The Tower of London is a store of great treasure. It’s a fine peace of Real Estate. It has been seat of British government as well as the site of infamous political intrigue. It has housed notorious traitors, virtuous members of court, lions, bears, and ravens. Most famously perhaps, it has been and continues to be the repository of Britain’s Crown Jewels. Almost as well known as Her Majesty’s Tower are the Yeoman Warders often call the Beef eaters who guard the fortress. It is an honor and great privilege to serve as Yeoman Warder.
Historically, it was also a great opportunity to enrich oneself at the public expense. It seems that a few hundred years ago, when the Tower also served as store for much of Britain’s gold, many of the guards could not resist the temptation to steal occasional gold coins out of the treasury. Of course, if a guard was caught stealing, the guard was summarily dismissed. It seemed impossible though to watch the Beef eaters constantly and make sure they never took anything. To do that would require hiring a second layer of guards and that would be expensive. Historians of the Tower have noted that shortly after this problem emerged, the Crown raised the basic pay of a Yeoman Warder to £7 per year, notably higher then the going market wage of £5 per year. Historians have also noted that to get a job as a Yeoman Warder it was not enough to apply. One also had to pay a big, up-front fee, i.e., any successful applicant had to make a one-time payment right at the start if they were actually hired.
Why do you think that the British government decided to pay above market wages to Beef eaters? Why do you think people paid to obtain Beef eater jobs? What other method do you think the British monarchy might have used to achieve these objectives?
I will give you my comments in my next weekly blog. Have a wonderful and very productive week.