| Thomas Heneage | |
| Fictional Character | |
| 1632 series POD: May, 1631 | |
| Appearance(s): | Grantville Gazette XXX |
| Nationality: | England |
| Occupation: | Keeper of the lions and leopards |
| Relatives: | Ralph Gill (uncle), Ann Heneage (aunt), Robert Gill (cousin) |
Thomas Heneage was the keeper of the lions and leopards of the Tower of London. His predecessor was his uncle, Ralph Gill.
On January 1634, Heneage granted a tour to Rita Stearns and Melissa Mailey at the Lion Tower. Despite its name, the Lion Tower also held a leopard, a pair of cougars, several camels, a rather mangy hyena, and a few other specimens. Heneage asked Mailey if the Lion Tower's menagerie had grown in size or included new animals in the 20th century. Mailey explained the Lion Tower's usage had gone defunct and served as a tourist attraction after the death of King George IV and that all the animals were displayed at the London Zoo in Regent's Park. This was met with an awkward silence.
Heneage was later intrigued to learn from Mailey about the remains of Prince Edward and Prince Richard that were found in 1674. When he learned that they had been found in the White Tower, Heneage privately advised Mailey not mention this to anyone so he could send a missive about this discovery to King Charles. Heneage assumed that that he would want the bones of his royal kinsmen to be properly buried and would handsomely reward Henege for bringing the matter to his attention. Mailey agreed to keep this between them.
While continuing his conversation with Mailey, Heneage learned about the "washing the lions" prank on April 2, 1698. He passed this information to the Yeomen Warders, who, in the spring of 1634, played the joke on Lieutenant Alvarez, a Spaniard officer who was hated by the Warders for his demeaning criticism of England and the Warders.