YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, a veteran company, consisting of old soldiers of stately presence, employed on grand occasions in conjunction with the gentlemen-at-arms as the bodyguard of the sovereign. These yeomen were constituted a corps in 1485 by King Henry VII., and they still wear the costume of that period. Armed with partisans, and in their quaint uniform, the men present a singularly picturesque aspect. The officers of the corps are a captain (ordinarily a peer), a lieutenant, and an ensign—all old army officers. The whole charge is borne by the sovereign's civil list. The Beef-eaters (q.v.) or warders of the Tower are an entirely different corps, but since the reign of Edward VI. wear the yeoman's uniform, without the shoulder-belt. See Preston's Yeomen of the Guard (2d ed. 1887).