Башня Лондона (Tower of London)
Выполнил: студент
5-го курса Института филологии
германо –романского
отделения
группы 505
Мирзоев Т. А.
1-
Introduction
– 1
2- The Bell Tower - 2
3- The bloody Tower - 2
4- The Salt Tower – 3
5- The Beauchamp Tower – 3
6- The Wakefield Tower – 4
7- The Martin Tower – 4
8- The White Tower – 5
a) Chaple of St. John The Evangelist – 5
b) The Arms and Armors (part one) – 5
c) The Arms and Armors (part two) – 6
9 The Crown Jewels – 7
10 Ceremonies – 8
a) The Ceremony of Keys – 8
b) The Ceremony of the Lilies and Roses
- 9
11 Ghost stories - 10
a) The Ghost of Anne Boleyn - 10
b) Traitors’ Gate - 11
The Tower of London is a
visual symbol of the Norman Conquest of England. It was built by William the
Conqueror with stone that was brought over from Caen. The English do not relish
the memory and like to think that the Tower went back to Romans and was founded
by Julius Ceaser. This is not true, but some parts of the complex rest on Roman
foundations. William I, though, brought over a Norman expert as his artificer,
Gundulf, who designed the Tower. The Tower of London is considered now by the
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments as "The most valuable monument of
Medieval military architecture surviving in England."
The Tower was not only a
fortress but eventually became a royal palace, state prison, the Mint, a record
office, observatory, and zoo. As a state prison it was used for criminals
considered most dangerous to the state, and the Mint was the treasury for the Crown Jewels. It became a zoo,
the original Zoo, in 1834 when pets that the king had accumulated over the
years were among a great diversity. The zoo consisted of lions, leopards, bears
wolves, lynxes, etc.
The general appearance of
this complex was much as it is today. Inside the complex, though, there have been many
changes. In front of the White Tower, on the south side, there was a royal
palace with private lodgings and great hall. Medieval kings often took refuge
in the lodgings. Many historic events took place here too, such as the murder
of the princes, Edward IV's sons. It was custom for kings and queens to spend
the night, or a few days, before their coronation in these royal apartments.
These royal lodgings were eventually swept away, leaving the Tower all alone.
After William the
Conqueror the king that left a lasting impression on the Tower was Henry III.
By 1236 he had rebuilt the Great Hall and built the Wakefield Tower next to the
royal lodgings. He also built the archway to the Bloody Tower and the main
angle towers along the wall.
A direct waterway
entrance from the Thames onto the Tower was difficult and for a time
unachievable. It wasn't until the oratory was built to the martyr St. Thomas
that the foundations were ensured for such an entrance. The Water Gate, or
entrance from the Thames into the Tower, later became known as Traiter's Gate.
Henry III's son, Edward I, finished off the Tower.
Several episodes reveal
the general history of these times. In 1244 Griffith, son of Llewelyn, the last
independent Prince of Wales, attempted an escape from the Tower by making a
rope out of his bedclothes, which resulted in his death after it broke. During
the expulsion of the Jews in 1278, hundreds were kept in the Tower. In 1357-8
the Tower served as an arsenal. Edward III made many preparations for the
French war here, which began with a naval victory of Sluys and ended up as the
Hundred Years' War.
Beginning life as a simple timber
and earth enclosure tucked in the south-east angle formed by the joining of the
original east and south stone walls of the old Roman town of Londinium Augusta,
the original structure was completed by the addition of a ditch and palisade
along the north and west sides.
This enclosure then received a huge structure
of stone which in time came to be called The Great Tower and eventually as it
is known today
Since the
first foundations were laid more than 900 years ago the castle has been
constantly improved and extended by the addition of other smaller towers, extra
buildings, walls and walkways, gradually evolving into the splendid example of
castle, fortress, prison, palace and finally museum that it proudly represents
today.
Tower of London is a
complex made up of many different sections. The Tower is surrounded by a moat
on three sides and the Thames River on the fourth. The outside fortifications
consist of Legge's and Brass Mount. The inner fortifications, called the
Ballium Wall, have 13
towers: the Bloody Tower, the Wakefield Tower, the Bell Tower, the Lanthorn
Tower, the Salt Tower, the Broad Arrow Tower, the Constable Tower, the Martin
Tower, the Brick Tower, the Bowyer Tower, the Flint Tower, the Devereux Tower,
and the Beauchamp Tower
The Bell Tower
The Bell Tower stands in the
south-west corner of the Inner Ward. It was built in the 13th century and is so
called because of the belfry on top. In the past, when the bell was rung in
alarm, drawbridges were raised, portcullises were dropped, and gates shut. The
bell is still rung in the evening to warn visitors on the wharf it is time to
leave.
