Yeomen of the Guard

Reconstructing the history of the Guard is difficult. An 1809 fire in St James's Palace, the headquarters of the Guard, destroyed whatever records may have remained from the 15th-18th centuries.[2]^:vii The earliest mentions of the Guard are in histories from the 16th century: (a) Robert Fabian's The New Chronicles of England and France (1516); (b) Polydore Vergil's Angelica Historia (1534); and (c) Edward Hall's Chronicle (1547). Francis Bacon mentioned them in his History of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh (1622). A short history of the Guard was written by Samuel Pegge as part of his Curialia (1782).[1]^:2-3

A 50-page history of the Guard appeared in 1852, with Thomas Smith's Some Account of the Royal Body-Guard entitled the ancient corps of the Yeomen of the Guard, instituted 1485. With a brief notice of the Warders of the Tower. Smith acknowledged he used Pegge's Curialia and records of the Guard as his sources. This was followed in 1904 with Sir Reginald Hennell's 350-page The History of the King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard. Hennell was a lieutenant in the Guard at the time, who discovered that there were no records save for one old order book and miscellaneous papers.[2]^:vii Extensive modern research[1]^:vii-viii has been done by Anita Hewerdine for her 1998 doctoral thesis The Yeomen of the King’s Guard 1485-1547.[1] Results of her subsequent research are found in her 2012 book The Yeomen of the Guard and the Early Tudors: The Formation of a Royal Bodyguard (See Further Reading). Hewerdine's thesis is referenced in this article for the Tudor period, whilst Hennell's book is referenced for the 17th-19th centuries.

1902 depiction of Henry Tudor on Crown Hill, surrounded by his Yeomen. Note the hawthorn bush in which Richard III's crown was reportedly found.

On 22 August 1485, near the small village of Stoke Golding, Henry Tudor met King Richard III in battle for the Crown of England. The War of the Roses had persisted intermittently for more than 30 years between the rival claimants of the House of York (symbolized by a white rose) and the House of Lancaster (symbolized by a red rose). In 1483, Richard, of the House of York, had deposed his young nephew, 12-year old Edward V. Henry Tudor, of the House of Lancaster, was the favored candidate to replace Richard.[3]

Three armies met that day on Bosworth Field: Richard, with his supporters, Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Northumberland; Henry, with his troops under command of the veteran John de Vere, Earl of Oxford; and the troops of Thomas, Lord Stanley. Stanley was a powerful lord in northwest England. But he was stepfather of Henry Tudor, and Richard was holding his son hostage. Stanley's forces remained uncommitted as the battle raged. As Oxford advanced, the troops appeared to leave Henry, his bodyguards, and some French mercenaries isolated. Or so it appeared to Richard. Sensing an opportunity, Richard charged toward Henry. Seeing this, Stanley made his decision, and charged to reinforce Henry. Henry's bodyguards fought bravely to hold off Richard's bodyguards until the arrival of Stanley's troops. During the melee, Richard's horse became mired in the marsh, and he was killed. Henry had won.[3]

Henry rewarded his bodyguards by formally establishing the Yeomen of the Guard of (the body of) our Lord the King. This royal act recognized their bravery and loyalty in doing their duty, and designated them as the first members of a bodyguard to protect the King (or Queen) of England forever. In their first official act on 1 October 1485, fifty members of the Yeoman of the Guard, led by their Captain, John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, formally escorted Henry Tudor to his coronation ceremony.[4]^:916 Thus the appearance of the Guard at Henry VII's coronation was first documented by Francis Bacon in 1622. The coronation appears to have been hastily arranged, using the regulations for Richard III's coronation as a draft. The Guard is not mentioned in the regulations.[1]^:16-17

There are no surviving original documents ordering the establishment of the Guard. There is only a draft document from ca 1536-37 proposing the formation of what would become the Gentlemen at Arms. The proposal contains this statement for a precedent:

"the most noble and memory worthy king Henry VII for the better furnishment of his house first established and ordained the yeomen of his guard in their livery coats to wait upon his grace in his chamber, to the great setting forth and honour of his house".[1]^:16

French Gardes Écossaises, from a 1610 drawing.

