Constable of the Tower

General Richard Dannatt, dressed in full ceremonial uniform of HM's Constable of the Tower (2010)

The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a unique importance as the person in charge of the principal fortress defending the capital city of England.

Today the role of Constable is a ceremonial one and mainly involves taking part in traditional ceremonies within the Tower as well as being part of the community that lives within its perimeter. The Constable is also a trustee of Historic Royal Palaces and of the Royal Armouries.

Under the King's Regulations for the Army, the office of Constable is conferred upon a field marshal or a retired general officer for a five-year term.[1] The Constable appointed in 2022 is General Sir Gordon Messenger.[2] The Constable's ceremonial deputy is the Lieutenant of the Tower of London, currently Lieutenant General Sir George Norton; this office is generally entrusted to a general officer of lower rank than the Constable.

At the conclusion of the Constable's installation ceremony, the Lord Chamberlain symbolically hands over the King's House to the Constable. He in turn entrusts it to the Resident Governor, who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Tower of London.

History

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The office of Constable of the Tower is one of the oldest in England, dating back to within a few years of the Norman Conquest, and has always been one of great honour and dignity. In the past, this appointment has been held by eminent prelates of the Church, prominent politicians and distinguished soldiers. The first Constable, Geoffrey de Mandeville was appointed by William the Conqueror (AD 1066–87) in the 11th century. Formerly, in the absence of the Sovereign, the Constable would have been among the most powerful men in London. Today the Constable retains the right of direct access to the Sovereign. Since 1784 the Constable has always been a senior military officer.

During the medieval period the Constable ran the Tower, which included building maintenance, soldiers' pay and, as the Royal menagerie was housed in the Tower, supervision of the 'Keeper of the King's Animals'. He was also ultimately responsible for the prisoners kept there. The first known prisoner was the Norman bishop Ranulf Flambard in 1100, and the London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray were the last official prisoners, for a few days in 1952, for refusing to do their National Service. They were sent to the Tower as it was the barracks of the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) to which they had been assigned.

The Constable's responsibility for prisoners was made clear in the words with which he was entrusted with them: "You are to guard them securely in the prison of our said tower in such a way that you shall answer for them body for body ... Fail in no part of this on pain of forfeiture of life and limb and all property you hold in our realms."

Until the expulsion of the Jews in 1290, the Constable was responsible for the regulation and protection of London's Jewry.

The Lieutenant of the Tower was the Constable's deputy, and de facto head once the Constable became a ceremonial sinecure. The Lieutenant in turn became a ceremonial post, with real function delegated to a Deputy-Lieutenant and a Major;[3] the latter post evolved into the current Resident Governor.

The five-year term of office was introduced in 1932. For two centuries prior it was typically held for life, although some holders resigned.

Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets

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Not to be confused with Lieutenant of the Tower of London.

The Constable also held the office of Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets, which existed from the Restoration until 1889, and had authority with the Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone. In the 17th century, Ossulstone, the urbanising part of Middlesex which bordered the City of London, was split into four divisions, of which the Tower division lay east of the city,[4] compassing all the modern London Borough of Tower Hamlets and most of that of Hackney. The division was also called Tower Hamlets, after the hamlets (later to become parishes) of the ancient parish of Stepney. Each Ossulstone division had status equivalent to that of a hundred, while Tower division had some extra powers normally reserved for a county, in particular its own Lord Lieutenant. This enabled the Constable, as Lord Lieutenant, to raise local militia forces to supplement the Tower garrison at times of increased tension, or for use in the field. A 1662 act of Parliament restricting the power of levying militia to [lord-]lieutenants had a saver for the Constable:[5]

whereas the Militia of the Tower Division in the County of Middlesex comonly knowne by the name of the Tower Hamletts are and alwaies have beene under the co[m]mand of His Majesties Constable or Leiutenant of the Tower for the Service and Preservation of that His Royall Fort [...] it shall and may be lawfull for His Majesties Constable or Leiutenant of the Tower for the time being to continue to levy the Trained Bands of the said Division or Hamlets of the Tower in such manner and form as to the number and quality of persons as was observed in forming the present Forces thereof Any thing in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding

The offices of Constable and Lord Lieutenant were awarded by separate letters patent, usually simultaneously. Exceptionally, in 1715, Hatton Compton was made Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets and Lieutenant of the Tower,[6] whereas Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, made Constable in 1715, did not replace Compton as Lord Lieutenant until 1717.[7] The Constable of the Tower is not to be confused with the "High Constable of the Tower Division": the High Constable of a hundred or division had charge of the parish constables of its constituent parishes.[8][4] A Lord Lieutenant could commission deputy lieutenants. The Deputy Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets (listed below) are not to be confused with the above mentioned Deputy-Lieutenant of the Tower. The County of London created in 1889 included the area of Tower Hamlets, and the new Lord Lieutenant of the County of London took over the Tower Hamlets lieutenancy's functions.[9]

Constable's dues

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The 2024 Constable's Dues Ceremony at the Tower of London.

