It wasn’t until John Wilmington took over from Henry Johns in 1968 that the more sane-sounding title of Raven Master became official, and not until some years later-doubtless due to some clerical error in a back office somewhere-that the Raven Master became known as the Ravenmaster.* The story goes that when Henry Johns was appointed Yeoman Quartermaster just after World War II, some of the old Yeoman Warders used to joke that he was raving mad-so keen was he on caring for the birds-and so he affectionately became known as the Raving Master instead of the Quartermaster. Like a lot of our great traditions in Great Britain, the role and indeed the title of Ravenmaster is in fact a recent invention.
Before that, caring for the ravens was part of the job of the Yeoman Quartermaster. Copyright © 2018.Īm, as far as I’m aware, only the sixth Ravenmaster ever to have been appointed at the Tower. With birdy charisma comes drama , and with drama comes an adventure that only a Ravenmaster can write.Įxcerpted from THE RAVENMASTER: MY LIFE WITH THE RAVENS AT THE TOWER OF LONDON by Christopher Skaife, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. From flock-based feuds and blood-soaked dog biscuits to Black Widows and fatal prison breaks, the book puts the corvids' antics on the same stage as the Tower's gruesome history. And the only thing standing between them and great blue skies is Skaife and his polearm.Īfter spending the last decade learning the ways of the ravens-and collecting thousands of social media fans along the way-Skaife is now sharing his story in an action-packed autobiography. As legend goes, so long as the ravens stay put at the fortress, the country will prosper. He's one in a short line of Ravenmasters, tapped to look after the seven ebony-plumed corvids that uphold the Tower's greatest superstition. And at age 39 he was chosen as a Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater, to guard the Tower of London.īut Skaife's responsibilities don't just encompass empty jail cells and crown jewels. At 16 he was joining the Junior Infantry Battalion of the British Army. At age 15 he was hotwiring cars and being chased by the local cops. Growing up in the rural reaches of Dover, England, Christopher Skaife's no stranger to the gritty side of life.
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