Fri. Dec 13th, 2024

In honour of the coronation of King Charles III this May, the Hammermen of Glasgow have been reflecting on the history between the Incorporation and the Royal family.

Back in 1988, the King became an honorary member of the Masons, Gardeners, and the Hammermen, however it was difficult to arrange a formal admission. In June 1999 the Trades Hall of Glasgow welcomed the then-Prince where he signed the Roll of Honorary Members along with the Trades Hall visitors’ guest book. This ceremony was overseen by Alistair Burrow who was Hammermen Deacon at the time, and was a great honour for the Trades House. A special Royal edition of the Trades House newsletter, The Craftsman, can be read here.

The Craftsman special edition commemorating Prince Charles’ visit to the Trades Hall in 1999.

The new King isn’t the only member of the Royal family with a connection to the Hammermen. His father, Prince Philip was a proud member of the Hammermen with a prestigious award named after him. From the 24 students who receive the Hammermen awards, 2 are then shortlisted and the best University and the best College student are awarded the well-deserved Prince Philip prize. The Duke of Edinburgh was very proud of being a member of the Hammermen, and the Incorporation often received welcome invitations to Holyrood events.

To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Prince Philip awards in 2017, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Trades House to present and congratulate the winners of the prizes personally.

Prince Philip with the Master Court in 2017.

Princess Anne is also an active member of the Hammermen after joining the craft in 2002. Joining the craft after her father and brother, the Princess became the first female member of the Incorporation and subsequently attended the Annual Dinner in the autumn of 2002. The Princess presented awards to the winning students and addressed the guests at the dinner, expressing the need for more female members of the Hammermen along with a desire for more young women to be encouraged towards a career in engineering. She also praised the Incorporation’s investment in the future of young engineers, something that the craft themselves are very proud of.

Princess Anne speaking to Deacon Colin Botfield in 2017.
Princess Anne with members of the Master Court.

The Incorporation of Hammermen have always been proud of their links to the Royal family and wish King Charles III a long and happy reign.