In the Middle Ages it was a profitable position; among the Constable's entitlements were:

  • any horses, oxen, pigs or sheep that fell off London Bridge
  • any cart that fell into the Tower moat
  • all herbage growing on Tower Hill
  • 6/8d (six shillings and eight pence) annually from each boat fishing between the Tower and the sea
  • 1s (1 shilling) a year from all ships carrying herring to London
  • 2d (2 pence) from each pilgrim who came to London, by sea, to worship at the shrine of St James
  • all swans swimming under London Bridge.

Every ship that came upstream to London had to moor at Tower Wharf to give a portion of its cargo to the Constable, as payment for the protection afforded by the Tower's cannon. These dues included oysters, mussels, cockles, rushes, and wine. The tradition is still maintained today by the Royal Navy, at the annual Ceremony of the Constable's Dues, when one large vessel presents the Constable with a barrel of rum.[10]

Since 1784 the tradition has been for the Constable to be a senior military officer, usually a general officer. Perhaps the most famous Constable was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who served from 1825 to 1852. During his tenure, the royal menagerie and record office were removed and many buildings were restored to their medieval state. The moat was drained and converted into a parade ground. Yeomen Warders were no longer permitted to buy and sell their places but were to be drawn only from sergeants in the Army. To Wellington's displeasure, tourism at the Tower increased during his Constableship.

Each Constable is now appointed for five years. The new Constable is handed the keys as a symbol of office. On state occasions the Constable has custody of the crown and other royal jewels.

