This date in 1485 saw the establishment of the Yeomen of the Guard, bodyguard of the English Crown, popularly known as Beefeaters. 10 things you might not know about them.
Or, at least, the date on the earliest known document that refers to them. In this document, one John Frye, a yeoman of the king's guard, is appointed to the office of Searcher at the port of Bristol.
The Yeomen were created by King Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth Field and is the oldest British military corps still in existence. Of course, monarchs had bodyguards before this, but Henry wanted to reward his for their bravery and loyalty by creating a guard that would protect the King (or Queen) of England forever, of which they would be the first.
Their first official act was to escort Henry to his coronation on 1 October 1485. John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, led a company of fifty of them.
At that time, their primary function was protecting the monarch. This involved creating a physical shield around him wherever he went, even inside his palace, tasting his food and even standing guard in the king’s bedroom all night. In addition, they carried torches, served the King’s meals and made sure he had food and drink in his room in case he woke hungry or thirsty during the night. Making up the King’s Bed was another ritual, which involved stabbing the bed with daggers and jumping on it to spread out the bedding, and disturb any assassins who might be hiding in the bed.
This archaic function is reflected to this day in the names of two of the ranks: Yeoman Bed Hanger and Yeoman Bed Goer. Other ranks are Exon, Ensign, Lieutenant, Captain, Yeoman, Divisional Sergeant-Major and Messenger Sergeant-Major.
Today, their role is purely ceremonial. Their uniforms haven’t changed much since Tudor times and they still carry swords, although they are never used. There is an annual roll call and a Sovereign's Inspection about every five years. Their regular commitments include the annual Royal Maundy service, the Epiphany Service in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, installations of Knights of the Garter, summer garden parties at Buckingham Palace and a ritual search of the cellars of the Palace of Westminster in advance of the State Opening of Parliament, a nod to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Fancy joining the Yeomen? It will take a while. Since 1830 the requirements are that all candidates must have served in the British military for at least 22 years, must have attained the rank of sergeant or above, but not be a commissioned officer, and must have been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Hence any new recruits will be at least 42 years of age, and retire at age 70.
The Yeomen of the Guard are not the same as the Yeomen Warders who guard the Tower of London, although their uniforms are almost identical. The Yeomen of the Guard can be distinguished by their cross belts, worn from the left shoulder.
The last time the Yeomen took place in a battle was the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 during the reign of King George II. It was after this that they became largely ceremonial, although King George V re-instated the guarding at the palace role during the first world war, and allowed them permission to join the regular forces and go fight if they wished.
Why are they called Beefeaters? Most likely because they tended to be quite beefy in build, but more relevantly, because they were allowed a generous daily meat ration.
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