London river watch

The Thames enforcement body holding stairs, bridge approaches, ferry licences, flood alarms, corpse traffic and waterside contraband.

The watch that keeps the river and its stairs; its sergeants act at quarantine stairs and holding yards.

Named with it

• Captain Odo Mere · one of the masters of the river watches

At the table

Its men assume anything wet, late or sealed is already half a lie; mocked inland until a corpse or infected boat proves them right. Captain Odo Mere's river-watch notes hold that the safest district is the one whose rumours arrive in time to be tested.