Beefeater Origin

Someone just asked me why The Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London are called beefeaters; "Do they eat a lot of Beef?".

Basically yes, the Beefeaters did get what was seen, by others, as a unfairly large ration of meat, for example, in 1813 the 30 Beefeaters were allotted 18lbs of mutton, 16lbs of veal, and 24lbs of beef, per day. Beefeaters were usually one of the last to experience reduced meat rations, if indeed their rations were ever reduced at all.

If you visit the Tower of London today you may still be guided by a Beefeater, however, don't poke fun at their flamboyant uniform as they're generally Sergeant Majors with at least two decades of active service in the armed forces.

Have you ever seen a Beefeater?

If you have any additional information please leave a comment and if you have any questions, which you would like me to answer for free, please send an email to Ben Dash at ben.dash@gmail.com