There’s a legend that supposedly dates back to Charles II that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the Tower and the kingdom will fall. This is given as the reason for the Ravenmaster, one of the Yeoman Wardens of the Tower, spending much of his day caring for, and feeding, the (minimum) six ravens that live at the Tower. Except that according to Ravenmaster Skaife, this ancient legend was invented by the Victorians. The earliest reference he could find to ravens at the Tower after years of trawling through all the records at the Tower was from an 1883 picture book. He has a theory that Yeoman Warders of that time made up the story when they first started giving guided tours of the Tower. The Yeoman Warders are storytellers, and this story is one that every one of them tells on their tours, embellishing it with details, such as claiming to have seen the ghost of Anne Boleyn, then pointing to the ravens and saying, “and there … are the ravens, reminders of our dark past, souls of the departed, the very souls of those who were executed on the private scaffold site on Tower Green! Witness the ravens! Here since the beginning of time! Here since Anne Boleyn herself was executed!” Skaife embraces the legend of the ravens even while discrediting it, because he understands the importance of telling a good story. And he knows this story is part of the English national heritage now.

Skaife’s own story, The Ravenmaster, shows this. It’s an engaging account of his life among the ravens. He mixes history and ornithology with details of the daily routine of caring for the ravens and amusing stories of what the ravens get up to. He also includes his personal history, of his two decades in the British Army before he joined the Yeoman Warders. Most of the book is like listening to Skaife telling yarns over a few drinks at his local pub. His love for his weird job and for the ravens is apparent on every page of this book.

Skaife tells us that the Tower ravens are not tame pets and they do not perform for the public. They just live at the Tower and occasionally interact with tourists on their own terms. And sometimes their way of interacting is to steal food or purses from tourists, and even bite them at times. They are unpredictable, but undeniably fascinating birds. If you are a tourist at the Tower, you may get to see a raven close up, perching on one of the walls. Alternatively, you may get to see a raven eating a mouse from the inside out after a successful hunt. Skaife has some entertaining stories, such as the story of Raven George who was sent away to live in Welsh Zoo, dismissed for Conduct Unbecoming (George liked to attack and destroy TV aerials on buildings close to the Tower); the story of Raven Grog who decided to leave the Tower after 21 years to take up residence in a pub; and the story of Raven Munin who escaped one day and was eventually recaptured after living at the Greenwich Observatory for 4 days. This last story involved Skaife climbing scaffolding around the White Tower to try to catch her and almost falling to his death when he attempted to use a weathervane to get closer to Munin, forgetting that weathervanes are made to turn.

This is a light read, not a detailed textbook on ravens. But if you’re interested in the subject, Skaife has included a four page bibliography for further reading on ravens and birds in general (plus two additional pages of references for the Tower of London and general folklore). Although light, it was informative, and I now know a lot more about ravens and the Tower of London. A delightful read that I think most people with an interest in history and folklore, and especially in ravens, will enjoy.