18. Charles Dickens' Pet Raven & the Whitechapel Bell Foundry

This episode is inspired by Georgia's recent trip to Philadelphia. We're discussing Charles Dickens' pet raven, Grip, and how she inspired Edgar Allen Poe to write one of his most famous poems, and the many ravens named after her that have served as guardians of the Tower of London. Then we move down the street to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry where the Liberty Bell was cast and where Big Ben was recast. 

So pour yourself a cup of tea and #getcomfy.

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Theme music: https://megamusicmonkey.com/free-music-royal-tea-party-song-30-second-creative-commons/

Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome to episode 18 of A Cuppa Tea with the DBE. 

I originally had something else planned for you this week BUT I spent all of last week in Philadelphia for an archaeology conference and I got to see some really cool things in my free time and I wanted to share those stories with you. 

Before we get to that, I did receive a lovely comment on Facebook from Jennifer Gregory in Alabama. She says, “Oh, what a refreshing and thoroughly charming podcast. I literally feel as though I took a nice, refreshing brain break from the world. Thank you!” 

Jennifer, thank you for your kind words and I hope the rest of you listening feel the same way. 

With that being said, why don’t you pour yourself a cup of tea and get comfortable?

/tea pouring/

Like I said, I spent all of last week in Philadelphia and the highlight of my trip was going to the Free Library of Philadelphia and going on their Rare Book tour - it’s free and they do it at 11am every day. I got to see ancient cuneiform tablets - cuneiform is an early writing system from Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East created by wedge-shaped characters being set in clay tablets. I also got to see papyrus from Ancient Egypt and a 15th century Book of Hours. But the thing I specifically went there for, and the thing I wanted to tell you about, is Charles Dickens’ pet raven, Grip. 

Ravens are very intelligent and are capable of mimicking speech, much like parrots, and Dickens was inspired by Grip’s extensive vocabulary so he wrote his pet bird into his fifth novel, Barnaby Rudge. In 1841, he wrote to his friend, George Cattermole, that the character of Barnaby was, “always in company with a pet raven, who is immeasurably more knowing than himself. To this end, I have been studying my bird, and I think I could make a very queer character of him.” 

Now, Grip was given free reign of the home and stories vary from this point. Some say that Grip just had a bad habit of peeling paint off surfaces and eating it. Others say that Grip was banished to shed and after biting one of the children and got into a can of paint. Either way, Grip died of lead-poisoning after ingesting lead-based paint. 

After her death, Dickens approached a taxidermist and had Grip mounted and she continued to stay in his household until his death in 1870. 

Now, Edgar Allen Poe wrote book reviews to earn money as his own works did not see him much fame during his life, and one thing he reviewed was Barnaby Rudge. Poe liked the story but believed that Dickens could have given the raven a stronger presence in the novel. Many believe that this is what inspired him to write one of his most famous poems, The Raven, first published in 1845. 

Grip was bequeathed to the Free Library in a larger collection that included many of Poe’s original manuscripts and first edition books. 

In 2018, Grip was visited by the Yeoman Warder and Ravenmaster from the Tower of London, Christopher Skaife as part of a tour promoting his own book - The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London. 

It was only during Skaife’s visit that it was clarified that Grip was a female - until then, she was believed to be male. 

Skaife is only the sixth person to hold the title of Ravenmaster at the Tower.

To apply for the position of Ravenmaster, one must first be a Yeoman Warder (a beefeater), and warders themselves must have served a minimum of 22 years in the British Armed Forces, achieved the rank of warrant officer, and hold the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

The official title of the ceremonial guardians is: 

Yeoman Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign’s Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary.  

The term “beefeater” may come from the fact that in the 17th century, the Yeoman were given a large ration of beef each day, though no one can say for certain. 

Warders say that the real beefeaters of the Tower are the ravens themselves. 

Legend says that at least six ravens must reside at the Tower of London at all times, lest the monarchy and the tower itself collapse. The earliest evidence of this legend comes from the reign of Charles II when John Falmsteed, the astronomical observer, complained that the birds were interfering with his work. Originally, the king called for their destruction but upon being informed that “if the birds left, the tower would fall and a great disaster befall the kingdom,” so he changed his mind and issued a decree that at least six ravens be kept at the tower at all times. 

During World War II, ravens were used as spotters for bombs and planes in the Blitz. As a result, many died either from the bombing or of stress. A raven named Gripp (another one!)  was one of the only ravens to remain at the Tower through the war. This prompted Churchill to order more ravens to the Tower - they were and still are enlisted as soldiers of the United Kingdom, even being issued attestation cards. 

