Constable of the Tower

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.

General The Lord Dannatt, dressed in full ceremonial uniform of HM's Constable of the Tower

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 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 His Majesty's Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London.

History

The office of Constable of the Tower is one of the oldest in England, dating back to within a few years of the 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
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 abovementioned 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

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 His Grace'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
Constables of the Tower (1068–date) and Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets (1660–1890)
PortraitNameFromToNote
Constable of the Tower
Geoffrey de Mandeville1068 (?)First Constable, appointed by William the Conqueror[11][12]
William de Mandeville11001116 (?)Son of Geoffrey I de Mandeville, held Ranulf Flambard
Othuer fitz Count1116?1120Son of Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester.
Hasculf de Tany11201140?
Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex11401144 (d.)Son of William de Mandeville
no record of Constables during reign of Stephen, 1144–1153[12]
Richard de Lucie11531179 (d.)also Chief Justiciar
Garnier de Isenei
William Longchamp1189Bishop of Ely, Chancellor and Regent
William Puintellus1189Sub-Constable
Walter of Coutances1191Bishop of Rouen
Roger Fitz Renfred1194brother of Walter of Coutances
Geoffrey Fitz Peter1198Chief Justiciar; created Earl of Essex, 1199
Roger de la Dune1205
Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de MandevilleOctober 1213Son of Geoffrey FitzPeter
William de CornhillNovember 1213Archdeacon of Huntingdon
Eustace de Greinville1214
Stephen LangtonJune 1215Archbishop of Canterbury
Tower occupied by Prince Louis of FranceJune 1216
Walter de Verdun1217
Stephen de Segrave1220Chief Justiciar
Hugh de Wyndlesore1224
John de Boville and Thomas de Blumvill or Blundeville (probably together)1225Blundeville was Bishop of Norwich, 1226
Henry Fitz Aucher1227
Ralph de Gatel1230
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of KentJuly 1232
Ralph de Ralegh1232Sub-Constable
William de St. Edmund1233
Hugh Giffard1234Lord of Boyton, Wiltshire,[13] father of Walter Giffard and Godfrey Giffard
Geoffrey de CrancumbMarch 1235
Hugh Giffard (again)April 1236
Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York and Bertram de Crioyl or Criolle (jointly)1240Midsummer 1242de Criol Constable of Dover Castle 1242–1256
Peter de Vallibus1244
John de PlessetisJune 1244
Peter le Blund1246
Aymon ThorimberghSeptember 1256
Imbert Pugeys1257
Hugh Bigod1258Chief Justiciar
Richard de Culwurth1261
Sir John Mansel or MaunselMay 1261
Richard de Tilbury1261
Hugh le Despencer1262Chief Justiciar, killed at Evesham, 4 August 1265
Roger de Leyburn1265
Hugh Fitz OthoOctober 1265
John Walerand and John de la Lynde (jointly)November 1265
Alan la Zouche1265
Thomas de IppegraveApril 1268
Stephen de EddevilleJuly 1268
Hugh Fitz Otho (again)1269
Walter Giffard1272Archbishop of York
John de BurghDecember 1273
Philip Basset1274
Anthony de Bec1275Bishop of Durham
Richard de WaldegraveJune 1280Sub-Constable
Ralph de Dacre1283
Ralph de SandwichSeptember 1285
Ralph BernersFebruary 1289
Ralph de Sandwich (again)July 1289
John de Cromwell, 1st Baron CromwellMarch 1308
Roger de Swynnerton1321
Stephen Segrave, 3rd Baron SegraveFebruary 1323
Walter de Stapledon1323Bishop of Exeter
John de WestonNovember 1323
John de Gisors and Richard de Betoigne (jointly)November 1326
Thomas Wake, 2nd Baron Wake of LiddellDecember 1326
John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (again)March 1327
William, Baron la Zouche, of MortimerJune 1328
John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (again)1329
Nicholas de la BecheOctober 1335
William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury13351344
Robert de Dalton1341
John, Baron Darcy (of Knaith)March 13461347 (d.)
John, Baron Darcy (son)June 1347
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh1355August 1355 (d.)
Robert de Morley, 2nd Baron Morley1355
John de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp de Warwick
Richard de la Vache1361
Sir Aleyne de Boxhull1366Knight of the Garter and chamberlain of the Royal household. Broke Westminster Abbey's sanctuary 1378
Sir Thomas MurrieuxDecember 1381
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of KentMay 1387
Sir Thomas Morreux (? son of above)July 1391probably Deputy
Edward (Plantagenet)January 1392September 1397Earl of Rutland
Ralph de Neville, 4th Baron NevilleSeptember 1397October 13971st Earl of Westmorland from 29 September 1397
Edward Plantagenet (again)October 1397August 1399Duke of Albemarle and Earl of Rutland
Sir Thomas RempstonOctober 1399Drowned at London Bridge, 31 October 1406
Edward (Plantagenet) (again)[14]November 14061413now Duke of York, slain at Agincourt, 1415
John Dabrichecourt14131413Son of Sanchet D'Abrichecourt
Robert de Morley14131415
William BourchierNovember 1415Earl of Eu, 1419, d. 1420
Roger AstonJuly 1420August 1420
John Holland, Earl of HuntingdonAugust 1420Duke of Exeter[15]
