500-year-old River Medway tradition revived after covid

KentOnline / KMTV

The Admiral of the River Medway is a position steeped in our country's history, but not many know of the ceremony that sees them cross the waters to mark where their jurisdiction starts and ends.

Transcript

00:00500 years of tradition were broken in 2020, thanks to the pandemic.

00:04Since the reign of King Henry VIII, the Admiral of the River Medway, also the Mayor of Medway,

00:08has held court over the fisheries of Rochester.

00:11Behind me in the distance, you might be able to make out just a couple of ships down the River Medway.

00:16That is the Admiral's Convoy, and we're a part of it.

00:19Now what we're doing is, we're travelling from Rochester all the way down to Sheerness.

00:23It's a tradition that goes back 500 years,

00:27and we're currently beating the bounds, marking the jurisdiction of the Admiral of the River.

00:32The beating of the bounds sees the Admiral travel from the Hawkwood Stone downriver to Sheerness,

00:37and this year Rochester Cruising Club, who have hosted the ceremony since the 1960s,

00:41have restored the tradition.

00:42It's an excellent day. It's the first proper cruise that we've had for probably three or four years.

00:50The whole thing is to celebrate the beating of the bounds with the Rochester Oyster Fishery.

00:55They've been around since 1788,

00:57and they've held the Fisherman's Court virtually unbroken for that length of time.

01:03The only time that it's actually been interrupted was because of Covid.

01:08So this is the first time that we've actually been out again all together,

01:11and it looks as though we've got everything together.

01:13The weather, absolutely typical of what we expect in July.

01:18The newest Mayor of Medway, Marion Nesterov, held the Admiralty Court this weekend

01:23before setting off with his fleet following behind at a speed of six knots,

01:26while nearby ports and clubs blew cannon fire to honour the procession.

01:31Yes, it was an absolute honour to preside over the Admiralty Court yesterday.

01:36It's a tradition, like you said, that dates 500 years,

01:39and it was sadly discontinued during Covid.

01:43This year is the first year that we held it again,

01:46and I was so happy that we have the Admiralty Court again.

01:51Along the way, the procession lowered their ensign, the naval flags on their ships,

01:55in honour of the HMS Bulwark,

01:57a London-class battleship that was ripped apart by an explosion

02:00in the morning of the 26th of November, 1914,

02:03while moored in the River Medway's estuary.

02:06To honour the 700-odd men who died in the Bulwark,

02:09the Sea Cadets saluted the ships as they passed,

02:12reeds were dropped, and cannon fire rang out from the Admiral's ship.

02:16The day ended with the sunset ceremony,

02:18where the Mayor returns to the Rochester Clubhouse,

02:20and the Commodore of the Club officially ends the ceremony and the day's cruising,

02:24and, finally, makes Mayor Nesterov an official member of the Club.

02:28Finn McDermid for KMTV.

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