At 10.45 am on Thursday, 14th June, the annual Knollys Rose
Ceremony procession will depart from All Hallows, and on reaching
the garden in Seething Lane, the Master of the Company of Watermen
and Lightermen will cut a red rose and place it on the church’s
altar cushion, which will then be carried to Mansion House for
presentation to the Lord Mayor in settlement of a fine imposed in
1381 on Lady Knollys, who dared to construct a footbridge over
Seething Lane without ‘planning permission’.
Fortunately for the Lady, her husband was a leading City
citizen and a highly respected soldier, and the payment for her
lapse, plus the granting of permission, was minimal ~ one red rose,
to be paid annually to the Lord Mayor.
All are welcome to witness the Ceremony.