Gibraltar

The Ceremony Of The Keys.

Dressed up in period costume of
Gibraltar’s Great Siege (1779-1783)
these men re-enact the Ceremony Of The Keys
and other events from those times.

The keys were kept by the Governor who would hand them to the Port (Gate) Sergeant each evening at sunset, so that the four land entrances could be locked shut. The Gate Sergeant with an escort consisting of several armed soldiers, would then march to each of the four gates in turn. He would be challenged by the sentry at the gate
with a loud, "Halt! Who goes there?"
to which the Port Sergeant would reply, "The Keys!".

Once all the gates were locked, the keys would be returned to the Governor at the Convent. In the Morning, the Port Sergeant would
once again collect the keys to open the town for the day.

During the Great Siege (1779-1783), the Governor, General Sir George Augustus Elliot, would carry the keys with him everywhere - it was rumoured that he slept with them under his pillow at night.

The practice of locking-up the Town at night was stopped
during the First World War in 1914.

During the 1700s and 1800s, the sea came up to the defensive walls and there were
only four outer gates through which the town could be entered.
These four keys locked these entrances to the town.

The Waterport Gate is what is now the gate at Casemates.
When a further defensive wall was built (Chatham's Counterguard),
a wicket gate - Chatham's Wicket - provided access to the sea
and the gun batteries on Devil's Tongue.

Landport Gate was the only access to the town from the land to the North.
It was defended by a ditch and drawbridge.
The land beyond the ditch was flooded (now the Laguna and Glacis areas).
Southport Gate, which was the only way of entering the town from the South
until Prince Edward's Gate was built,
was also defended by a bridge and ditch (now disappeared).

The Ceremony of the Keys was revived in 1933 and is now performed
twice a year (April & October) by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
and the resident British Battalions (see next page).

travel pics pro - Gibraltar

Photo © Jack Cox - www.TravelPicsPro.com

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