This lunchtime I had the pleasure to join the Worshipful Company of Needlemakers for their spring luncheon at the kind invitation of Past Master Andrew Whitton.

We witnessed the signing of the Armed Forces covenant and some ale-conning by Ale Conner Christine Rigden

In London, four ale-conners, whose duty it is to examine the measures used by beer and liquor sellers to guard against fraud, are still chosen annually by the Liverymen in Common Hall assembled on Midsummer Day. Since ale and beer have become excisable commodities, the custom of appointing ale-tasters has fallen into disuse in most places.

The officers were historically chosen by the Liverymen of London to inspect the measures used in public houses. The title is now a sinecure.

In 2007, Christine, past Sheriff of London, became one of the four ale conners, the first woman appointed to the position in the City of London in the role’s 700-year history.

The role holder sits in ale in leather trousers and if they don’t stick to the seat, the ale has the right amount of sugar, i.e. not too much. Christine didn’t stick, so the ale was pronounced fit for consumption.

This role had a real part to play when ale was consumed by the population in place of contaminated water.