Lion skull, front view, with a calibrated radiocarbon date of AD 1420-1480. The skull was found in the Tower of London moat during excavations in 1936-37. Courtesy Natural History Museum Picture Library.

There’s not much evidence of animal liberators taking offence at the time, but contemporary ones be warned – you won’t be pleased to hear how early English monarchs treated the king of beasts.

Whatever your position, big cat remains found in the Tower of London moat offer an intriguing glimpse into that earliest of zoos, the Royal Menagerie, and point to the real-life relationship between the monarchy and its heraldic symbol, the lion.

Scientists from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the Natural History Museum (NHM) have dated two lion skulls from the long-defunct collection of creatures, believed to have been housed in the Tower of London, to the 13th and 15th centuries.

“The results of this research are of great significance for the history of the Tower, of the monarchy, of zoological collections and natural history in general,” said Jeremy Ashbee, Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings at English Heritage and former curator at the Tower of London.

The skulls were unearthed in the 1930s and have been stored at the NHM ever since. Radiocarbon dating has recently been made possible by funding from English Heritage and shows the best preserved of the skulls to be the earliest known medieval big cat in the country.

The Tower of London - not such welcome surroundings for exotic animals, even less so the moat! © Historic Royal Palaces/ newsteam.co.uk.

LJMU’s Dr Hannah O’Regan led the research. She said: “These lions were potent symbols of monarchy at the time of the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses."

"Our research provides important information on some of the earliest lions seen in Northern Europe since they became extinct at the end of the last Ice Age," she went on. "It also sheds some light on the conditions and health of animals in one of the world’s longest running menageries.”

The menagerie, where the lions are assumed to have lived, was established by King John (1199-1216). Evidence shows that the royal ‘pets’ included big cats, bears and other exotic species – probably gifts presented by England’s allies. The new research is particularly interesting as it sheds light on the earliest phases of the royal pet house. A few short references in ancient documents and a sketch of an elephant by a monk is all else that can be counted on for information from the time.

“The Royal Menagerie is one of the great ‘lost’ institutions of the Tower,” explained Mr Ashbee [the Duke of Wellington disbanded the collection in 1835, sending the remaining animals to the zoological gardens at Regent’s Park (London Zoo)], “and hardly any traces of it remain visible today. At its height, it was an immensely popular tourist attraction, in the same way that the Crown Jewels are today.”

“The menagerie seems to have been a private collection for the king,” he continued, “a sign that he enjoyed good relations with foreign monarchs, who presented him with animals. Lions were particularly prized as the living emblems of the royal arms of England, much like modern mascots.”

Lion skull, side view, dated AD 1420-1480. The skull is now housed in the Natural History Museum, London. Courtesy NHM Picture Library.

Lions have appeared on the English monarchy’s coat of arms since the reign of Henry II (1133-1189). A semi-circular structure built in the south western corner of the Tower in 1276-7 (during the reign of Edward I), later dubbed the Lion Tower, is known to be where the menagerie was housed from the 16th century, but its location earlier than that is not certain.

“Finding two virtually complete big cat skulls dating back to the 13th and 15th centuries from the moat adjacent to the Middle and Lion Towers suggests that they were kept in this area,” said Dr O’Regan.

The earliest skull has been dated to between 1280-1385, which covers the period when the Lion Tower was built and the reigns of Edward I, II and III. The second skull was not in such good condition, but has been dated to slightly more recent times: 1420-1480. During these 60 years, the Chronicles of London report that all the lions in the Tower died.

Despite their majestic status, the LJMU study suggests that the animals weren’t treated with any special reverence when they died, but rather dumped, unskinned in the Tower’s moat.

Menagerie animals were also baited, at the Tower and at pits in Southwark, which may explain the existence of the 19 dog skulls from the same place, also looked at by the research team. One such skull had puncture wounds in the head, suggesting it had been in a fight.

Lower jaw of lion from the right, dated AD 1280-1385 — the earliest medieval big cat in the UK. Courtesy NHM Picture Library.

Unlike in modern zoos, the medieval lions were probably kept in cages measuring just over 6 metres by 6 metres – appallingly cramped for an adult which could reach 2.5 metres in length. Some idea of animal welfare must have reached the Tower by the 17th century, though, as the living arrangements then seem to have developed a second storey and outside exercise area.

The later skull also indicates that the lion shared an abnormality seen in 20th century captive lions.

“There are around 500 years between the Tower lion and the 1950s captive animal,” said Dr O’Regan, “and yet they both still show the same condition, suggesting that this is, or was, a condition that is persistent in captive lions.” She pointed out that this finding could have implications for conservation strategies.

“Museum collections play an important role in helping researchers to understand the life history, development and habits of animals,” said Richard Sabin, Curator of Mammals at the NHM. “It’s the physical remains, particularly the bones, that really tell the animals’ stories.”

“I hope these findings will help us to open up new areas of research using the museum’s osteo-archaeological collections,” he went on. “Further investigations will give us more information about the origins and diets of these historically very important animals, creating a fascinating window into the past as well as providing information which may be of value to those involved with the care of animals held in captivity today.”