James Fienes, Lord Say1447July 1450Murdered by Jack Cade's mob, 4 July 1450
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of ExeterJune 1451
William Bourchier, Viscount BourchierSeptember 1460
John Tiptoft, Earl of WorcesterDecember 1461October 1470Executed by Lancastrians, 18 October 1470
John Sutton, Baron Dudley1470
Thomas Grey, Marquis of DorsetApril 1483In office before accession of Edward V in 1483
Sir Robert BrackenburyJuly 1483Killed at Bosworth Field, 22 August 1485
John de Vere, Earl of OxfordSeptember 14851513
Sir Thomas LovellMarch 15131524
Sir William KingstonMay 15241540
Sir John GageOctober 15401553
Edward Clinton, 9th Baron ClintonJuly 1553August 15531st Earl of Lincoln from 1572
Sir John Gage (again)August 15531556
Sir Edward Braye15561557
Sir Robert OxenbridgeJanuary 15571558
Peter Carew15721572
Sir Richard Berkeley of Stoke Gifford1595
Sir William Wade (Lieutenant)[16]16051611
Sir Gervase Helwys (Lieutenant)16111615
Sir George More (Lieutenant)16151617
Sir Allen Apsley (Lieutenant)16171630
Sir Thomas Lunsford (Lieutenant)16411641Served for a few days, per Clarendon
Francis, Baron Cottington1640William Balfour was his Lieutenant
Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport1641
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron (Lieutenant)16411642
Sir Thomas FairfaxAugust 1647[16]1650Robert Tichborne was his Lieutenant.
Constable of the Tower and Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets
Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet3 October 16601675
James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton30 July 16751679
William Alington, 3rd Baron Alington8 June 16791 February 1685
George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth29 June 16851688
Robert Lucas, 3rd Baron Lucas of Shenfield1688June 1702Lord Lieutenant from 8 April 1689
Montagu Venables-Bertie, 2nd Earl of Abingdon29 June 17021705
Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex23 May 17061710
Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers5 February 171018 August 1712
George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton10 May 1712
Hatton Compton29 July 1715[6]1717Lord 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 Lincoln30 January 17231725
Charles Paulet, 3rd Duke of Bolton19 June 17251726
Henry Lowther, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale24 November 17261731
John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester15 October 173127 September 1737
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl Cornwallis30 May 174023 June 1762
John Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley of Stratton26 July 17621770
Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Earl Cornwallis17701784Lord Lieutenant from 4 January 1771
The Lord George Lennox12 March 17841784
Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Earl Cornwallis26 November 17845 October 18051st Marquess Cornwallis from 1792
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings24 February 180628 November 1826
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington29 January 182714 September 1852Lord Lieutenant from 1826
Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere20 October 185221 February 1865
Sir John Burgoyne, Baronet12 April 18657 October 1871
Sir George Pollock20 November 18716 October 1872
Sir William Maynard Gomm8 November 187215 March 1875
Sir Charles Yorke9 April 187520 November 1880Died in office[17]
Sir William Fenwick Williams9 May 1881[17]1881Resigned[18]
Sir Richard James Dacres2 July 1881[18]6 December 1886Died in office[19]
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala6 January 1887[19]14 January 1890Died in office as Constable;[20] the Lord Lieutenancy of the Tower Hamlets had been abolished they previous year.
Constable of the Tower
Sir Daniel Lysons24 March 1890[20]29 January 1898Died in office.[21]
Sir Frederick Stephenson21 March 1898[21]10 March 1911Died in office[22]
Sir Henry Evelyn Wood11 May 1911[22]2 December 1919Died in office[23]
Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen23 June 1920[23]30 October 1932Died in office[24]
George Milne, 1st Baron Milne19 February 1933[24]18 February 1938[25]
Sir Claud William Jacob19 February 1938[25]18 March 1943[26]
Sir Philip Chetwode, 7th Baronet19 March 1943[26]18 March 1948[27] 1st Baron Chetwode from 1945.
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell19 March 1948[27]24 May 1950Died in office.[28]
Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke1 August 1950[28]31 July 1955[29]
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson1 August 1955[29]31 July 1960[30]
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis1 August 1960[30]31 July 1965[31]
Sir Gerald Templer1 August 1965[31]31 July 1970[32]
Sir Richard Hull1 August 1970[32]31 July 1975[33]
Sir Geoffrey Baker1 August 1975[33]8 May 1980Died in office.[34]
Sir Peter Hunt1 August 1980[34]31 July 1985
Sir Roland Gibbs1 August 1985[35]31 July 1990
Sir John Stanier1 August 1990[36]31 July 1996
Sir Peter Inge1 August 1996[37]July 2001Baron Inge from 1997.
Sir Roger Wheeler1 August 2001[38]31 July 2009
Sir Richard Dannatt1 August 2009[11]July 2016Baron Dannatt from 2011
Sir Nick Houghton31 July 2016[39]1 August 2022Baron Houghton of Richmond from 2017
Sir Gordon Messenger1 August 2022[40]

