We were delighted to be able to hold our first in-person event for fifteen months - a court lunch on 6 July at the National Liberal Club, organised within the current event rules. Table of six encouraged lively conversation, as members and their guests caught up with all the news they had been storing up! Under the watchful gaze of David Lloyd George, in this iconic building of 1887, Duncan Garland (Master 2019-20) was able to be presented with his Past Master's Badge, and Stuart Robbens (Master 2020-21) with his Deputy Master's as well as his Past Master's Badge. The Upper Warden, Philip Shears KC, welcomed our guests, and the Master Professor Anne Curry reflected on what the Fletchers had been up to in 1887 (dining at Crystal Palace) and 1921 (a summer outing on the Thames). She led the toast to two new liverymen and three new court assistants. The Master Farmer, Richard Whitlock, gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the guests, calling to mind the link between the two companies through Farmers and Fletchers Hall.

The Deputy Master, Stuart Robbens (Master, 2020-21) writes: I was most grateful to our Master, Anne, for allowing me to deputise for her at The Lord Mayor’s Service of Reflection and Hope at St Pauls on Tuesday 22^nd June.  I was pleased to take advantage of the hospitality offered by the learned Company of Apothecaries to robe at their Hall which gave me the opportunity to meet, albeit briefly, other Masters prior to making our way to St. Pauls.  I was also particularly pleased to have been able to take my place among the other Livery Masters and represent our ancient Company in the historic setting of St. Paul’s.  It was a thought provoking service and included an address from Dr Will Ricketts, Consultant Chest Physician at St Bart’s Hospital that clearly brought home the difficulties and circumstances that he and his team had coped with during the past year.  However, it brought to mind for me the strength of the Livery Movement and the many difficult and tragic times our Company will have endured during its 650 years of existence.  I am sure that we all look forward with enthusiasm to a managed COVID world.  It has all happened before and I have no doubt there will be future scares in the years to come but the longevity of our Company gives us the solid foundation for a bright and infinite future. 

For the second year running, alas, the installation of the new master and wardens had to be conducted virtually. The court assembled on Zoom on 20 April 2021 and oaths were taken in the ether, as was also the admission of a new freeman.

Its reassuring to know that even in the past, there were disruptions to procedures and dates. In May 1952 the new master discovered to his horror that he had another engagement and had to ask for the date of the installation dinner to be moved, as the minutes reveal.

Just as technology in the form of Zoom helps us now, so the court of May 1952 was moving with the times, being was the first to have its minutes typed on a typewriter. From the earliest days of the Company until that date, our records were handwritten. 

The Warrior Companies, by their very names and nature, are always up for a difficult challenge. On Friday 26 March 2021 Gunmakers, Armourers and Brasiers, Bowyers and Fletchers faced each other in an on-line quiz. The event was organised by Adrian Mundin, Gunmakers' Clerk. Gordon Sharp, of the Fletchers Company, acted as quizmaster.

The first (fun?) round focused on the questions submitted by each company about their own trade. Everyone took part individually. Scoring was low, but all agreed it was educational!

After all, there can’t be many people around who know the minimum legal barrel length for a shotgun in the UK; what use a medieval knight might make of a destrier; what the different coloured feather of the three fletcher-arrow is known as; and where the last surviving Finsbury Mark (for archery practice in London) can be found.)*

The second (serious?) round posed 25 questions about the City, with each Company in a team in a breakout room.

The Bowyers and Fletchers emerged as joint winners, tied for first place on 18 points each. Maybe both companies were lucky that one of the City questions played to their strengths.

There is a statue of a supporting female figure holding a bow and carrying a quiver of arrows outside St Pauls' Cathedral. Who is the major figure in the group? Answer: Queen Anne.

*Answers: 24"; he rode it; cock feather; the staircase of the HAC’s Armoury House.

On Tuesday 9 March 2021 the Worshipful Company of Fletchers gathered virtually to commemorate and celebrate its 650^th anniversary. The date was as close as we could make it to 7 March, the date in 1371 when representatives of the Bowyers and Fletchers appeared before the mayor and aldermen to ask for sanctions against four men who had opposed the earlier agreement (of which, also, we do not know the exact date) that the Fletchers should be separated from the Bowyers.

After a warm welcome from the Master, we were enthralled by Liveryman Hannes Kleineke’s illustrated talk which brought to life the early Fletchers and the city in which they lived, whetting our appetite for his book on our first centuries which will be sold later in the year in aid of the Fletchers Trust.

The Master Stuart Robbens led us all in raising a glass to the next 650 years, and the Learned Clerk Kate Pink demonstrated the updated website, 650 logo and all, with thanks to Liveryman Rob Slatem. The first set of the 65Ojects commemorating our history, put together by Liveryman Josie Gowler, were launched, with the rest to follow over the anniversary year.

Say Cheese! Members of the Worshipful Companies of Bowyers and Fletchers certainly did on St Patrick’s Day 2021 with a marvellous on-line cheese tasting provided by The Courtyard Dairy, the specialist cheese refiner and purveyor based near Settle in North Yorkshire.

The cheeses were definitely not virtual since six had been delivered to attendees by post, along with two half bottles of wine. Guided expertly by Richard from The Courtyard Dairy, we heard about the provenance of each cheese in turn. All of the cheeses are farmyard produced, reflecting the aims of this Cheesemonger of the Year to encourage this small-scale local industry and return to the traditions of the past. This meant we were treated to unusual cheeses from Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as an intriguing Brie-style from Suffolk.

The Master Bowyer, David Laxton, and the Master Fletcher, Stuart Robbens, welcomed us all and gave the vote of thanks, as well as encouraging friendly debate and cheesy jokes from the 40 members across both companies who were present.