Christopher Skaife (born 18 December 1965) is a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London.[1] He was previously the Ravenmaster and his responsibilities included the care and feeding for the ravens of the Tower of London.[2]
Christopher Skaife | |
|---|---|
 Skaife at Hatchards in London in 2018 | |
| Born | 18 December 1965 Dover, England |
| Title | Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster (2011–2024) |
| Military career | |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1982 – c. 2006 |
| Rank | Colour sergeant |
| Unit | Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment |
Skaife was born in Dover[3] on 18 December 1965[4] and joined the British Army at the age of 18.[5] Skaife is a retired colour sergeant and a former drum major with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.[6]
In 2011, Skaife succeeded Derrick Coyle as Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, where he was responsible for seven ravens.[6] In 2018, he published The Ravenmaster, which The Guardian called "a wonderfully personal account of life with the ravens".[5][7] In March 2024 he retired as Ravenmaster after 14 years and was replaced by Company Sergeant Major Barney Chandler (a former Royal Marine).[8]
Publications
edit- The Ravenmaster. 2018. ISBN 978-0-374-11334-6.
References
edit- ^ Mirsky, Steve (January 2019). "Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife Tells of His Relationships with the Tower of London's Resident Birds". Scientific American. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ Larson, Sarah (29 October 2018). "Bird-Watching with the Ravenmaster". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London. HarperCollins. 2 October 2018. ISBN 9781443455947.
- ^ Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov.
- ^ a b Smith, P. D. (3 November 2018). "The Ravenmaster by Christopher Skaife review – my life at the Tower of London". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ a b Theobald, John Owen. "The Tower of London Ravenmaster". Historic UK. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ Macdonald, Helen (October 2018). "The Brilliant, Playful, Bloodthirsty Raven". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "New Ravenmaster Appointed at the Tower of London". Historic Royal Palaces. Hampton Court Palace: Palaces Press Office. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
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