#luckily the birds' nest is full of old bank notes

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Saturday 16th January 2021

History - The Tower of London’s Famous Ravens

Something in the news this week has taken me back to the Summer of 2019 when we visited the Tower of London a couple of times. Our route took us from the South Bank, on foot, across the famous bridge. The first time we went it was pleasant enough for walking around and we avoided rain, but it was quite a dull, overcast day. The second time we went it was one of the, if not the hottest day of the year in a very hot July. Visitors were all searching for some shade and the Yeoman Warders were really suffering in their heavy woollen uniforms and hats. They were allowed to carry water but no concession was given to what they have to wear. I felt so sorry for them.

Tower Bridge up above and the Tower of London as seen from the Bridge. This impressive Royal Palace property is today dominated by modern London.

The Tower of London with its crowds of visitors and the landmark ‘Walkie Talkie’ building in the background (below)

View of Tower Bridge from inside The Tower of London

I read this week that one of the famed Ravens left the Tower several weeks ago and has not returned as yet. ‘Merlina’ who is 14 years old, arrived as a chick in 2007.

It wasn’t only me who picked up on the story

I’m not so sure I wholly believe them though 😄

Merlina is described as a free spirit and has left the Tower before but always returned as she had a very strong bond with the Ravenmaster and his Team. She’s been described as the real Queen of the Tower, the Raven ruler of the roost.

In the wild Ravens usually live for 10-15 years, but the Tower's birds have been known to survive until the age of 40. A statement said that as she hasn’t returned, it’s feared that Merlina has passed away.

Above photo credit Spitalfields Life, the link is an article and you can see Merlin(a) there too. By the way, here the Warder’s wearing the daily routine, dark blue ‘undress’ uniform that warders wear.

In his 2018 book the current Ravenmaster, Christopher Skaife, described Merlina's character.

He wrote: 'She likes playing with sticks while rolling on her back and doing forward-rolls. She is also adept at mimicking strange sounds to get what she wants.

'Much to the confusion of the local crows, Merlina is an expert at imitating their call to get them down from the trees to play with her. She also has a knack for impersonating gulls, but as far as I can tell, that’s just to annoy them.

'Merlina is a bit of a loner. I think of her as the Tower Princess because she refuses to socialise with any other raven, or sleep with the others in the fox-proof enclosure I had built for them when I became Ravenmaster in 2011.'

And revealing one of her naughtier habits, he added: 'Merlina has a knack for spotting — from the other side of Tower Green — members of the public eating Pringles.

'Stealing the tube and popping off the lid to cram as many into her mouth as possible, she will even take them to the nearest water bowl and give them a wash if she doesn’t like the taste.

It seems unlikely now that she’s going to return and she’s going to be really sadly missed.

The Legend of the Tower of London Ravens

It is not clear how long captive ravens have been held in the Tower for, though the intelligent birds, which are common in Britain, often nested in towns throughout history.

However, according to local legend, the Tower's relationship with captive ravens could date back to King Charles II, who reigned in the mid-17th century (r1660-1685 to be precise)

Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left.

The King's order was given against the wishes of his astronomer, John Flamsteed, who complained the ravens impeded the business of his observatory.

A common superstition now holds that 'if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.'

Another  version has it that the head of the medieval Celtic warrior Brân (a name that means ‘crow’ or ‘raven’) lies buried beneath the White Tower and that the ravens embody his spirit.

However others believe the legend is likely to be a Victorian 'flight of fantasy'.

In the Second World War the ravens were used as spotters for bombs and planes during the Blitz.

When numbers fell to just a single raven guard, Winston Churchill ordered that the flock — known as an “unkindness” — be increased to at least six to comply with the ancient legend.

 When you visit the Tower and have a guided tour by a Yeoman, they all delight in teasing about the six birds from the legend, but we know they have a little trick up their sleeve and have spares. There are still seven there today.

The Tower does have a breeding programme although most of the current flock of Ravens were brought to the Tower as chicks. There are two - Poppy and Georgie - who were born there as part of the programme. The other birds are called Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky and Erin. 

Last year three new raven chicks were born at the Tower in April during the first lockdown. 2019 had seen the first chicks to be born in the Tower in three decades.

The new chicks hatched in early April and grew fast, although they didn’t remain at the Tower of London owing to lack of space.

Behind the Scenes with Time Out

Two Ravens on the Gun outside the White Tower

We watched this pair for a while when we there in the July and were entertained how they used the gun for shade. It actually seemed to amuse them as much as us how they used it to echo their raucous Caw Caw calls, as they seemed to do it all the more just for effect.

The Ravens are free to roam the Tower precincts during the day and preside over four different territories within the Tower's walls. Visitors are warned not to become over familiar or try to feed them - they can bite if they feel their territory is being threatened.

Size Comparisons - most Rook and Crow are similar size around 90cm wingspan. Ravens wingspan is up to approx 150cm

The Rooks in our garden seem absolutely huge, so this gives you some idea of scale.

‘Joe’ Rook at the top of The Totem by our feeders

For anyone who wants more background:

Origin of the Tower and Some Salient Points

The Tower of London was built on the demand of William the Conqueror after he defeated Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and then marched on to London.

The castle, which took almost 20 years to build, was designed to proclaim his power over London and stave off any potential rebellion.

It was expanded and later became a prison.

Henry VI was murdered at the Tower in 1471 and, later, the children of his great rival Edward IV – the Princes in the Tower - vanished within its walls in 1483.

The Tower was guarded by the the famous Yeoman Warders, known as 'Beefeaters'. Henry VII's personal guards were the first 'Beefeaters', so named as they were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the King's table.

It was also the site of the beheading of Henry VIII's wife Anne Boleyn.

Today, alongside being a tourist attraction, it is home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Yeoman Warder in full ceremonial dress uniform as dating from Tudor times

We took these photos as we were lucky enough to witness the Ceremony of the Constable’s Dues. Read about that Here.

Guard outside The Queen’s House, which today is residence for the Governor

NOTE:

It’s not only Ravens who’ve lived at the Tower, the grounds housed the Royal Menagerie for many, many years and when it was closed in 1824 on the grounds of animal welfare and compassion, the animals who were moved were the foundation of London Zoo.

Luckily today, the only live inhabitants, apart from humans, are the Ravens and we did see a solitary Squirrel. Everything else is represented by impressive models.

NB: I’ve been checking, but unfortunately there’s no positive news about Merlina. I’ll keep watching.

Rook, Crow or Raven Wildlife Trust

The Tower of London Twitter account - news of Merlina’s disappearance on 13th July 2021.

FOR HOME LEARNING:

To read all about Ancient Fortresses try Here ‘The History of the Tower of London spans across more than one thousand years and the reigns of countless Kings and Queens.A unique fully comprehensive Timeline has been developed to guide you through the key events of the Tower of London and its bloody history.’

NOTES FROM THE KITCHEN:

We were having a delivery of logs today but I’ve just had a call to delay due to the weather. It is misty and pouring with rain and looks set for the day. Yuck.

The delivery’s been rescheduled for tomorrow.

We’re hunkering down tonight with a chicken curry.