FRIDAY FUNDAY: THE TOWER OF LONDON.
WARNING:
THE
BANDERSNATCH BLOG CONTAINS INFORMATION AND OPINIONS THAT THE PUBLIC
MIGHT FIND OFFENSIVE. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL INFORMATION WILL BE
CHECKED AND OPINIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF THE MAIN BLOGGER
HERSELF.
Hey there
Earthlings, Alternatives and Trollers. Put down that mouse and lend
an ear. Welcome to The Bandersnatch blog where we talk weird, wacky
and wondrous. I'm Mama Ogre and I have no idea what I'm doing.
Random
blog day boo yah. As you should know Fridays is random blog day were
we talk anything and everything and pretty much run with it. Today's
blog is on The Tower Of London.
Her Majesty's Royal
Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, commonly and simply known
as the Tower of London is a historic castle fortress located on the
River Thames North Bank. It was founded at the end of 1066 by William
the Conquer (William the 1st)at the end of the Norman
conquest of England, the white tower is prominently tied to William
as it was built in 1078 as a sign of oppression. Kings Richard the
1st, Henry the 3rd and Edward the 1st
made changes during the 12th and 13th centuries
despite there being royal activity later on at the site. The general
layout of the castle is a complex set of several buildings within two
concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat, thanks to this design
the tower of London also served as a prison as well as a royal
palace, keeping many a prisoner there such as Elizabeth the 1st
(several years before her reign), Sir Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth
Throckmorton, the Princes in the tower and the Krey twins (1952) to
name but a few people.
The Tower of London
has played a prominent role in English history, being besieged
several times since controlling the tower tends to offer control over
the country. The tower has not only been a royal residence but from
the time of the Tudors its served as an armoury, a treasury, a
menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office and the
official home of the English Crown Jewels. From the 14th
century until King Charles the 2nd's reign, the would be monarch
would take a procession from the tower towards Westminster palace for
their coronation. Whilst the Royal family own the Tower of London,
the tower is under ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower
and is operated by the resident Governor and keeper of the jewel
house. The Tower of London is a popular tourist attraction and is
operated by Historic Royal Palaces and protected as a world heritage
site.
The Yeomen warders of
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, and
Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of The Yeomen Guard
Extraordinary commonly known as the Beefeaters operate at the Tower
of London, usually as ceremonial guards but also as guides for the
guided tours around the Tower. The Yeoman warders were formed in 1485
by King Henry Tudor the seventh of his name as such the Tudor rose is
part of their Badge today. In 1509 when King Henry the 8th
moved his official residence form the tower of London, the tower
retained formal status as a royal palace and a party of twelve yeomen
of the guard were left as a token garrison. As such the name of this
group was changed to that of Tower Warders to more accurately reflect
their job roles.
As of 2018 there are
37 yeomen warders and on chief warder. At one time they were
predominantly guards but now hold a more ceremonial role. All yeomen
are retired members of the armed services with at least a 22 year
record and a ranking of 1 or 2 (or equivalent rank in other services)
and must be appointed to the guard. Until 2009 Sailors were
#ineligible to join the yeoman ranks due to their oath of allegiance
mainly given to the admiralty rather than the monarchy, queen
Elizabeth the 2nd consented to a petition from the
Governor of the Tower to allow Royal navy senior ratings to serve. On
July 1st 2007 Moira Cameron became the first female Yeoman
warder in the history of the institution. Cameron had joined the army
in the 1980s and was a warrant officer class 2, she became eligible
not long before her appointment. The yeoman warders usually wear an
'undress' uniform of dark blue with red trimmings, when the sovereign
comes to visit they are on duty at a state occasion and must wear the
red and gold uniforms similar to the Yeomen of the Guard.
Its not known how long
ravens have been living at the Tower of London but they were in
residence by the time of King Charles the 2nd. Legend has
it that should the ravens ever leave the tower the white tower will
fall and disaster will befall the kingdom. The current yeoman
Ravenmaster (as of 01/11/2019 the posting of this blog) is retired
Staff Sargent Christopher Skaife who took over form Derrick Coyle in
2011, Skaife has written a Memoir of the experiences in his role
called 'The Ravemaster: My Life with the ravens at the Tower of
London'.
There are several
reportings of ghosts in the tower of London. Like Anne Boleyn second
wife to king Henry the 8th supposedly haunts both the
white tower where she walks around carrying her head under her arm
and In the church of St Peter and Vincula in the tower where she is
buried. Other ghosts include King Henry the 6th, Lady Jane
Grey the 9 days queen, Margaret Pole and the Princes in the tower.
One sentry claimed to see an apparition of a bear and died of fright
a few days later. Other nameless and formless terrors have been seen
and reported , most recently by the night staff at the Tower.
I have been to the
Tower of London several times over the years, both in groups and by
myself. The buildings are both beautiful and awe inspiring, the
history that happened behind these walls adds to the other worldly
feeling you can get looking up at all the different windows and
places you can see both inside and out.
THE
WEBSITE BIBLIOGRAPHY:
And there
you have it, we'll be leaving this here for today. Please be
considerate when you leave a comment. Share with others if you want
or not. Tuesday is book blog day and remember all abuse will be
tracked and reported to the appropriate people.
THIS IS
THE BANDERSNATCH, I'M MAMA OGRE AND REMEMBER STAY WEIRD, STAY WACKY,
STAY WONDEROUS AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON...
Comments
Post a Comment