Guardians of the Tower Traditions

London launches 1967 with the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” topping the charts and Oxford Street’s January sales attracting trendy bargain hunters. What better way of sharing your Capital trip with friends back home – and the postman – than a postcard featuring those most iconic of London sights the Tower Yeomen Warders on parade?

Sets of Tower souvenir stereoscopic cards and glass lantern slides popular from the 1850s included their stiffly posed group shots supplying human interest among the purely architectural views.  Popularly, if incorrectly, known as Beefeaters  they proved equally marketable as black and white or full colour  postcards.

The Body of Yeoman Warders or Waiters of the Tower of London were established to guard the site and any resident royal prisoners. Exactly when is lost in the mists of time but it was probably during the 1200s. Their distinctive full-dress uniform arrived in the 1550s courtesy of an ex- inmate at this most exclusive of hotels. Edward Seymour, Ist Duke of Somerset, uncle and advisor to the teenage King Edward VI had scaled the greasy pole of Tudor politics to become Lord Protector of England by 1547, but political ambition has its downside, and 2 years later he found himself in the Tower of London.

Emerging the following year and restored to the King’s ruling council, he petitioned his nephew to reward his jailers for their good care of him. Edward obliged appointing them Extra-Ordinary Yeoman of the Guard – a title and role they still hold – entitled to wear the familiar full-dress uniform of red and gold with accompanying blued and gilt partisans. No such happy outcome for Uncle Edward.  His re-instatement was short lived and on 22 January 1552, his nephew casually recorded “The Duke of Somerset had his head cut off upon Tower Hill between eight and nine o’clock in the morning”.

The shared uniform still causes confusion between the two groups to this day, not helped by the fact that Yeomen Warders can be called on to serve as Yeomen of the Guard on State occasions. It’s all in the cross belts!

The Yeoman of the Guard are the Sovereign’s personal bodyguard and younger establishment. They were created in 1485 by Edward VI’s grandfather Henry VII to reward his loyal supporters having defeated the incumbent king, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth.

Today the Tower Yeomen Warders have a dark blue trousered undress uniform for everyday wear, complete with scarlet lapelled cape and Tudor hat. The gold embroidered skirted doublet, ruff and   scarlet merino hose, patent shoes and be-ribboned Tudor hat is reserved for state occasions such as gun firings on Tower Wharf.  Both are Victorian interpretations of the Tudor originals, courtesy of Messrs Batt & Sons, Edwards Street, nr Portman Square, London, introduced in 1858.

The new uniform came at the end of a period of re-organization of the Body under the watchful eye of the Duke of Wellington.  In charge of the Tower as Constable from 1826-52 and with the interests of his Waterloo veterans in mind, recruitment became from “deserving, gallant and meritorious” Warrant Officers with at least 22 years’ Service and a record of good conduct. Today the brief includes all branches of the Armed Services.

Developed from the Post on the Royal Armouries website.