Posted on January 28, 2012 - by james

Chronicles Of The Toastmaster

Foreword

The recognized ‘Toastmaster’ ought not be muddled up with ‘Toastmasters International’. Whilst we are employed as announcers and event managers at formal occasions, those who partake with the international Toastmasters club request to further their public speaking skills and we have no official relation with them.

Although the Society of London Toastmasters was founded 60 years ago, the function of the Toastmaster has evolved over various centuries.

Toasting The Gods

The taking of wine, Toasts and drinking a person’s health can be traced back to the first Greek and Roman civilisations where copious surviving mosaics hint at the raising of goblets and drinking either a friend’s or a God’s health by holding the goblets in the air.

At ancient Greek banquets the host would toast to the health of the guests to promise them that the drink they were about to drink was safe. In those days, spiking drink with poison was a widespread mode to remove a foe. Hence became a figure of friendship for the host to pour wine from a common pitcher, bottle or decanter, knock back it before his guests, and pleased that it was first-rate, hoist his wine glass to his friends to do as well.

Making Enhanced Wine

We evolve from poisoning the wine to making it better. For hundreds of years, the drinks served to guests were mead, porter, sack or very poor wine. During the Middle Ages at significant and noble houses, someone was employed to protect the cellars in the considerable manor houses and he would experiment with assorted flavourings in the wines to better their flavour. At banquets, he would have facing him a sizeable bowl of the concoction and in smaller bowls would have spices and herbs. They would have a piece of bread, hold it before a flame until it was toasted; he would then immerse that toasted bread into the spices and herbs and stir it into the bowl of wine. This person was recognized as the ‘Master of the Toast’. It was an extremely skilled specialization much respected for its talents.

The Formal Feast

The old wine-blender was the current toastmaster’s predecessor. In the significant manor houses of Spanish and Italian nobles he was called the ‘Manager’. The English interpretation of this majordomo in the 17th and 18th centuries was the ‘House Steward’ these days called the ‘Butler’. In addition to the duties of wine administration, the butler would also publicize company arriving for dinner who would then be greeted and acknowledged by the host.

The Toastmaster’s Red Tail Coat

The beginning of the unmistakable redcoat used by the Toastmaster is in the main approved as being introduced by a Toastmaster William Knightsmith in 1894. Expressing concern at being dressed in the vein of a waiter or butler, Knightsmith’s spouse recommended that he be dressed in a red coat to stand out. On the event at which Knightsmith changed his coat to a red one the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) revered it and commented favourably on it. Afterward, the ‘hunting pink’ tailcoat became the adopted form of uniform for Toastmasters (the name is derived from Mr Pink, the tailor who designed them). It is also documented that William Knightsmith was the pioneer to be recognised as a bona-fide Toastmaster setting the standards for others to copy.

Note: In the City of London the ‘hunting pink’ tailcoat is widely not used as the law declared that the hunt was not allowed to pass through the City. Toastmasters in the City from time to time wear a sash of red and white beneath their black tailcoat.

Today’s Toastmastering

In its current form it is an entirely British job, carried out by some 500 specialized Toastmasters around the United Kingdom, several of whom belong to an affiliation similar to my own, the Society of London Toastmasters. Rather comparable to regiments of an army, at the last count there were 14 such affiliations, all created since our own foundation in 1952 and each proud of its heritage and high standards. In the interests of unison, I have collated this story of the Toastmaster’s genesis from their diverse websites and affirm my recognition.