List

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Constables of the Tower (1068–date) and Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets (1660–1890)
Portrait Name From To Note
Constable of the Tower
Geoffrey de Mandeville 1068 (?) First Constable, appointed by William the Conqueror[11][12]
William de Mandeville 1100 1116 (?) Son of Geoffrey I de Mandeville, held Ranulf Flambard
Othuer fitz Count 1116? 1120 Son of Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester.
Hasculf de Tany 1120 1140?
Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex 1140 1144 (d.) Son of William de Mandeville
no record of Constables during reign of Stephen, 1144–1153[12]
Richard de Lucie 1153 1179 (d.) also Chief Justiciar
Garnier de Isenei
William Longchamp 1189 Bishop of Ely, Chancellor and Regent
William Puintellus 1189 Sub-Constable
Walter of Coutances 1191 Bishop of Rouen
Roger Fitz Renfred 1194 brother of Walter of Coutances
Geoffrey Fitz Peter 1198 Chief Justiciar; created Earl of Essex, 1199
Roger de la Dune 1205
Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville October 1213 Son of Geoffrey FitzPeter
William de Cornhill November 1213 Archdeacon of Huntingdon
Eustace de Greinville 1214
Stephen Langton June 1215 Archbishop of Canterbury
Tower occupied by Prince Louis of France June 1216
Walter de Verdun 1217
Stephen de Segrave 1220 Chief Justiciar
Hugh de Wyndlesore 1224
John de Boville and Thomas de Blumvill or Blundeville (probably together) 1225 Blundeville was Bishop of Norwich, 1226
Henry Fitz Aucher 1227
Ralph de Gatel 1230
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent July 1232
Ralph de Ralegh 1232 Sub-Constable
William de St. Edmund 1233
Hugh Giffard 1234 Lord of Boyton, Wiltshire,[13] father of Walter Giffard and Godfrey Giffard
Geoffrey de Crancumb March 1235
Hugh Giffard (again) April 1236
Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York and Bertram de Criol (jointly) 1240 Midsummer 1242 de Criol Constable of Dover Castle 1242–1256
Peter de Vallibus 1244
John de Plessis June 1244
Peter le Blund 1246
Aymon Thorimbergh September 1256
Imbert Pugeys 1257
Hugh Bigod 1258 Chief Justiciar
Richard de Culwurth 1261
Sir John Maunsell or Maunsel May 1261
Richard de Tilbury 1261
Hugh le Despencer 1262 Chief Justiciar, killed at Evesham, 4 August 1265
Roger de Leyburn 1265
Hugh Fitz Otho October 1265
John Walerand and John de la Lynde (jointly) November 1265
Alan la Zouche 1265
Thomas de Ippegrave April 1268
Stephen de Eddeville July 1268
Hugh Fitz Otho (again) 1269
Walter Giffard 1272 Archbishop of York
John de Burgh December 1273
Philip Basset 1274
Anthony de Bec 1275 Bishop of Durham
Richard de Waldegrave June 1280 Sub-Constable
Ralph de Dacre 1283
Ralph de Sandwich September 1285
Ralph Berners February 1289
Ralph de Sandwich (again) July 1289
John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell March 1308
Roger de Swynnerton 1321
Stephen Segrave, 3rd Baron Segrave February 1323
Walter de Stapledon 1323 Bishop of Exeter
John de Weston November 1323
John de Gisors and Richard de Betoigne (jointly) November 1326
Thomas Wake, 2nd Baron Wake of Liddell December 1326
John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (again) March 1327
William, Baron la Zouche, of Mortimer June 1328
John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (again) 1329
Nicholas de la Beche October 1335
William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury 1335 1344
Robert de Dalton 1341
John Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Knayth March 1346 1347 (d.)
John, Baron Darcy (son) June 1347
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh 1355 August 1355 (d.)
Robert de Morley, 2nd Baron Morley 1355
John de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp de Warwick
Richard de la Vache 1361
Sir Alan Buxhull 1366 Knight of the Garter and chamberlain of the Royal household. Broke Westminster Abbey's sanctuary 1378
Sir Thomas Murrieux December 1381
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent May 1387
Sir Thomas Morreux (? son of above) July 1391 probably Deputy
Edward (Plantagenet) January 1392 September 1397 Earl of Rutland
Ralph de Neville, 4th Baron Neville September 1397 October 1397 1st Earl of Westmorland from 29 September 1397
Edward Plantagenet (again) October 1397 August 1399 Duke of Albemarle and Earl of Rutland
Sir Thomas Rempston October 1399 Drowned at London Bridge, 31 October 1406
Edward (Plantagenet) (again)[14] November 1406 1413 now Duke of York, slain at Agincourt, 1415
John Dabrichecourt 1413 1413 Son of Sanchet D'Abrichecourt
Robert de Morley 1413 1415
William Bourchier November 1415 Earl of Eu, 1419, d. 1420
Roger Aston July 1420 August 1420
John Holland, Earl of Huntingdon August 1420 Duke of Exeter[15]
James Fienes, Lord Say 1447 July 1450 Murdered by Jack Cade's mob, 4 July 1450
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter June 1451
William Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier September 1460
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester December 1461 October 1470 Executed by Lancastrians, 18 October 1470
John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley 1470
Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset April 1483 In office before accession of Edward V in 1483
Sir Robert Brackenbury July 1483 Killed at Bosworth Field, 22 August 1485
