American Toby Jug Museum 

Alfred face pot produced by Kevin Francis Ceramics of Stoke-on-Trent, England, circa 2002. Alfred is a Beefeater. The Yeomen of the Guard, now known as Beefeaters, were the first permanent Royal Guard formed at Henry VII's coronation in 1485. The name Beefeater literally means well-fed servant. The Yeoman of the Guard are responsible for guarding the Tower of London. Their function today is largely ceremonial, and, dressed in their distinctive scarlet and gold coats, white ruffles and black hats, they are the main attraction at the ceremony of the keys and other state functions. Alfred's message inside the face pot quotes the poet Edgar Allen Poe from his poem "The Raven": "Quoth the raven, never more". The Ravens of the Tower of London are a group of at least six captive ravens resident at the Tower of London. Their presence is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the Tower; a superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it."