The distinctive markings on swans’ beaks that indicated their aristocratic ownership are recorded in a rare Tudor manuscript which will be auctioned on August 23 with an estimate of between £8,000 and £16,000.
It is a diary dating from 1566, containing images and notes about the “rules and regulations concerning swans“, the Guardian reports. It also lists the owners of the waterfowl starting with the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the Bishop of Ely, the Dean of York and then lists other wealthy landowners.
Notably when the white water birds with the characteristic orange beaks had no sign of ownership belonged to the monarch who “allowed only influential landowners to have them”.
So the swans had to be marked in order to record their ownership. “The markings were detailed and elaborate,” said Guy Schooling, chairman of the house, adding: “For such an old document to be saved in this condition is truly rare. It conveys to us the image of the incredibly hierarchical society of 16th century England.”.
The calendar’s laws and ordinances are difficult to decipher, but a 1570 “regulation concerning swans” recorded that “if any one defaces the mark of any swan [θα] undergo one year’s imprisonment».
According to the charity RSPB, the population of swans in the UK has increased in recent years, but they are still threatened by foxes, pollution and overhead power lines. Some birds stay in their territories all year round, while others move short distances, the charity says.
Source: News Beast
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