A brief commercial history of The River from 1194 to 1994 in which year the Maritime Volunteer Service inherited the duties of RNXS The Royal Navy Auxilary Service, which itself had devolved from the Royal Naval Reserve. These links are extended forward to 2008 and the present day as appropriate in this WIP 6oct2023
Until 1350, the monarch of the day 'owned' all rivers and their contents in England by Divine Right and had a particularly nice little earner in the Thames, where the Crown Estate issued fishing licenses and other levies and stealth taxes.
In 1197, Richard I, needing money to defray the expenses of various crusades, sold the trade rights of the River Thames to the City of London.
The inland limit would be defined as the highest point affected by the tides and in 1350 that was at Runnymede.
There had been a bridge across the River at Staines since Roman times and the bridge was deemed as good place as any to mark as the inland limit Corporation authority.
In 1350 the arrangement was cemented when the Corporation of London assumed total authority for trade, security and the commercial viability of The River.
Various stones have long been used to mark boundaries. The limit of London's authority was initially established between Staines (some twenty miles up-river from the Tower) and Yantlet (about thirty miles down-river).
Downstream, Yantlet Creek marked one side of the estuary while the northern bank acquired The Crow Stone thus establishing "The Yantlet Line", which has historically marked the limit of influence of the City of London on the tidal river to seaward.
MVS "City of London" unit marked its limits by London Stones but only the "maritime" part ... between Teddington and Yantlet. Yes! There is a Steine at Teddington on the Ham shore.
