The New Murrey and Blue blog

In recent days I’ve been happily trawling my way through the Calendar of Patent Rolls concerned with the reign of Richard II, and came upon the 1389 entry below.

My curiosity was pricked. What sort of horn did a horner deal with? The musical instrument? Animal horn? So I did a little investigation, and discovered that not only does the Worshipful Company of Horners still exist, but they are concerned with “the discarded horns of cattle and sheep to produce eating utensils, drinking horns, mugs,, buttons, combs, boxes, powder horns and of course, shoe horns”. They were first known in 1284.

We’ve all heard of the “big” guilds and livery companies, but I confess to not having come across the horners before. I have now.

And as a postscript. Many drinking horns have legs, but the athletic Kavanagh Charter Horn looks a real goer! I’d lay odds on it any day!