The Master is assisted by an Upper Warden, whose badge is shown above, and a Renter Warden. After the Master has served his/her year of office, the Upper Warden becomes the Master and the Renter Warden becomes the Upper Warden. This arrangement gives the Renter Warden two years to get ready to become Master – plenty of time to plan events and activities.
The origins of the roles of Master, Upper Warden and Renter Warden were in 1403, when the First Ordinances of the Company laid down that the Fletchers should elect two Wardens each year. They were given the power to survey and search into all types of arrowheads and quarrels, to seize defective ones and present them to the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London, who would have them destroyed.