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford September 1485 1513
Sir Thomas Lovell March 1513 1524
Sir William Kingston May 1524 1540
Sir John Gage October 1540 1553
Edward Clinton, 9th Baron Clinton July 1553 August 1553 1st Earl of Lincoln from 1572
|Sir John Gage (again) August 1553 1556
Sir Edward Braye 1556 1557
Sir Robert Oxenbridge January 1557 1558
Peter Carew 1572 1572
Sir Richard Berkeley of Stoke Gifford 1595
Sir William Wade (Lieutenant)[16] 1605 1611
Sir Gervase Helwys (Lieutenant) 1611 1615
Sir George More (Lieutenant) 1615 1617
Sir Allen Apsley (Lieutenant) 1617 1630
Sir Thomas Lunsford (Lieutenant) 1641 1641 Served for a few days, per Clarendon
Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington 1640 William Balfour was his Lieutenant
Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport 1641
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron (Lieutenant) 1641 1642
Sir Thomas Fairfax August 1647[16] 1650 Robert Tichborne was his Lieutenant.
Constable of the Tower and Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets
Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet 3 October 1660 1675
James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton 30 July 1675 1679
William Alington, 3rd Baron Alington 8 June 1679 1 February 1685
George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth 29 June 1685 1688
Robert Lucas, 3rd Baron Lucas of Shenfield 1688 June 1702 Lord Lieutenant from 8 April 1689
Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl of Abingdon 29 June 1702 1705
Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex 23 May 1706 1710
Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers 5 February 1710 18 August 1712
George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton 10 May 1712
Hatton Compton 29 July 1715[6] 1717 Lord Lieutenant only; Lieutenant of the Tower 1715–1740 but never Constable.[6]
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle
  • 26 October 1715 (Constable)[7]
  • 12 July 1717 (Lord Lieutenant)[7]
 29 December 1722[7]
Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln 30 January 1723 1725
Charles Paulet, 3rd Duke of Bolton 19 June 1725 1726
Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale 24 November 1726 1731
John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester 15 October 1731 27 September 1737
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl Cornwallis 30 May 1740 23 June 1762
John Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley of Stratton 26 July 1762 1770
Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Earl Cornwallis 1770 1784 Lord Lieutenant from 4 January 1771
Lord George Lennox 12 March 1784 1784
Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Earl Cornwallis 26 November 1784 5 October 1805 1st Marquess Cornwallis from 1792
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings 24 February 1806 28 November 1826
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 29 January 1827 14 September 1852 Lord Lieutenant from 1826
Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere 20 October 1852 21 February 1865
Sir John Burgoyne, Baronet 12 April 1865 7 October 1871
Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet 20 November 1871 6 October 1872
Sir William Maynard Gomm 8 November 1872 15 March 1875
Sir Charles Yorke 9 April 1875 20 November 1880 Died in office[17]
Sir William Fenwick Williams 9 May 1881[17] 1881 Resigned[18]
Sir Richard James Dacres 2 July 1881[18] 6 December 1886 Died in office[19]
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala 6 January 1887[19] 14 January 1890 Died in office as Constable;[20] the Lord Lieutenancy of the Tower Hamlets had been abolished they previous year.
Constable of the Tower
Sir Daniel Lysons 24 March 1890[20] 29 January 1898 Died in office.[21]
Sir Frederick Stephenson 21 March 1898[21] 10 March 1911 Died in office[22]
Sir Henry Evelyn Wood 11 May 1911[22] 2 December 1919 Died in office[23]
Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen 23 June 1920[23] 30 October 1932 Died in office[24]
George Milne, 1st Baron Milne 19 February 1933[24] 18 February 1938[25]
Sir Claud Jacob 19 February 1938[25] 18 March 1943[26]
Sir Philip Chetwode, 7th Baronet 19 March 1943[26] 18 March 1948[27] 1st Baron Chetwode from 1945.
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell 19 March 1948[27] 24 May 1950 Died in office.[28]
Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke 1 August 1950[28] 31 July 1955[29]
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson 1 August 1955[29] 31 July 1960[30]
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis 1 August 1960[30] 31 July 1965[31]
Sir Gerald Templer 1 August 1965[31] 31 July 1970[32]
Sir Richard Hull 1 August 1970[32] 31 July 1975[33]
Sir Geoffrey Baker 1 August 1975[33] 8 May 1980 Died in office.[34]
Sir Peter Hunt 1 August 1980[34] 31 July 1985
Sir Roland Gibbs 1 August 1985[35] 31 July 1990
Sir John Stanier 1 August 1990[36] 31 July 1996
Sir Peter Inge 1 August 1996[37] July 2001 Baron Inge from 1997.
Sir Roger Wheeler 1 August 2001[38] 31 July 2009
Sir Richard Dannatt 1 August 2009[11] July 2016 Baron Dannatt from 2011
Sir Nick Houghton 31 July 2016[39] 1 August 2022 Baron Houghton of Richmond from 2017
Sir Gordon Messenger 1 August 2022[40]