In 1986, one raven named George was dismissed for bad behaviour when he started eating TV antennas. His paperwork says: “On Saturday 13th September 1986, Raven George, enlisted 1975, was posted to the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Conduct unsatisfactory, service therefore no longer required.”

The next year, 1987, a successful breeding program was established for the Tower ravens - 17 chicks have been born as a result of this. 

During the 2006 bird-flu outbreak, the ravens were kept inside to live in custom-built aviaries to protect them from contracting the virus. 

In 2012, two more ravens joined the Tower - one named Jubilee in honour of the Queen’s diamond jubilee, and another one again named Gripp. 

On April 23, 2019, for chicks were born at the Tower - three went elsewhere but one was kept at the Tower and was named George in reference to being born on St. George’s Day. 

In January of last year, Merlina, known as “Queen of the Tower Ravens,” was presumed dead after being missing for several weeks. The Tower announced that they had no intention of replacing her immediately as they still had seven ravens, but hoped that the breeding program would be up to the formidable challenge of continuing her legacy. 

Two months later, they announced two new chicks were born - a female that was named Branwen after a Celtic deity, queen of the ravens and of beauty and love, chosen by a public vote, and a male named Edgar after Edgar Allen Poe.

One mile outside of the Tower of London, was the Whitechapel Bell Foundry which closed its doors in 2017 after 450 years of producing bells. I know that’s quite a turn from ravens but bear with me because one of the more famous attractions in Philadelphia is, of course, the LIberty Bell. But did you know it was forged in London? 

The Liberty Bell was originally called the State House Bell and first hung from the tower of the  Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. 

Many believe that “Pennsylvania” is spelled incorrectly on the bell, BUT, at the time, spelling it with only one N was common practice - Alexander Hamilton even uses this spelling on the signature page of the Constitution. 

It arrived in Philadelphia in August of 1752 when the State House tower was still under construction so it was mounted on a stand to test the sound. Upon first ring, the bell cracked. This would become a story to make Britain look bad. For example, in an 1893 speech, Benjamin Harrsion said, “This old bell was made in England but it had to be recast in America before it was attuned to proclaim the right self-government and the equal rights of men. 

Back at the Whitechapel Foundry, they insisted that the bell was either damaged in transit or rung by someone inexperienced in bellringing who hit the rim instead of the bell’s body. 

If you’ve seen the movie, National Treasure with Nicholas Cage, you’ll know that the bell was recast by John Pass and John Stow, though no one can say for certain how the current crack came to be. 

What is certain is that many other well-known bells came from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. 

These include bells for Canterbury Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Liverpool Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and even the National Cathedral in Washington DC. But the most famous bell has to be Big Ben which was recast at the foundry in 1858. 

I think it’s worth mentioning that Big Ben refers to the bell itself, not the tower. And Big Ben is actually a nickname. Its official name is the Great Bell which resides in Elizabeth Tower (originally Clock Tower but renamed in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee), and this tower is part of the Palace of Westminster which, like Independence Hall, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

There are actually five bells in Elizabeth Tower but Big Ben is the biggest, weighing 13.7 tonnes. For 23 years, it was the largest bell in the UK but now, Great Paul at St Paul’s Cathedral weighs in at 16.5 tonnes, though it hasn’t been rung in several years. 

When the Tower was completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. The clock dials are 22.5 feet in diameter and each nation of the UK is represented on the tower - a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Northern Ireland, and a leek for Wales. 

The clock is wound three times a week and the winding process takes over an hour. It is accurate to within two seconds a week and is adjusted by adding pennies made prior to 1971 to the weight of the pendulum. Each penny adds .4 seconds to the day. The clock stayed dark and the bells silenced during World War II. 

Whitechapel Foundry was busy post-war repairing or replacing bells that were lost or damaged during the Blitz. 

The last bell cast at the Foundry was on March 22, 2017. It was given to the Museum of London along with historical artifacts from the business. The premises were purchased and are intended to be converted into a hotel with a bell-themed cafe. A profile template of Big Ben surrounds the entrance and I hope that feature is preserved for years to come. 

/tea stirring/

I know that episode covered a few different topics but I hope you found it as interesting to hear as I did to learn about. 

I mentioned the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee a couple of times in this episode, which was not intentional but perhaps appropriate as we kick off this year that marks her Platinum Jubilee. I already have several things in the works surrounding the Jubilee but if there’s anything you’d like to hear about - whether it be for February or June, please let me know! 

If you’re keeping up with us on social media, you’ll know that we have established a Goodreads account so if you go to Goodreads, you can find all kinds of books related to topics we discuss on the podcast, including Christopher Skaife’s book mentioned earlier, The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London. 

As always, you can engage with us on social media by searching Daughters of the British Empire on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

And until next time… 

Not ourselves but the cause