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 His Majesty's Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London.
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.
Constable of the Tower should not 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]
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]
In the Middle Ages it was a profitable position; among the Constable's entitlements were:
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.
| Constable of the Tower | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1068 (?) | First Constable, appointed by William the Conqueror[11] | ||||
| 1100 | 1116 (?) | Son of Geoffrey I de Mandeville, held Ranulf Flambard | |||
| Othuer fitz Count | 1116? | 1120 | Son of Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester. | ||
| 1120 | 1140? | ||||
| 1140 | 1144 (d.) | Son of William de Mandeville | |||
| no record of Constables during reign of Stephen, 1144–1153 | |||||
| Richard de Lucie | 1153 | 1179 (d.) | also Chief Justiciar | ||
| 1189 | Bishop of Ely, Chancellor and Regent | ||||
| 1189 | Sub-Constable | ||||
| 1191 | Bishop of Rouen | ||||
| 1194 | brother of Walter of Coutances | ||||
| 1198 | Chief Justiciar; created Earl of Essex, 1199 | ||||
| 1205 | |||||
| October 1213 | Son of Geoffrey FitzPeter | ||||
| November 1213 | Archdeacon of Huntingdon | ||||
| 1214 | |||||
| June 1215 | Archbishop of Canterbury | ||||
| June 1216 | |||||
| 1217 | |||||
| 1220 | Chief Justiciar | ||||
| 1224 | |||||
| John de Boville and Thomas de Blumvill or Blundeville (probably together) | 1225 | Blundeville was Bishop of Norwich, 1226 | |||
| 1227 | |||||
| 1230 | |||||
| July 1232 | |||||
| 1232 | Sub-Constable | ||||
| 1233 | |||||
| Hugh Giffard | 1234 | Lord of Boyton, Wiltshire,[12] father of Walter Giffard and Godfrey Giffard | |||
| March 1235 | |||||
| Hugh Giffard (again) | April 1236 | ||||
| Walter de Gray, Archbishop of York and Bertram de Crioyl or Criolle (jointly) | 1240 | Midsummer 1242 | de Criol Constable of Dover Castle 1242–1256 | ||
| 1244 | |||||
| June 1244 | |||||
| 1246 | |||||
| September 1256 | |||||
| 1257 | |||||
| 1258 | Chief Justiciar | ||||
| 1261 | |||||
| Sir John Mansel or Maunsel | May 1261 | ||||
| 1261 | |||||
| 1262 | Chief Justiciar, killed at Evesham, 4 August 1265 | ||||
| 1265 | |||||
| October 1265 | |||||
| John Walerand and John de la Lynde (jointly) | November 1265 | ||||
| 1265 | |||||
| April 1268 | |||||
| July 1268 | |||||
| Hugh Fitz Otho (again) | 1269 | ||||
| 1272 | Archbishop of York | ||||
| John de Burgh | December 1273 | ||||
| 1274 | |||||
| 1275 | Bishop of Durham | ||||
| June 1280 | Sub-Constable | ||||
| 1283 | |||||
| September 1285 | |||||
| February 1289 | |||||
| Ralph de Sandwich (again) | July 1289 | ||||
| March 1308 | |||||
| 1321 | |||||
| February 1323 | |||||
| 1323 | Bishop of Exeter | ||||
| November 1323 | |||||
| John de Gisors and Richard de Betoigne (jointly) | November 1326 | ||||
| December 1326 | |||||
| John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (again) | March 1327 | ||||
| June 1328 | |||||
| John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (again) | 1329 | ||||
| October 1335 | |||||
| 1335 | 1344 | ||||
| 1341 | |||||
| March 1346 | 1347 (d.) | ||||
| John, Baron Darcy (son) | June 1347 | ||||
| 1355 | August 1355 (d.) | ||||
| 1355 | |||||
| 1361 | |||||
| 1366 | Knight of the Garter and chamberlain of the Royal household. Broke Westminster Abbey's sanctuary 1378 | ||||
| Sir Thomas Murrieux | December 1381 | ||||
| May 1387 | |||||
| Sir Thomas Morreux (? son of above) | July 1391 | probably Deputy | |||
| January 1392 | September 1397 | Earl of Rutland | |||
| 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 | ||
| October 1399 | Drowned at London Bridge, 31 October 1406 | ||||
| Edward (Plantagenet) (again)[13] | November 1406 | 1413 | now Duke of York, slain at Agincourt, 1415 | ||