Deputy lieutenants

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
  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. 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 Car. 2 c. 3 s. 30
  6. Rutton 1908c p. 244; "No. 5350". The London Gazette. 26 July 1715. p. 5.
  7. 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. 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. "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. "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. "No. 24971". The London Gazette. 10 May 1881. p. 2430.
  18. "No. 24993". The London Gazette. 5 July 1881. p. 3347.
  19. "No. 25662". The London Gazette. 7 January 1887. p. 100.
  20. "No. 26036". The London Gazette. 25 March 1890. p. 1804.
  21. "No. 26950". The London Gazette. 22 March 1898. p. 1865.
  22. "No. 28493". The London Gazette. 12 May 1911. p. 3639.
  23. "No. 13610". The Edinburgh Gazette. 2 July 1920. p. 1571.
  24. "No. 33912". The London Gazette. 17 February 1933. p. 1081.
  25. "No. 34495". The London Gazette. 22 March 1938. p. 1936.
  26. "No. 35956". The London Gazette. 26 March 1943. p. 1426.
  27. "No. 38241". The London Gazette. 19 March 1948. p. 1933.
  28. "No. 38997". The London Gazette. 18 August 1950. p. 4207.
  29. "No. 40557". The London Gazette. 9 August 1955. p. 4559.
  30. "No. 42110". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 1960. p. 5372.
  31. "No. 43731". The London Gazette. 6 August 1965. p. 7448.
  32. "No. 45163". The London Gazette. 4 August 1970. p. 8587.
  33. "No. 46652". The London Gazette. 5 August 1975. p. 9961.
  34. "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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