Ceremony of the Constable’s Dues
Very rarely, the Ceremony of the Constable’s Dues is conducted at the Tower of London by visiting military units. The ceremony dates back to when the Constable (senior officer) of the Tower of London would tax the goods carried by ships into the Port of London.
The Ceremony of the Constable’s Dues date back to 1381 when King Richard II issued a grant for every galley (boat/ship) passing the Tower of London must present two rundlets of wine, (one rundlet is approximately 68 litres).
Nowadays, the ceremony is conducted to present the Constable of the Tower of London with a barrel (keg) of wine or port.
On 14th March 2024 the Royal Marines conducted the Ceremony to mark their 360th anniversary year so it was very fitting the current Constable, General Sir Richard Messenger, was a Royal Marine and the first to have been installed as Constable of the Tower of London.
The Royal Marines of 47 Commando loaded the barrel of port on to raiding craft to be taken from the nearby Royal Navy Reserves base HMS President up the River Thames to the Tower of London. As a Royal Navy Merlin AW101 helicopter flew overhead, the barrel was landed at Tower Pier and given over to the care of the Royal Marines shore party.
With the barrel of wine safely secured, suspended from an oar (spar) carried by two Royal Marines, the shore party marched off from the pier towards the front entrance of the Tower of London adjacent to the Middle Tower (the main tourist entrance).
As the Commandos approached the gate, it was slammed shut with the Yeoman Jailer shouting the challenge “Pray Sir, state your business” to which the Royal Marine Captain leading the parade replied “Royal Marines delivering the Constable’s Dues of wine”.
Having convinced the Beefeater that their intentions where friendly, the gate was opened to allow them entry to the Tower.
Escorted by the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) in their red State Ceremonial uniforms with King Charles’ cypher, the Royal Marines marched into the Tower of London proceeded by their band and the barrel of port suspended from the oar carried by two Royal Marines.
Entering through the Middle Tower, they crossed over the moat and through the Byward Tower to march along Water Lane. Turning left at the Lanthorn Tower took the parade into the inner sanctum and around the central White Tower then on to Tower Green.
Once on Tower Green, the barrel of wine was ceremonially presented to the Constable before the parade was marched off for photos and a reception.
The barrel of wine actually contained Port, a fortified wine, provided by Taylor’s Port.
Beefeaters dressed in their red State Ceremonial uniforms march off from Tower Green carrying ceremonial historic weapons.
After all the ceremonial was done, there was then time for a group photograph. Present in the picture are:
- Royal Marines Cadets
- Royal Marines
- Royal Marines Band
- Royal Marines veterans
- Senior staff of the Royal Marines including the Commandant General
- The Second Sea Lord
- The Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
- The Deputy of Governor of the Tower of London
- The Constable of the Tower
- Several officers from allied navies
Watching The Ceremony
I’d been wanting to see the Ceremony of the Constable’s Dues for years,, a London tradition I’d yet to see. Then, with a few days notice, the ceremony was announced.
The big day arrived and I arrived early at the Tower of London to get a prime viewing spot. The perimeter around Tower Green filled with tourists and then it was showtime.
The Triennial battle (every three years) between the Tower of London and All Hallows by the Tower church, is another infrequent ceremony. Hostilities break out every three years.
Filming for Channel 5’s “Inside the Tower of London”
So far (as of 2024), British TV station Channel Five has broadcast seven seasons of “Inside the Tower of London”. A film crew was there to film the day’s goings on for the popular documentary series.
Episode one of series 7 featured the preparations for day (broadcast 22nd November 2024). Episode two featured the day itself (broadcast 29th November 2024) showing the early morning practice before the Tower opened, and the reception afterwards for those who had taken part.
All episodes are available on My5 Streaming.
Ceremony of the Constable’s Dues – Picture Gallery
I took lots of pictures on the day, the best of which are in the gallery.
Naval Forces Who’ve Paid Constable’s Dues In Recent Years
A bit of Google research found the names of these military units who have paid the Constable’s Dues in recent years. The list has been created from captioned photographs and videos.
Date | Ship | Navy | Type |
18-Jul-2009 | USS Halyburton | US Navy | Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigate |
21-Jun-2010 | Latouche-Tréville | French Navy | Type F70 destroyer |
25-Feb-2011 | HMS Westminster | Royal Navy | Type 23 Frigate |
28-Jan-2012 | HMS Liverpool | Royal Navy | Type 42 Destroyer |
19-Jul-2012 | HMS Ocean | Royal Navy | Landing Platform Helicopter |
10-May-2013 | HMS Illustrious HMS Edinburgh HMS Blythe | Royal Navy | Aircraft Carrier Type 42 Destroyer Sandown Class Mine Hunter |
23-May-2014 | FGS Niedersachsen | German Navy | German Navy Bremen Class Frigate |
23-Jun-2014 | 1 Assault Group Royal Marines (1AGRM) | Royal Navy | |
27-Apr-2015 | HMS Defender | Royal Navy | Type 45 Destroyer |
15-Sep-2015 | HNLMS Johan de Witt | Dutch Navy | Rotterdam Class Landing Platform Dock |
15-May-2017 | HMS Richmond | Royal Navy | Type 23 Frigate |
19-Nov-2018 | HMCS Halifax | Canadian Navy | Canadian Navy Halifax Class Frigate |
24-Jun-2019 | HMS Enterprise | Royal Navy | Echo Class Survey Vessel |
13-Sep-2021 | HMS Albion | Royal Navy | Albion Class Amphibious Ship |
14-Mar-2024 | Royal Marines | Royal Navy |