[HPforGrownups] Keeper of the Keys?

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 45407

At 13:38 15/10/02 +0000, mrflynn6 wrote:
>Perhaps I have missed this somewhere, but what exactly is a "Keeper
>of the Keys"?  Hagrid introduces himself to Harry as this.  Is this a
>British term for something?  I am assuming it is the guardian of
>something other than Harry's vault key.

I don't know about general usage, but there is one very, very famous and 
long-standing real life owner of that title, the Keeper of the Keys at the 
Tower of London.

Even today,  the Keeper of the Keys is much more than a ceremonial role 
(the current Keeper, as all who went before him, is a senior military 
officer), and he quite literally is the only person who has a key to the 
front door. He opens it every morning, and closes it every night (together 
with several other doors, the only keys to which are in his possession).

A procession every evening during which the Keeper of the Keys does his 
rounds of the Tower is the longest-running unbroken and unchanged military 
routine (started in the 12th century and known to have been interrupted - 
NOT cancelled! - on only one day in all that time, during a bomb raid on 
the Tower during WWII).

Incidentally, all of the Beef Eaters (the guys in the funny "costumes" who 
act as tour guides at the Tower) aren't actors or hired help. They are all 
trained military officers who have to go through a rigorous selection 
process (not the least element of which is to have a loud voice and some 
acting ability!) :-) to be posted to serve at the Tower, where they also 
live. Should the need arise (and it has, on a several occasions in the 
quite recent past) they are able to drop their tourist guide role 
immediately and take on their primary role as trained soldiers... Oh, and 
what they wear aren't costumes, they're traditional military uniforms...

The Keeper of the Keys is their immediate commanding officer.

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who would like to apologise for the OT digression, but 
felt some people might find it interesting, as indeed is the Tower of 
London itself!. :-)