Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-13

an old record Of the tower in which
the keys are mentioned, and that is In
The Chronicle Of Queen Jane which
contains the following:
THE xvjth daye of July G553 the lorde
highe treasurer was going to hes howse
in London at night and about VII Of the
clocke the gates of the Tower upon
sudden was smut, and the keys caryed up
to the Queene Jane; but what was the
cause 1 knowe not"
IL does not much matter what the cause
was, but the incident clearly shows that
it was the custom at that time to take
the Tower keys to the person OF the
highest rank within the Tower.
There are also other records which
mention the upper porter of the Tower,
who carried the keys" and saw that
the gates were duly locked.
In the reign Of King Edward III. there
was zone John of London ian handy
craftsman and an armoureD, that had
the custody of the gates, porticullises,
and drawbridges of the Tower, with the
wages Of Mild. per diem, and lid. for
a varlet to carry his keys after him,
and also lid. a day during the time that
ne should be employed in securing the
/ harness in the armory and had the same
clothes and a rugg gown and halbert
I allowed him, as the rest OF the yeomen
| mad. He had to see the main gates Of
! the Tower daily opened and locked at the
/ usual hours, and TO shake the bars and
| to search the locks at the shutting in OF
! the same. and then, in his own person,
/ to bring up the keys with the rest Of the
warders who waited at the gates and de-
4 liver them to the lieutenant, and, at
| night. to receive the watchword from the
| lieutenant and deliver II to the warders
! that are to watch. BY his oath, he was
not TO depart from the Tower without
the license Of the lieutenant being first
! mad"
! This record contains no mention Of
/ the ceremony used at the closing Of the
gates.
PORTERs OF THE TOWER.
I'm the first year Of King Edward the
! ". Richard ap Price was porter OF the
! Tower Next after ap Price was one
/ Hugh Armory, the porter. In the nine
[ teenth year Of King Edward the ~,
/ Richard Edwards, a page Of the bed
chamber, was porter for year. Then
! one Lee had II. In the twenty second
year Of King Edwards reign John Ger
| vose was the porter, and he was the
first who had the words chief porter
! inserted in his patent, and he had man
] sion (SlC) In the ROVER. IN the reign VI
, Richard Ill, Thomas Redhead, a servant
of the King. was the chief porter, with
the wages OF Cd. day and a little house
! near the bulwark
Never any man Of greater rank than
a page Of the chamber or yeoman haC
the place Of chief porter Of the Tower
until the twenty-ninth year Of Queen
| Elzabeth's reign. and then one Sir VII
liam Georges ca decayed and poor knight
I obtained this yeoman's place, who, after
his blunt manner. gave the queen thanks
for II. telling her that being a gentleman
J she had made him yeoman! To whicf
the Queen answered with curious oath)
she was sorry she had done his fellows
| so much wrong! He was the first that
had Gentleman Porter in his patent in
| serted He had the wages Of Is. day
In the time of King James, 1t was or
dered that, "after the great gates O
the bywarde IS SHUT in the night tyne
people coming in and out should use
lonely the little wicket" This rule is
in force now, and those who have tC
use the little wieNtS' often wish tha
It could be made someNNcat larger.
Long may the leys bfSs Tower o.
called out as "Queen fictoria~ Keys
pray the loyal Bfushels. -