Cart Marking ceremony at Guildhall

On the bright Wednesday morning of 18th July, Livery Masters were invited to witness the ancient tradition of Cart Marking. This ceremony is now recognised as the second largest public spectacle in the City of London, exceeded only by the Lord Mayor’s Show. The marking of the various carts signified that they are licensed to operate in the City.

With the traditional coach-built carts, lorries and buses, this was fairly straightforward branding with the hot iron on the wooden frame. On the more modern vehicles, a piece of wood, suitable for branding, had to be attached. The Lord Mayor officiated and was seen wielding a handy branding iron.

The Master Glover was part of the branding entourage and he provided the essential industrial-grade gloves. Throughout the morning there was a parade of outstanding vehicles: delivery bicycles and motor-bicycles, horse drawn wagons and coaches, steam powered lorries and petrol and diesel powered vehicles, right through to 2018 registrations!