From 1827 – prior to that the Company was run by the Rulers). By an Act of Parliament in 1555 appointing the Rulers of all Watermen working between Gravesend and Windsor which in due course became the Company. The Rulers were appointed by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London, from Watermen of good character and reputation. By a further Act in 1827 the Company became independent and could governs its own affairs.

1827 Francis Theodore HAY
1828 John DRINKALD
1829 Anthony LYON
1830 Robert THOMPSON
1831 Joseph TURNLEY
1832 Thomas EAST
1833 Robert BANYON
1834 William EASTON
1835 William RANDALL
1836 Charles HAY
1837 Charles J. WHITE
1838 John DREW
1839 James J. THOMPSON
1840 John RAYMOND
1841 Thomas YOUNG
1842 William H. HOBBS
1843 Francis FLOWER
1844 John ADDIS
1845 John Dudin BROWN
1846 Thomas GROVES
1847 Richard ROBBINS
1848 William Wright LANDELL
1849 Samuel POCOCK
1850 Webster FLOCKTON
1851 John NEWELL
1852 Clement PEACHE
1853 George COOPER
1854 Charles LUCEY
1855 Henry GREY
1856 Joseph TURNLEY
1857 William A. JOYCE
1858 Charles H. THOMPSON
1859 William C. RAYMOND
1860 William DOWNING
1861 Thomas WHITE
1862 Thomas PILLOW
1863 Francis SALES
1864 John DOWNEY
1865 William TOMLIN
1866 Thomas PILLOW
1867 John R. BERRY
1868 William BROMLEY
1869 William WINN
1870 William WINN
1871 William S. PAGE
1872 Joseph LUCEY
1873 William T. BOND
1874 Samuel WILLIAMS
1875 John Dunkin LEE
1876 Richard CORY
1877 John GAYWOOD
1878 Thomas William ELLIOTT
1879 George WARD
1880 Richard PHILLIPPS
1881 William S. HINTON
1882 Joseph J. SMITH
1883 Thomas R. HUNTLEY
1884 Thomas F. WOOD
1885 Thomas GARDNER
1886 John P. DORMAY
1887 Robert GREY
1888 Robert GREY
1889 Robert GAMMAN
1890 John R. BERRY
1891 William BROMLEY
1892 Joseph LUCEY
1893 Benjamin JACOB/Thomas JONES
1894 Benjamin J. JACOB
1895 Frederick C. COLE
1896 Edward J. GOLDSMITH
1897 Richard BRIDGE
1898 William FLETCHER
1899 Arthur SALES
1900 Arthur SALES
1901 Arthur SALES
1902 Harry KEEP
1903 Harry KEEP
1904 Richard DEERING
1905 W. Varco WILLIAMS
1906 W. Varco WILLIAMS
1907 Sidney G. MURRAY
1908 Richard W. EAST
1909 Frederick PHILP
1910 Frederick PHILP
1911 Gilbert ALDER
1912 Thomas W. JACOBS
1913 James CLEMENTS
1914 Edward A. SPICER
1915 Gilbert ALDER
1916 Edwin W. TAYLOR
1917 James CLEMENTS
1918 Edward A. SPICER
1919 John T. STRATFORD
1920 Edward J. GOLDSMITH
1921 Leonard J. P BROWN
1922 Reginald JACOB
1923 John T. SCOULDING
1924 William PEARCE
1925 Forrester CLAYTON
1926 Harry B. HIGGS
1927 Harry Jacob CATT
1928 William P. BAILEY
1929 Robert M. BRYAN
1930 F. Ainslie WILLIAMS
1931 Frank GARDNER
1932 William L. WRIGHTSON
1933 Charles T. PERFECT
1934 William COULTON
1935 Thomas C. SCANLAN
1936 Reginald E. PHILP
1937 Reginald R. FRANCIS
1938 Reginald R. FRANCIS
1939 Leonard J. P. BROWN
1940 Harry ROGERS
1941 Charles D. ETHEREDGE
1942 Charles D. ETHEREDGE
1943 Charles T. BRAITHWAITE
1944 Charles T. BRAITHWAITE
1945 Henry L. COLLARD
1946 Henry L. COLLARD
1947 Edward J. K. GOLDSMITH
1948 Robert G. WRIGHT
1949 Walter J. B. LINES
1950 Sydney G. WHITEHAIR
1951 Richard G. ODELL
1952 Harry D. HARDEE
1953 John B. TAYLOR
1954 Geoffrey A. BROWN
1955 Frank B. LOCKET
1956 A. Lawrence WILLIAMS
1957 lan E. PHILP
1958 Jack STRATFORD
1959 Sir Ralph METCALFE
1960 Frederick A. SUDBURY
1961 Frederick A. SUDBURY
1962 Frank B. LOCKET
1963 H. Percival ROBOTTOM
1964 Sir David H. BURNETT
1965 William H. MARRIOTT
1966 A. John PAGE
1967 Alderman Sir Lionel DENNY
1968 C. P. SHELBOURNE
1969 Auriol S. GASELEE
1970 H. J. GILMAN
1971 Robert M. SARGENT
1972 David S. CLARABUT
1973 Kenneth N. WOODWARD-FISHER
1974 Geoffrey L. COLLARD
1975 Geoffrey E. GARRETT
1976 Malcolm R. FRANCIS
1977 Ryan A. CUNlS
1978 John CONSTANT
1979 T. J. Tertius METCALF
1980 S. E. Alan SPONG
1981 C. Peter BRAITHWAITE
1982 Alderman Christopher RAWSON
1983 Alderman Christopher RAWSON
1984 Alec C. CLARK-KENNEDY
1985 D. J. (Peter) PIPER
1986 Sir Geoffrey PEACOCK
1987 Robert G. CROUCH
1988 Michael J. TURK
1989 John G. ADAMS
1990 H. Graham MACK
1991 James G. P. CROWDEN
1992 Alan T. WOODS
1993 Peter D. T. ROBERTS
1994 Julian K. BADCOCK
1995 David ALLEN
1996 Captain Sir Malcolm EDGE
1997 Jeffrey C. JENKINSON MVO
1998 Christopher J. LIVETT
1999 James G. JOHNSON
2000 Lionel G. BARROW
2001 Chas G. NEWENS
2002 John S. ALLAN
2003 Robert E. LUPTON
2004 Sir Christopher BENSON
2005 Andrew H. HOWARD
2006 Brian A. WHEELER
2007 Kenneth V. DWAN
2008 Richard S. GODDARD
2009 David GORDON
2010 R. Duncan CLEGG
2011 Paul R. LUDWIG HMB
2012 John M. REDMOND
2013 Robert A. PRENTICE
2014 Jeremy D. RANDALL
2015 Richard L. SPRINGFORD
2016 John S. E. SALTER
2017 Simon J. McCARTHY
2018 Dr Iain REID
2019 Tony MAYNARD
2020 Gina BLAIR
2021 Derek MANN
2022 Alderman Sir David WOOTTON
2023 Edward L GRADOSIELSKI BEM
2024 Robert MANNING

In addition to the list of Freemen and Apprentices listed below, the Company has in its possession a Book of Remembrance. This was kindly donated by the Inland Water Transport Old Comrades Association. The book records the 1990 Presentation Ceremony of the Commemorative Window in the Freemen’s Room and lists all those Freemen and Apprentices of the Company who served in the First World War 1914-1918, as well as those who served in the Second World War 1939-1945 in the Inland Water Transport Royal Engineers and Indian Engineers, personnel of HM Services and civilians, and also other members of the Watermenʼs Company who gave their lives in the service of their country.