A Look Inside the Tower of London
The Tower of London, also known as Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, is one of the most famous spots to visit while in the city of London. Today one can see quirky guards in uniforms that look like renaissance costumes, gardens, and the Crown Jewels. Millions visit the Tower every year, and it has essentially been turned into a museum. But behind the tourist attraction is a rich and bloody past.
History
The Tower of London covers about eighteen acres, including a moat, and was originally built within the old Roman City Walls. The first tower was built by William the Conqueror, in 1078, to protect London. It has been a fortress, a palace and a prison. Each Monarch to take the throne has modified the tower throughout history, and the White Tower is the only original Norman building remaining. It has contained the Royal Menagerie, the Royal Mint, Observatory, and Public Records. The Tower of London was an arsenal and is still the strongest Fortress in England, and the home of the Crown Jewels. The Tower has even withstood bombings in World War I.
Then there are the Ravens at the Tower of London. They are as enriched in its history as the Tower itself. There is a legend that if the ravens are ever removed from the Tower, it will fall, and so will the entire Kingdom. They are now allowed to roam the grounds freely as their wings have been clipped.
Torture
The Tower of London is renowned for gruesome stories of torture. In reality, a tiny portion of prisoners brought to the Tower of London were tortured, and this was mainly done during times of great religious upheaval in England. Torture was used as a means of obtaining information from prisoners already found guilty. Some instruments used were the infamous rack, the scavenger’s daughter, and a small cell called “Little Ease,” in which prisoners were put in a tiny cell with no hope of ever gaining comfort. Mainly prisoners were intimidated and threatened. Not to say punishment wasn’t harsh. Lower-class criminals were hung outside the tower on public squares. High profile beheadings were held within the Tower. Seven nobles, five of them women, were beheaded privately and buried on Tower Green.
Hauntings
With so many people having died violently at The Tower of London, ghost stories abound. It is said that Anne Boleyn walks around the grounds, without her head. Mary, Queen of Scots, has been seen weeping. Princes Edward V and Richard Duke of York, both children, were thought to be murdered at the Tower of London. Figures of the two boys are seen playing on stairs. The remains of two small children have been found on the grounds. Sir Walter Raleigh roams the grounds as freely as he was allowed to do in life. The botched execution of Lady Salisbury is reenacted on the anniversary of her death, with her running from the executioner swinging his axe. She is said to be struck down and struck again and again by her executioner. Lady Jane Grey is also said to appear on the anniversary of her death. Screams and cries are heard throughout the Tower, and many a sentry have raised their bayonet and struck at a ghost, thinking they had an intruder, only to faint from fright when they realize the truth: the Tower of London is haunted.
Famous Prisoners
The first known prisoner of the Tower of London was Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham, sent there by Henry I, from 1100-1101. He is also the first escapee by tying sheets together and climbing out the window to a nearby stronghold. William Wallace was imprisoned at the tower in 1305 before being moved to Smithfield for his execution. Sir Thomas More was imprisoned from 1534-1535, and publicly executed at the tower. Anne Askew, the only woman on record of having been tortured, was arrested on heresy charges. She was later moved to Smithfield and burned at the stake. Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned for marrying one of the queen’s ladies in waiting without her permission. He was beheaded in front of the Houses of Parliament in 1618. His wife had his head embalmed and kept it with her. Rudolf Hess was captured in Scotland and imprisoned at the tower in 1941. He was the deputy of Adolf Hitler. The last execution at the Tower of London was a spy shot to death by firing squad in 1941.
Article written by Janice D. McDonald