| 1413 | 1413 | Son of Sanchet D'Abrichecourt | |||
| Robert de Morley | 1413 | 1415 | |||
| November 1415 | Earl of Eu, 1419, d. 1420 | ||||
| July 1420 | August 1420 | ||||
| August 1420 | Duke of Exeter[14] | ||||
| 1447 | July 1450 | Murdered by Jack Cade's mob, 4 July 1450 | |||
| June 1451 | |||||
| September 1460 | |||||
| December 1461 | October 1470 | Executed by Lancastrians, 18 October 1470 | |||
| 1470 | |||||
| April 1483 | In office before accession of Edward V in 1483 | ||||
| July 1483 | Killed at Bosworth Field, 22 August 1485 | ||||
| September 1485 | 1513 | ||||
| March 1513 | 1524 | ||||
| May 1524 | 1540 | ||||
| Sir John Gage | October 1540 | 1553 | |||
| July 1553 | August 1553 | 1st Earl of Lincoln from 1572 | |||
| Sir John Gage (again) | August 1553 | 1556 | |||
| Sir Edward Braye | 1556 | 1557 | |||
| January 1557 | 1558 | ||||
| 1572 | 1572 | ||||
| Sir Richard Berkeley of Stoke Gifford | 1595 | ||||
| Sir William Wade (Lieutenant)[15] | 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 | ||
| 1640 | William Balfour was his Lieutenant | ||||
| 1641 | |||||
| John Byron, 1st Baron Byron (Lieutenant) | 1641 | 1642 | |||
| Sir Thomas Fairfax | August 1647 | 1650 | Robert Tichborne was his Lieutenant. | ||
| Constable of the Tower and Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets | |||||
| 3 October 1660 | 1675 | ||||
| 30 July 1675 | 1679 | ||||
| 8 June 1679 | 1 February 1685 | ||||
| 29 June 1685 | 1688 | ||||
| 1688 | June 1702 | Lord Lieutenant from 8 April 1689 | |||
| 29 June 1702 | 1705 | ||||
| 23 May 1706 | 1710 | ||||
| 5 February 1710 | 18 August 1712 | ||||
| 10 May 1712 | |||||
| 29 July 1715 | 1717 | Lord Lieutenant only; Lieutenant of the Tower 1715–1740 but never Constable. | |||
| 29 December 1722 | ||||
| 30 January 1723 | 1725 | ||||
| 19 June 1725 | 1726 | ||||
| 24 November 1726 | 1731 | ||||
| 15 October 1731 | 27 September 1737 | ||||
| 30 May 1740 | 23 June 1762 | ||||
| 26 July 1762 | 1770 | ||||
| 1770 | 1784 | Lord Lieutenant from 4 January 1771 | |||
| 12 March 1784 | 1784 | ||||
| 26 November 1784 | 5 October 1805 | 1st Marquess Cornwallis from 1792 | |||
| 24 February 1806 | 28 November 1826 | ||||
| 29 January 1827 | 14 September 1852 | Lord Lieutenant from 1826 | |||
| 20 October 1852 | 21 February 1865 | ||||
| 12 April 1865 | 7 October 1871 | ||||
| 20 November 1871 | 6 October 1872 | ||||
| 8 November 1872 | 15 March 1875 | ||||
| 9 April 1875 | 20 November 1880 | Died in office | |||
| 9 May 1881 | 1881 | Resigned | |||
| 2 July 1881 | 6 December 1886 | Died in office | |||
| 6 January 1887 | 14 January 1890 | Died in office as Constable; the Lord Lieutenancy of the Tower Hamlets had been abolished they previous year. | |||
| Constable of the Tower | |||||
| 24 March 1890 | 29 January 1898 | Died in office. | |||
| 21 March 1898 | 10 March 1911 | Died in office | |||
| 11 May 1911 | 2 December 1919 | Died in office | |||
| 23 June 1920 | 30 October 1932 | Died in office | |||
| 19 February 1933 | 18 February 1938 | ||||
| 19 February 1938 | 18 March 1943 | ||||
| 19 March 1943 | 18 March 1948 | 1st Baron Chetwode from 1945. | |||
| 19 March 1948 | 24 May 1950 | Died in office. | |||
| 1 August 1950 | 31 July 1955 | ||||
| 1 August 1955 | 31 July 1960 | ||||
| 1 August 1960 | 31 July 1965 | ||||
| 1 August 1965 | 31 July 1970 | ||||
| 1 August 1970 | 31 July 1975 | ||||
| 1 August 1975 | 8 May 1980 | Died in office. | |||
| 1 August 1980 | 31 July 1985 | ||||
| 1 August 1985 | 31 July 1990 | ||||
| 1 August 1990 | 31 July 1996 | ||||
| 1 August 1996 | July 2001 | Baron Inge from 1997. | |||
| 1 August 2001 | 31 July 2009 | ||||
| 1 August 2009[16] | July 2016 | Baron Dannatt from 2011 | |||
| 31 July 2016 | 1 August 2022 | Baron Houghton of Richmond from 2017 | |||
| 1 August 2022 | |||||
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.