Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London
Badge of the Yeomen Warders
Active	1485-
Country	England
Role	Palace and Fortress Guard
Garrison/HQ	London
Commanders
Colonel in Chief	HM The Queen
Insignia
Collar Badge	Rose, Thistle and Shamrock

A Beefeater in everyday undress uniform

Yeoman Warder

The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In principle they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right, a point the Yeoman Warders acknowledge. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... // Events August 5-7 - First outbreak of sweating sickness in England begins August 22 - Battle of Bosworth Field is fought between the armies of King Richard III of England and rival claimant to the throne of England Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Beefeater at the Tower Of London, taken by Adrian Barnett with digital camera. ... Beefeater at the Tower Of London, taken by Adrian Barnett with digital camera. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (961x1336, 459 KB) Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London, London, England. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (961x1336, 459 KB) Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London, London, England. ... For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ... Coronation Chair and Regalia of England The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at various other state functions. ...

The Yeomen Warders are often incorrectly referred to as Yeomen of the Guard, which is actually a distinct corps of Royal Bodyguards. W. S. Gilbert shared this confusion by naming his operetta The Yeomen of the Guard when it appears to be about Yeomen Warders. Yeomen of the Guard in the procession to the annual service of the Order of the Garter at Windsor Castle Yeomen of the Guard during QEI reign For the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, see The Yeomen of the Guard The Queens Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard... Sir William Schwenck Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (November 18, 1836 – May 29, 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist and illustrator best known for the fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. ... The Yeomen of the Guard, or The Merryman and his Maid, is the eleventh of Gilbert and Sullivans operettas. ...

Etymology

The name Beefeater is of uncertain origin, with various proposed derivations. The most likely is considered to be the Wardens' payment in rations that included beef, as well as mutton and veal, and various historical commentators have noted a preference for beef among the Wardens and the Yeomen of the Guard.^[1] Count Cosimo, grand duke of Tuscany, visited the Tower in 1669 and commented "A very large ration of beef is given to them daily at court...that they might be called Beef-eaters".^[2] It has been suggested that beefeaters were privileged with a ration of beef from the King's table.^[3] For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ... Mutton may refer to either: The meat of a sheep In parts of Asia, the meat of a goat Category: ... Veal is the meat of young calves (usually male) appreciated for its delicate taste and tender texture. ... Cosimo III de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 to 1723. ... // Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ...

Some etymologists have noted its similarity to hláf-æta, the Old English term for a menial servant, lit. "loaf-eater," the counterpart of hlaford "loaf-warden" and hlæfdige, which became "lord" and "lady" respectively.^[4] Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... A Lord Clan (Laird in some Scottish contexts) is a male who has power and authority. ...

Conjectures that derive the name from French buffetier (waiter) are, according to the OED, historically baseless.^[2] OED stands for Oxford English Dictionary Office of Enrollment & Discipline This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Composition and duties

Yeoman Warders began guarding the Tower in 1485; today there are 35 Yeomen Warders and one Chief Warder. All warders are retired from the British Armed Forces and must be former senior non-commissioned officers with at least 22 years of service. They must also hold the Long service and Good conduct medals. NCOs from the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are eligible to apply, but members of the Royal Navy are not, because while members of the other services take oaths to the Crown, members of the Navy take an oath to the Admiralty. A noncommissioned officer (sometimes non-commissioned officer), also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...

The Yeomen Warders normally wear an 'undress' uniform of dark blue with red trimmings. When the sovereign visits the tower, or the warders are on duty at a state occasion, they wear red and gold uniforms very similar to those of the Yeoman of the Guard.

The Yeoman Warders and their families live in accommodation inside the fortress paying council taxes and a portion of their salaries for rent. They must own a home outside of the fortress to go to when they retire though. Some of the accommodations date back to the 13th century. The community of the Tower of London is made up of these Yeoman Warders and their families, the Resident Governor and officers, a Chaplain and a Doctor.

Yeoman Warders participate in the Ceremony of the Keys each night. London The Ceremony of the Keys is an ancient ceremony that takes place every night at the Tower of London. ...

On 3 September 2007 a service woman, Moira Cameron, became the first female Yeoman Warder in the history of the institution. Miss Cameron joined the Army at age 16. Aged 42 and Warrant Officer Class 2, she became eligible not long before her appointment. Previously, she served as chief clerk with the Adjutant General's Corps. ^[5] is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Moira Cameron is a Yeoman Warder, also known as a Beefeater, at the Tower of London. ... The Adjutant Generals Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services. ...

Ravenmaster

The Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster (also known as the Ravenmaster for short) is one of the Yeomen Warders who has the responsibility to maintain the welfare of the Ravens at the Tower of London. The Ravens are fed on raw meat or beef which is bought at Smithfield Meat Market personally by the Ravenmaster. For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ... Binomial name Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 Common Raven range Subspecies The Common Raven (Corvus corax), also known as the Northern Raven, is a large all-black passerine bird in the crow family, with iridescent feathers. ... Smithfield meat market from the south Smithfield is an area in the north-west part of the City of London (which is itself the historic core of a much larger London). ...

Legend maintains that should these Ravens ever leave the tower, the tower and the monarchy will crumble. The source of this legend and the origins of the Ravens themselves are unknown, however the earliest documented reference to them is in 1895. Historic Royal Palaces, the organization that runs the tower, now accepts that the custom and legend probably started in Victorian times. However, it is thought that Ravens have been living in the Tower of London since at least the time of King Charles II. In order to prevent the ravens from flying away, their wings are clipped slightly, and unevenly, so that they cannot fly in a straight line for any appreciable distance. Historic Royal Palaces is a public body created in 1989 to manage the UKs unoccupied royal palaces. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ...

The warders comment that the "real beefeaters" at the Tower of London are the Ravens, which receive a daily ration of beef.

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

1. ^ Royal Insight: Mailbox. British Royal Family (March 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
2. ^ ^{a b} (1911) "Yeomen of the Guard", Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. Encyclopedia Britannica Co.. 
3. ^ Welcome the Yeowoman Warder. The Globe and Mail (September 3, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
4. ^ Ernest Weekley (1971). More Words Ancient and Modern. Ayer Publishing. ISBN 0836959175. 
5. ^ Caroline Davies, Woman to join Beefeater corps at Tower at Telegraph.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony The British Royal Family is shared between the Commonwealth Realms; this article focuses on the perspective of United Kingdom. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Globe and Mail is a large English language national newspaper based in Toronto, Canada, and printed in seven cities across Canada. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• "The Monarchy Today" Article in the official website of the British Monarchy
• "The Ravenmaster" BBC News article