Among the most famous prisoners
confined to the Bell Tower was Sir Thomas More imprisoned there in 1534. More,
at one time close friends with Henry VIII, refused to acknowledge the validity
of the king's divorce from Queen Catherine of Aragon (thereby refusing to
accept the Act of Succession) and to acknowledge him as supreme head of the
Church. Catherine, it should be noted, was the daugther of Isabella and
Ferdinand of Spain, known for financing the expeditions of Christopher
Columbus. More was executed July 1535 and buried in St Peters Chapel.
Henry VIII's penchant for
imprisoning family was not lost on his children apparently. This involved two
of his daughters (by two different mothers), both of whom would one day rule.
Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I, was also imprisoned in the Bell Tower --
sent there in 1554 by her half-sister Mary I on suspicion of being concerned in
plots against the throne.
The Bloody Tower
Originally this was known
as the Garden Tower for the constable's garden that was by it. The
square-shaped structure at one time served as a gateway to the Inner Ward. Its
lowest level was built by Henry III and the other storeys were added later. It
gained its present name in the 16th century because of the murderous deeds,
which took place in its dark rooms.
The most notorious deed
was the killing of the princes, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke
of York. This occurred in 1483 supposedly on the orders of the Duke of
Gloucester, afterwards Richard III, but there are some who strongly oppose this
view and name Henry Tudor, later Henry VII as the culprit.
The generally accepted version of
the murder is that Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Edward IV, was forced to allow
her sons to live in the Tower, ostensibly to enable the 13-year-old king to
prepare for his coronation. Sir Robert Brackenbury was asked to take part in
the murder but refused to help. Thereupon Sir James Tyrrell was sent to the
Tower with orders to force the Constable to surrender his keys for one night.
Sir James agents found the two boys asleep. One was suffocated with a pillow
while the other boy was stabbed to death. The murderers carried the bodies down
the narrow stairway and buried them under a covering of rubble in the basement.
They were later reburied by Sir Robert Brackenbury close to the White Tower,
but all knowledge of the graves was lost. In 1674 skeletons of two boys were
unearthed near the White Tower, and in the belief that the grave of the princes
had been found the king ordered the bodies to be moved to Westminster Abbey.
Many other figures in
history suffered imprisonment or death in the Bloody Tower. Archbishop
Cranmer and Bishops Ridley and Latimer who were condemned to
death for heresy in 1555, were imprisoned in the Tower before being burned at
the stake at Oxford. Henry Percy died there in mysterious circumstances
in 1585. The infamous Judge Jeffreys was prisoner here as well. Sir
Thomas Overbury, poet and courtier, was a victim of court intrigue. His
food is supposed to have been poisoned, and he is supposed to have swallowed
enough poison to have killed 20 men before he died in 1613.
Sir Walter Raleigh spent most
of his 13 years of imprisonment in the Bloody Tower, but he was able to perform
many scientific experiments. He is credited with having discovered a method of
distilling fresh water from salt water. Also during his imprisonment he wrote
his vast History of the World which was published in 1614, four years
before he was beheaded at Westminster.
The Salt Tower
This tower,
yet another built by Henry III, about 1235 was used in later days as a prison
for Jesuits. It contains a number of interesting inscriptions, the most notable
being a complicated diagram cut in stone for casting horoscopes. The
inscription records that "Hew Draper of Brystow made this sphere the 30
daye of Maye anno 1561". Draper was imprisoned for attempted
witchcraft in 1561.
In several places on the walls a pierced
heart, hand, and foot have been carved. This symbol signifies the wounds of
Christ. As in other towers where the Jesuits were imprisoned. The monogram
I.H.S, with a cross above the H, occurs in several places -- the sign made by
the Society of Jesus.
The Beauchamp Tower
Henry III and his son, Edward I,
are to be attributed to the creation of the Beauchamp Tower. Henry III is
responsible for many of the towers and structures in the Tower of London, with
eight wall towers built during the latter part of his reign. It was during Edward's
reconstruction of the western section that he replaced a twin-towered gatehouse
built by Henry with the Beauchamp Tower around 1275-81.
Architecturally, the large amount of
brick used, as opposed to solely that of stone, was innovative at its time for
castle construction. The tower takes its name from Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of
Warwick, imprisoned 1397-99 by Richard II. The three-storey structure was used
often for prisoners of high rank.
Of special interest are
the inscriptions carved on the stone walls here by prisoners. The most
elaborate is a memorial to the five brothers Dudley, one of whom was Lord
Guildford Dudley, husband of Lady Jane Grey. This unhappy pair were executed in
1554.
