Admiralty Badges
This badge was worn by the coxswain of the admiralty river barge in the mid-1700s. It was made around 1736 by William Luker.
The Thames was the city's lifeblood, with most of the industry being on or near its banks. With only one bridge, small boats and ferries were the only way to cross. At the time the Admiralty had authority over the river and all its comings and goings, and so barges were used. These barges were ornate small boats showing the status of their office, in an era of manpower these boats like most other river boats were man-powered with oars.
While the rowing boats of the day have been replaced by powered water taxis and the tube, The river now has more than 30 bridges crossing it.
But back in the 18th Century, the Admiralty River barge was an impressive sight, and its Coxswain or Pilot wore the above badge. The Admiralty chose to dress the crew in impressive bright uniforms to make them distinctive.
This image shows the uniform worn by the presiding officer of the Doggetts Coat and Badge rowing race held by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen.
We can see that these badges were not to the scale we might imagine today, but much larger so they could be clearly seen by all.
Today we still have a glimpse of this finery in that modern-day ceremonial waterman of the Gloriana, the Queens Royal Barge.
