600 aids to navigation, ranging from lighthouses to a satellite navigation service.
Our responsibilities also include the annual inspection and auditing of over 10,000 Aids to Navigation provided by local port and harbour authorities and those provided on offshore structures such as production platforms or wind farms. Trinity House is also responsible for marking, and dispersing wrecks which are a danger to navigation.
Charitable Organisation
We are a charitable organisation dedicated to the safety, welfare and training of mariners. Click for more info.
Deep Sea Pilotage
We are a Deep Sea Pilotage Authority providing expert navigators for ships trading in Northern European waters.
Trinity House are authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport to licence Deep Sea Pilots. Although it's not compulsory to carry a Deep Sea Pilot, many ship's masters unfamiliar with Northern European waters like to employ their professional expertise to assist their bridge team.
Trinity House on Tower Hill
Trinity House is the working office of the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England and Wales with responsibility for nearly 600 Aids to Navigation from traditional aids such as lighthouses, buoys and beacons to the latest satellite navigation technology. In addition, it inspects over 10,000 local Aids to Navigation provided by port and harbour authorities and those positioned on offshore structures. The venue at Tower Hill pays a rent to the Corporation for its use which ensures, as in all other aspects of the two organisations’ finances, that the accounts of the Corporation and the General Lighthouse Authority are entirely separate and without crossover.
Light Upon the Waters
The Corporation of Trinity House will celebrate in May, 2014, the 500th anniversary of the granting by a young King Henry VIII of a Royal Charter to a fraternity of mariners called the Guild of the Holy Trinity “so that they might regulate the pilotage of ships in the King’s streams.” To mark this milestone event in British maritime history, a magnificent hardback volume Light Upon the Waters encompassing the definitive history of Trinity House has been issued and is now available. The book comprises over 320 pages of 350 colour and mono images and illustrations – some of which are published for the first time. The book is authored by Capt. Andrew Adams (a Younger Brother of Trinity House) and Capt Richard Woodman, (an Elder Brother) – the latter with over 50 other published works to his name. Light Upon the Waters features a Preface by HRH The Princess Royal, current Master of Trinity House, and a Foreword by HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Past Master of The House.
The book is available for purchase from Trinity House at the retail price of £29.95 (plus £4.25 for packaging and postage within the UK). Interested book reviewers can peruse a synopsis of the book by following the link: http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/horizon/book-2013/ .
Please visit the Trinity House website for more details or to purchase a copy online, click on the link below:
http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/commercial/gift_shop/books_patricia_voyages/index.html
The Admiralty Oar Mace
The Admiralty mace is derived from maces used in battle in England from the twelfth century. The oar mace of the English Admiralty Court was first mentioned in a letter describing Court proceedings in 1459. The first representation of the mace can be found on the tomb of Doctor Lewis, an Admiralty Judge in the sixteenth century.
The law of admiralty, known today as maritime law, is a system of rules and principles derived from long-standing seafaring customs, medieval maritime codes, and international treaties. While some aspects of admiralty law may have originated as early as 900 B.C., it was first formally adjudicated in England and Wales around 1360, by the High Court of Admiralty located in London and by Vice Admiralty Courts located at various port cities. Cases in these British admiralty courts were decided solely by a judge, as individuals had no right to a jury trial. This still applies.