Spring Dinner - Wednesday 22 April 2026

The Master Scrivener held his Spring Dinner at Vintners' Hall on Wednesday 22 April. His principal guest was the Worshipful Morag Ellis KC, Master of the Faculties and Dean of the Arches, who, in her speech, swept us through notarial history from 1500 years ago when the Emperor Justinian legislated some of the essentials recognizable in a notarial act today, through to 1279 when the Pope granted authority to the Archbishop of Canterbury to appoint notaries and onwards to 1533 when the Ecclesiastical Licences Act introduced the role of Master of the Faculties and then headlong to modern day London as a centre of international trade built on the Rule of Law, where notaries play a fundamental part in the conduct of commerce.

Other guests of the Company were Howard Dellar and Neil Turpin from the Faculty Office; Lt-Cdr Kieran-Andres Tamayo RN from HMS Portland and representatives of our fellow Livery Companies: The Worshipful Companies of Painter-Stainers, Plaisterers, Distillers, Arbitrators, Information Technologists and the Honourable Company of Master Mariners.

A guard of honour was provided by 329 (Finsbury Squadron) ATC and immediately before dinner the Master presented a cheque from the Company charity for £500 to the Squadron CO. It will be used to purchase a side drum for use during training. The Master Scrivener also welcomed a delegation of notaries visiting from Austria and who attended the dinner as guests of Cheeswrights LLP.

During his speech the Master mentioned two charity fund-raising endeavours. He was one of the Livery Company Masters who, as part of the Lenten Livery Walks organised by Elspeth and Sheriff Robert Hughes-Penney, walked from the Old Bailey to HMP Brixton, raising £100,000 for the Sheriffs' & Recorder's Fund and he sought support for his sponsored journey by bike from Winchester to Eastbourne along the South Downs Way raising funds for the Scriveners Charity. There is still time to sponsor him for either or both activities.