The record-union., 1899-08-21
LOCKING THE TOWER.
A Ceremony to be Changed After
Six Hundred Years.

Alterations to the Tower of London!
It sounds like sacrilege at the very
least Yet it has been done. Masons
work within the grim old walls. The
alterations are to the guardhouse,. hard
by the Bloody Tower. The old main
guard served it's purpose for long
time, and in the end the authorities de-
termined to pull it down and build a
larger one in it's place.
But the alteration implies something
more serious than a Encouragement OF
bricks and mortar. 1t has led to
change in the ancient ceremony of the
keys. Time out of mind the main guard
has turned out every night beside the
Bloody Tower to salute her majesty S
keys Now that the guardhouse has
gone, the main guard has removed
to the spur guard, and the ceremony
Of the keys has gone with 1.-THE first
variation it has known for hundreds of
years
Nobody knows when the ceremony
began. It is certainly 600 years old, and
probably a great deal older. The first
reference to it in the archives is dated
1340
"In King Edward ILLS time" runs
the entry, there was one John of Lon
don, an handycraft's man and armour
er, that had the custody of the Tower,
with the wages of iiijd per diem, and
lid for a varlet to carry the keys for
him. He had the same clothes, and a
rugg gown, and a naiherr allowed him
as the rest of the yeomen had.
From the time of that forgotten John
of London there has always been a
yeoman that had the custody of the
gates" He has always had his clothes
and his ''rugg gown and his nightly
ceremony of locking the gates has not
varied or been omitted for single
night The present change of back
ground is probably the worst violence
it has ever suffered.
At few minutes before IL the Chief
Warder takes the keys and, accom-
panied by his assistant, marches to
the guardhouse. There he applies to
the Sergeant for the escort for the
keys The Sergeant acquaints the Of
ficer, and the officer, placing the guard
under arms, furnishes a Sergeant and
four men. Two of the men are un-
armed. Their duty is to assist in clos
ing the gates. and to carry the ancient
lanthorn, which has a tallow candle.
procession is formed. The yeoman
porter, carrying the keys in his hand,
Places himself in the midst of the es-
cort, and goes the round of the gates.
The sentries present arms. Everybody
must salute the Queens keys, even the
Constable himself.
On dark night, with the lanthorn
casting a dim light on the scarlet coats,
the saluting warders, and the yeoman
porter locking the gates, the sight is
quaint and impressive. One forgets that
he is in the midst of modern city,
with tram cars, and nervous com
plants, and electric lights. The mind
goes back to the days of barons and
night alarms, when fortresses meant
something and the keeping of gates
| was a matter of some Importance.
When all the gates are locked the
warder returns with his keys to the
main guard-or, at present. to the spur
guard The sentry challenges.
Halt! Who goes there?"
.The keys" replies the warder.
''Whose keys?''
Queen Victoria's keys"
rAdvance, Queen Victoria's keys, y
says the sentry, and the yeoman porter
and his escort face the guard, who are
drawn up in, line.