a Royal Warrant issued in June 1675, which provided John Flamsteed, who became the first Royal Astronomer, with the funding to set up a proper observatory in Greenwich”-site of the prime meridian, longitude 0 degrees. “The truth,” Skaife writes, “is that there was no Royal Decree. But, he continued, “it's myth and legend.” that six ravens should live at the Tower of London forevermore” or the kingdom would fall. Charles agreed to shoo them away, “until someone pointed out that the birds had always been at the Tower and were an important symbol.” Ultimately, Skaife explained at Caveat: “Charles II stated. In the book, Skaife says that the usual explanation begins with sky watcher John Flamsteed complaining to King Charles II about the wild ravens interfering with the celestial observations he performed at the Tower. But why are there resident ravens at the Tower in the first place?
Indeed, life among the ravens takes discipline and courage-he must maintain his composure up close with large birds (three times the weight of crows) blessed with big beaks and formidable talons.
“I used to think that my military career came to an end when I left the army,” Skaife writes, “but now I see that it was merely my apprenticeship.” But what's truly extraordinary are the birds. Skaife spent more than two decades in the military before becoming, in all its officialdom, Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London and a member of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary. Our conversation took place before an avian aficionado audience at Caveat, the lower Manhattan spot that bills itself as the “speakeasy bar for intelligent nightlife.” The ravens do not bill themselves-they hatch that way. Such was the case in October, when Skaife came to New York City, where I interviewed him about his new book, The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018). Unless the Ravenmaster, Christopher Skaife, is on holiday. And it wasn't a portentous day in 1215 or 1455 or 1605 or 1837. This wasn't Winterfell it's the Tower of London. None of the ravens has three eyes or carries messages. Merlina was already out-she prefers to sleep outside. He then prepared water and food for the seven ravens he lives with before releasing six of them for the day. He emerged from his quarters and onto the grounds. The Ravenmaster awoke at the crack of dawn.
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