Hewerdine proposes that Henry VII may have copied the Scots bodyguard of the French king. In 1445, Charles VII had established two companies of Scots: one contained 100 men-at-arms; the second contains 104 archers designated as personal bodyguards. These Scottish archers were being recognized for their service and loyalty to the French crown. Part of the royal retinue & used for ceremonial purposes, they wore richly decorated & embroidered jackets displaying the royal badges. They were armed with swords & halberds.[1]^:11-12

The earliest documents mentioning individual Yeomen of the Guard date from September 1485 through January 1846. They are signet warrants (signed orders) from Henry to his Keeper of the Privy Seal, granting offices throughout the realm. The first is dated 16 September 1485, less than one month after the Battle of Bosworth, and about 6 weeks before his coronation. It appointed John Frye, yeoman of the king's Guard, to the office of Searcher at the port of Bristol. From these warrants, Hewerdine was able to identify 32 Yeomen.[1]^:14 Of these 32 warrants, 13 mention former service overseas, and 6 indicate presence at Bosworth Field. The remaining warrants mention "good and faithful service", which Hewerdine interprets as meaning either service overseas, or presence at Bosworth, or both. Service overseas refers to Henry's exile to Brittany after the execution of the Duke of Buckingham. According to sources quoted by Hewerdine, Henry had a retinue of about 500 men while in Brittany, of which 200 followed him to France.[1]^:17-18 It was probably from among these 200 followers that the original Guard was formed.

The only accounts which provide a size of the Guard during the early years of Henry VII's reign are Virgil, who gives a total of about 200, and Bacon. who gives a total of 50. Hewerdine has reconstructed a list of approximately 100 yeomen for the first year or two of Henry's reign.[1]^:35 During the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, Hewerdine has established that the size fluctuated greatly between the 1470s and about 1540. In April 1489, Henry VII took 200 yeomen to northern England, and a similar size in 1500, when Henry visited archduke Philip of Austria in Calais. However, for Prince Arthur's marriage with Katherine of Aragon in 1501, the Guard numbered 300. Eight years later (1509), the names of 193 Yeomen are listed in the Lord Chamberlain's records for Henry VII's funeral. However, 300 Yeomen appeared for Henry VIII's coronation. The greatest increase in Guard size occurred in 1513, for Henry VIII's campaign in France. Two years later, 170 Yeomen were discharged as part of an effort to reduce spending. During the 1520s, the royal household sizes and expenses were scaled back in the Eltham Ordinances. The Guard was probably reduced to 80 members at that time.[1]^:35-41

A long corridor in Hampton Court Palace. Here the Guard lined along the walls, forming a security cordon, as the King passed.

Hewerdine mentions that the primary sources appear to make little distinction between the newly instituted Yeomen of the Guard, and the older positions of Yeomen of the Chamber, and the Yeomen of the Crown, which Henry VII kept as part of his household. Based upon the names of individuals, she suggests that the Yeomen of the Crown was the group of retainers who could serve as Yeomen of the Chamber or Yeomen of the Guard as openings occurred.[1]^:20-21

The Guard's primary function was protection. Hewerdine quotes one of Henry VII's heralds describing the Guard as: "evermore standing by the ways and passages upon a row in both the sides where the king's highness should from chamber to chamber or from one place to another at his goodly pleasure be removed".[1]^:51 In other words, the Guard formed a physical security shield wherever he went in the palace. (Please note that illustrations in this section are from the reign of Henry VIII. Very little remains of palace interiors from Henry VII's reign due to remodeling, for example, Windsor Castle, or demolition, such as Greenwich Palace, by later monarchs.)

Henry VIII's bedchamber at Hever Castle.

Many of the daily duties performed by the yeomen who served the king are described in Yeoman. Additional duties performed included: (1) carrying torches when escorting the king to and from the royal chapel; (2) advising the Officer of the Kitchen when to prepare the king's meals; and (3) during meals, a yeoman usher was required to circulate throughout the King's Chambers, ensuring good service and good order.[1]^:51

The Guard Chamber at Hampton Court. All visitors to the King's Chamber had to pass through this room.

In the evening, the All Night ritual would begin. A Yeoman Usher would assist a Gentleman Usher in collecting food and drink for the king, should he become hungry or thirsty overnight. The food and drink was given to the Squire for the Body who was on duty in the King's Chamber that night. The roster of the night watch was also given to the Squire, who was responsible for locking the chamber doors. Next came the making of the king's bed for the night. There were two versions of the ritual. The old order required that a yeoman would stab the straw mattress with a dagger, searching for anything that should not be there. Then the canvas and feather beds were laid over the straw mattress. The new order required that a yeoman would jump upon the canvas and feather beds, and roll around, spreading them out. After either procedure was carried out, precise instructions were followed for placing the sheets, pillows and covers on the bed.[1]^:52

Yeomen on night watch not serving within the King's Chamber were required to sit outside in the Guard Chamber. Four times each night, the yeomen locked inside the King's Chamber would patrol the king's chamber, and the yeomen in the Guard Chamber would patrol the palace. They were alert to signs of fire, any disturbances that might wake the king, or possible attacks on the king's person.[1]^:52