Deputy lieutenants

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A deputy lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets was commissioned by the Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets. Deputy lieutenants support the work of the lord-lieutenant.

Notes

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  1. ^ "Chapter 9, Annex B, Part 1, no. 1". The Queen's Regulations for the Army 1975 (PDF) (Amendment number 37 ed.). Ministry of Defence. 20 August 2019. p. 9B-1. AEL 112 / AC 13206. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Lord Houghton of Richmond". Hospitality and Catering News. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  3. ^ Thornbury, Walter (1878). "IX: The Tower part 2". Old and New London. Vol. 2. London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin. p. 77. Retrieved 4 March 2023 – via British History Online.
  4. ^ a b Baggs, A P; Bolton, Diane K; Hicks, M A; Pugh, R B (1980). "Ossulstone Hundred". In Baker, T F T; Elrington, C R (eds.). A History of the County of Middlesex. Vol. 6. London: Victoria County History. pp. 1–5. Retrieved 4 March 2023 – via British History Online.
  5. ^ 14 Cha. 2. c. 3 s. 30
  6. ^ a b c Rutton 1908c p. 244; "No. 5350". The London Gazette. 26 July 1715. p. 5.
  7. ^ a b c d Goodwin, Gordon (1891). "Howard, Charles (1674-1738)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 28. pp. 7–8. He was also constable of the Tower of London (16 Oct. 1715–29 Dec. 1722), lord-lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets (12 July 1717-December 1722)
  8. ^ "MJ/OC/3 p 227". London Lives. 7 July 1727. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  9. ^ Hunt, John (1897). London Local Government: The Law Relating to London County Council, the Vestries and District Boards Elected Under the Metropolis Management Acts, and Other Local Authorities. Stevens and Sons. p. 38 note (m).
  10. ^ Ceremony of the Constable's Dues Archived 2007-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ a b Dannatt to be next Constable of the Tower of London Archived 17 August 2012 at the UK Government Web Archive Ministry of Defence, UK. Defence News, 5 Feb 09. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  12. ^ a b "Constables and Lieutenants of the Tower of London" W. L. Rutton, Notes and Queries, 10 S. IX, No. 213, Jan. 25, 1908, pp.62–63
  13. ^ Davies, Susan J. "Giffard, Godfrey". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/10649. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  14. ^ "Constables and Lieutenants of the Tower of London" W. L. Rutton, Notes and Queries, 10 S. IX, No. 218, Feb. 29, 1908, pp.161–163
  15. ^ Richardson, Douglas (2011). Magna Carta Ancestry (2nd Ed, Vol. II ed.). Salt Lake City, Utah. pp. 134–135, No. 8 John Holland. ISBN 9781731391681.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ a b "Constables and Lieutenants of the Tower of London" W. L. Rutton, Notes and Queries, 10 S. IX, No. 222, Mar. 28, 1908, pp.243–246
  17. ^ a b "No. 24971". The London Gazette. 10 May 1881. p. 2430.
  18. ^ a b "No. 24993". The London Gazette. 5 July 1881. p. 3347.
  19. ^ a b "No. 25662". The London Gazette. 7 January 1887. p. 100.
  20. ^ a b "No. 26036". The London Gazette. 25 March 1890. p. 1804.
  21. ^ a b "No. 26950". The London Gazette. 22 March 1898. p. 1865.
  22. ^ a b "No. 28493". The London Gazette. 12 May 1911. p. 3639.
  23. ^ a b "No. 13610". The Edinburgh Gazette. 2 July 1920. p. 1571.
  24. ^ a b "No. 33912". The London Gazette. 17 February 1933. p. 1081.
  25. ^ a b "No. 34495". The London Gazette. 22 March 1938. p. 1936.
  26. ^ a b "No. 35956". The London Gazette. 26 March 1943. p. 1426.
  27. ^ a b "No. 38241". The London Gazette. 19 March 1948. p. 1933.
  28. ^ a b "No. 38997". The London Gazette. 18 August 1950. p. 4207.
  29. ^ a b "No. 40557". The London Gazette. 9 August 1955. p. 4559.
  30. ^ a b "No. 42110". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 1960. p. 5372.
  31. ^ a b "No. 43731". The London Gazette. 6 August 1965. p. 7448.
  32. ^ a b "No. 45163". The London Gazette. 4 August 1970. p. 8587.
  33. ^ a b "No. 46652". The London Gazette. 5 August 1975. p. 9961.
  34. ^ a b "No. 48272". The London Gazette. 6 August 1980. p. 11159.
  35. ^ "No. 50221". The London Gazette. 6 August 1985. p. 10816.
  36. ^ "No. 52237". The London Gazette. 8 August 1990. p. 12963.
  37. ^ "No. 54488". The London Gazette. 7 August 1996. p. 10613.
  38. ^ "No. 56294". The London Gazette. 6 August 2001. p. 9283.
  39. ^ "No. 61659". The London Gazette. 28 July 2016. p. 16380.
  40. ^ "No. 63770". The London Gazette. 26 July 2022. p. 14182.
  41. ^ "No. 18818". The London Gazette. 28 June 1831. p. 1285.
  42. ^ "No. 20585". The London Gazette. 20 March 1846. p. 1032.
  43. ^ "No. 23604". The London Gazette. 5 April 1870. p. 2058.

References

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