Beefeaters, British History and the Empire in Asia and Australasia since 1826

Abstract

The Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London (colloquially known as 'Beefeaters') have been represented as a quintessential part of British history. Their distinctive Tudor costumes and their highly visible role at the Tower made them iconic symbols of Britishness. One would think that the Beefeater could only be seen in London yet the iconography of the Beefeater was widespread across the British Empire, including India, Hong Kong, Malaya, Australia and New Zealand. This essay explores the transmission of a symbol of Britishness, arguing that while the Beefeater was a global icon, it resonated most with those who desired a direct connection to Anglo-British history. The reception and consumption of the Beefeater differed substantially. In Australia and New Zealand, the Beefeater allowed 'distant Britons' to celebrate a nostalgic history shared with the old country, while elsewhere in the Empire and Commonwealth, the Beefeater was too historically obscure to hold resonance and often symbolised the commercialism associated with marketing alcohol. This essay explores the changing representations and meaning of the Beefeaters as an icon of Britishness across the rise and fall of the British Empire.

Reinventing theTowerBeefeater in the Nineteenth Century

“…Indeed given the widespread popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan with amateur dramatic societies across the English‐speaking world their operetta, along with Beefeater gin, ensured that Beefeaters were a widely recognized symbol of Britishness throughout the British world. If the patrons of Gilbert and Sullivan were predominantly middle class, the Tower also appealed to more modest audiences. By the end of the nineteenth century the music hall artist Dan Leno was also celebrating the picturesque Beefeater in comic song.…”

The Incoherence of Empire. Or, the Pitfalls of Ignoring Sovereignty in the History of the British Empire

“…42 Tightening the diffuse literature on the 'British world', Stuart Ward's recent epic study charts the end of global Britishness conceived as a 'civic identity', and in so doing frequently acknowledges the associated political languages (and, by extension, institutions). 43 Lauren Benton's work has highlighted the role of plural forms of law, showing that 'multisided legal contests were simultaneously central to the construction of colonial rule and key to the formation of larger patterns of global structuring'. 44 Alan Lester, Kate Boehme and Peter Mitchell's project mapping imperial government 'everywhere all at once', has shown the the entangled nature of a plural empire whose occasional empire-wide projects worked themselves out in different places in different ways.…”