Never Leave, Raven, Never Leave

“If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it”. Seven ravens are kept at the Tower of London all times — six of whom make up the number of ravens that (it is said) need to remain in order to protect the Crown (and one is a back-up, just in case!).

Ravens within the Tower of London go back hundreds of years. The “legend” goes back to Charles II, who was told by an ‘advisor’, that should the ravens leave the Tower the Monarchy would fall. Today, the ravens are looked after (very well too) by the designated “Ravenmaster”, who is a selected Yeoman Warder. Their wings are clipped to stop them from leaving and the ravens are well-fed on fresh fruit, cheese, meat, vitamins and biscuits soaked in blood. Each raven is identified by a coloured band around the leg and he/she has a name and is treated as an individual. They ‘live’ near the Wakefield Tower and their favourite territory is the green outside the White Tower. These ravens are known as “The Guardians of the Tower”.

The Tower of London Itself is almost one thousand years old! It was first built by William the Conqueror in the 1070’s, who wanted a mighty stone tower at the centre of his London fortress. The Tower has been used as a luxurious Palace and a prison for both the rich and poor. It took roughly twenty years to build and over the years It has been adapted and developed and expanded to defend and control the kingdom.

Henry III (1216-1272) and Edward I (1272-1307) expanded the fortress, adding defensive walls and a series of smaller towers, including enlarging the moat. The Tower became England’s strongest Castle, with one ring of defenses inside another. The Monarchs used the Tower (in times of trouble) to protect their possessions and themselves. The Crown Jewels and ceremonial regalia have been stored within the Tower of London since the 1600’s. It is called “The Jewel House” (naturally).

The Tower has also earned Its name as “The Bloodier Tower”. During the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI was murdered within Its walls, and many of us have heard of the sad story of the princes in the Tower, who were murdered on the orders of their uncle, Richard III (or so it is believed). The Tower of London was also known for the tortures that went on within Its walls. It was on the 1500’s and 1600’s that torture was used as a kind of interrigation, both physically and psychologically.

“The Mancles” was one instrument of torture that was used and the Jesuit priest John Gerard gave his account of the torture: “Then they put my wrists into iron gauntlets and ordered me to climb two or three wicker steps. My arms were then lifted up and an iron bar was passed through the rings of one gauntlet, then through the staple and rings of the second gauntlet. This done, they fastened the bar with a pin to prevent it slipping and then, removing the wicker steps, they left me hanging by my hands and arms fastened above my head”.

“The Rack” was another such torture device. It was designed to stretch the victim’s body until it eventually dislocated the limbs and ripped them from the sockets. Anne Askew was so badly tortured on The Rack that she was unable to walk and had to be carried to her execution.

“The Scavenger’s Daughter” was a third ‘popular’ instrument used for torture. It worked opposite to The Rack and compressed or contorted the victim’s body. All three such devices sound terrible to us today, but back then it was seen as a way of keeping control of the people. Thankfully, torture was no longer used in the tower of London from the mid-17th century onwards.

The Medieval kings and queens lived in ‘luxurious apartments’ at the Tower and they worshiped in the Chapel Royal. A menagerie of exotic animals was kept at the Tower until the 19th Century. These were animals no one had seen before in England: lions, leopards, an African elephant, a Polar bear, eagles, a jackal and a tiger. The Polar bear was allowed to swim and fish in the Thames! The original animals from this menagerie eventually went to London Zoo (in Regent Park), when it closed in 1835.

During the Tudor era, the Tower of London was the most important state prison in England. Elizabeth I was put in the Tower (before she became queen) by her own sister, Mary I. Lady Jane Grey was imprisoned and executed in the Tower. We all know about Guy Fawkes and why he went to the Tower. Anne Boleyn was sent to the Tower and executed on the charge of treason, and it is said that her ghost ‘stalks’ the site of her execution on Tower Green.

Today, the Tower of London is a tourist attraction, with the “Beefeaters” still dressed in their uniforms, guiding the people around the Tower with their knowledge about the place, which is second to none! They are called “Beefeaters” because, when they were Henry VII’s personal guards, they were allowed to eat as much beef as they wanted to from the King’s table — a very apt name!