There are few mentions of the Guard at royal events during Henry VII's reign, and they are not detailed. When Prince Arthur was christened in Winchester Cathedral in 1486, five Yeomen of the Guard controlled access to the specially-constructed stage erected for the royal font. When Princess Margaret was christened in Westminster in 1489, 120 torches were held in front of the chapel by knights, squires, gentlemen, and Yeomen of the Crown. During the two-week-long celebration of the marriage of Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon in 1501, the Guard is mentioned several times in the herald's record.[1]^:56-7 When Prince Henry was made Prince of Wales in 1504, some Yeomen of the Guard kept vigil (watched) with him during the night before the ceremony.[1]^:69

At Henry VII's funeral in May 1509, twelve chosen Yeomen of the Guard, garbed in black livery, carried the royal coffin from the west door of Old St Paul's Cathedral to the high altar for the lying in state. The following day the Yeomen carried their former leader to Westminster Abbey. The rest of the Guard, also in black livery, marched on foot, holding their halberds upside down (reversed).[1]^:57-8 One month later, three hundred Yeomen of the Guard participated in the procession on the eve of Henry VIII's coronation. They wore Henry VII's livery of green and white. Most Yeomen carried bows and arrows, whilst the others carried halberds or other weapons.[1]^:69

There are only two contemporary records of the livery of the Yeomen of the Guard during Henry VII's reign. The first was written by a herald, who was present for the marriage of Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon in November 1501. Hewerdine quotes the herald's description:

The yeomen of the Guard were clothed in 'large jackets of damask, white and green, goodly embroidered both on their breasts before and also on their backs behind, with round garlands of vine branches, beset before richly with spangles of silver and gilt, and in the middle a red rose, beaten with goldsmiths' work, with bright halberds in their hands'.[1]^:63-4

Hewerdine interprets this written description as referring to horsemen's coats. These were close-fitting to the upper body, and expanded below the waist into a flared skirt to cover the thighs when the rider was on horseback. The second record is an illuminated border from the 1527 Treaty of Amiens. Two yeomen are illustrated, wearing either a striped tunic or sleeveless jacket of green and white. The neckline is a gold band, and there is a gold crowned rose on the chest. One yeoman wears scarlet hose and a gold-coloured cap, whilst the other wears white hose and a black cap.[1]^:67 (A photograph appears on page 60 of Hewerdine's thesis.)

When members of the Guard were performing their duties as yeomen of the chamber, they were furnished with watching clothing for their night-time watches around the king's chamber. The color was described either as russet cloth or tawny medley. Neither color has been identified with certainty.[1]^:62

According to Hewerdine, except for the coronation of Henry VIII, the Guard continued to wear green and white livery until June 1526, when the color was officially changed to red.[1]^:66 For royal funerals, the Guard wore black.[1]^:62

• Guard wore scarlet & gold livery for coronation
• barracks moved to St James's Palace
• issued longbow & quiver
• issued harquebus

Yeoman of the Guard of the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First

• search of Parliament

• protection of Charles I
• protection of Charles II after regicide

In the eighteenth century some 40 Yeomen were on duty daily, and 20 at night. This stopped in 1813, and thereafter only one division was required daily until about 1837.

Yeomen of the Guard in the procession to the annual service of the Order of the Garter at Windsor Castle

The current Guard is the size of a small company in the British Army, and is divided into three "Divisions", approximately equivalent in size to a platoon. The Guard has six officers and 67 other ranks.[9] The senior officer is the Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, which is filled by the current Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. Ranking below the Captain is the Lieutenant, the Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant, the Ensign and two Exons, all of whom are required to have achieved a rank of at least Major (or equivalent).[10]

There are three senior non-commissioned officers ranked as Messenger Sergeant-Major; the Senior Messenger Sergeant Major and Wardrobe Keeper is responsible for HQ administration, and correspondence, and has a MSM as a deputy. Each division has its own Divisional Sergeant-Major, a Yeoman Bed Hanger and Yeoman Bed Goer, which derive from when the Guard also acted as personal servants to the King. The lowest rank in the Guard is Yeoman, which form the bulk of the strength.

On appointment, they must have at least reached the rank of sergeant or equivalent. They must also have had at least 22 years' service and have been awarded the Army, Royal Navy or RAF Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GCM). On reaching the age of 70 years they become supernumerary and are no longer called for service. There are an average of four vacancies a year, which are filled by the Lord Chamberlain, who recommends the names to the Sovereign. The average age of active members is perhaps 60 years. Yeomen of the Queen's Body Guard receive expenses for meals and overnight accommodation where necessary.