Old Martin facts for kids
Old Martin was a very large grizzly bear. He was given to King George III in 1811. At that time, Old Martin was already fully grown. The Hudson's Bay Company gave him to the king.
Old Martin was sent to the Royal Menagerie. This was a special zoo located at the Tower of London. He was the first grizzly bear ever seen in England. But King George III was not very excited. He joked that he would have preferred a new tie or socks instead!
The Royal Menagerie closed down around 1831 or 1832. This decision was made by the Duke of Wellington. He was in charge of the Tower at the time. Old Martin and the other animals moved to the new London Zoo. This zoo was in Regent's Park. Old Martin lived there until he died in 1838.
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What Was Old Martin Like?
In 1829, a zoologist named Edward Turner Bennett wrote about Old Martin. He said that Old Martin was a great example of his species. He was the only grizzly bear in Europe at that time.
Old Martin had been given to the king over seventeen years before. He was the oldest animal living at the Tower Menagerie. People started calling him "Old Martin" because he was so old. He was even more famous than other bears.
Old Martin's Size and Temper
Old Martin was much bigger than any other bear seen in Europe. Even though he had been a prisoner for a long time, he was still very wild. He did not let his keepers get close to him. He treated them like strangers.
Sometimes, he might seem playful. But his keepers knew not to trust him. They knew he could be dangerous.
The Tower of London's Ghostly Bear
While Old Martin lived at the Tower, a strange event happened in 1816. A Yeomen Warder was on night duty. This is a guard at the Tower. He saw a ghostly bear near the Martin Tower.
The guard was very scared. He tried to hit the ghost with his bayonet. But his weapon went right through the vision. It stuck into the door behind it. People said the guard died of shock a few hours later.
Other Bears at the Tower
Old Martin was not the first bear to live at the Tower of London. In 1251, King Henry III received a special gift. The king of Norway, Haakon the Young, gave him a polar bear.
Old Martin's Remains
In 1999, Old Martin's skin and skull were found. They were at the Natural History Museum, London. They had been listed as belonging to a "black bear." But they were indeed Old Martin's remains. They were brought back to the Tower for a special exhibition.