The Wakefield Tower
Opposite Traitors Gate is the
Wakefield Tower built in the early 13th century. Here the Crown Jewels were
housed from 1870 until 1967. The tower has 2 chambers, the ground floor acting
as a guardroom to the postern which led to the royal apartments above. These
apartments were destroyed by Cromwell. The upper floor now contains a large and
magnificent octagonal vaulted chamber in which there is an oratory.
Wakefield Tower was
probably named after William de Wakefield, Kings Clerk and holder of the
custody of the Exchanges in 1334. In the 14th century the State records were
transferred to the Wakefield Tower from the White Tower, and in surveys of the
period the building is referred to as the Records Tower.
Henry VI died in the
Wakefield Tower on May 21st 1471. Henry VI, who was also founder of Eton
College, and of Kings College, Cambridge, is supposed to have been murdered on
the orders of the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III.
The Martin Tower
Built by Henry III this
tower is famous as the scene of Colonel Thomas Bloods fruitless attempt to
steal the Crown Jewels. After the Restoration, the newly-made regalia was kept
in the Martin Tower (known at the time as the Jewel Tower) in sole custody of
the Deputy Keeper of the Jewels, a man named Talbot Edwards who lived with his
family in the tower.
Blood,
disguised as a clergyman, became very friendly with Edwards, even to the point
of proposing a marriage between the old mans' daughter and a supposed nephew of
his. Early on a May morning in 1671, the colonel appeared by appointment with
his "nephew" and a friend to arrange the marriage. While awaiting the
ladies, Blood suggested that his friends might see the Crown Jewels. As soon as
the chamber was opened Edwards was attacked and badly injured. Blood hid the
State Crown beneath his cloak; one accomplice slipped the Orb into his
breeches, while the other began filing the sceptre in half to make it more
portable. They were then unexpectedly disturbed by Edward's son returning from
abroad and a running fight followed during which all three were captured.
Blood eventually obtained
an audience with Charles II to whom he remarked that "it was a gallant
attempt." Charles -- with uncharacteristic leniency -- immediately
pardoned Blood, granted him a pension and promised that his Irish estates,
seized at the Restoration, would be restored.
Edwards, on the other hand, was
granted 200 pounds by the Exchequer and his son was given 100 pounds. The old
man, however, was forced to sell off his expectation for half its value, and he
died of his injuries soon afterwards.
The White Tower
The great central keep was built by
William the Conqueror and finished by his sons and successors, William Rufus
and Henry I. It is 90 feet high and is of massive construction, the walls
varying from 15 feet thickness at the base to almost 11 feet in the upper
parts. Above the battlements rise four turrets; three of them are square, but
that on the Northeast is circular. This turret once contained the first royal
observatory.
The original single
entrance was on the south side and it was reached by an external staircase.
There were no doors at ground level. The walls on the upper floors were
penetrated by narrow slits positioned in wide splays. On the southern side,
four pairs of original double slits remain. In late 17th and early 18th
centuries all others were replaced by Sir Christopher Wren with the windows
seen today.
In the White Tower the
medieval kings of England lived with their families and their court. Here was
the seat of government and here the laws of the land were made. The royal
family lived in the top storey; the council chamber was on the floor below. In
this chamber in 1399 Richard II was forced to sign away his throne, and in 1483
Richard III summarily sentenced Lord Hastings to death.
Chapel of St. John the Evangelist
On the first
floor of the White Tower is the exquisite Chapel of St John the Evangelist
where the royal family and the court worshipped and where the knights of the
Order of the Bath spent their vigil the night before a coronation. It is one of
the most perfect specimens of Norman architecture in Great Britain. Roman
influence can also be found in the White Tower's basement where there is
two-millennium-old well. The White Tower also contains one of the finest
collections of arms and armour in the world.
The Arms and Armour (Part One)
The White Tower and the
New Armouries contain the national collection of arms and armour. As the most
important fortress in the kingdom, the Tower must have held armour and arms
from the time it was first built, but in their present form the Armouries date
from the time of Henry VIII. The collection -- one of the greatest in the world
-- illustrates the development of arms and armour from the Middle Ages to 1914.
The White Tower is
entered through the Tournament Room. The display here is devoted entirely to
armour specially designed for use in warlike exercise. This collection includes
the tilt armour for the German form of joust known as the Scharfrennen, in
which sharp lances were used, and the splendid Brocas helm. The armour was made
about 1490 in Germany for use at the court of Emperor Maximillian I; the tilt
helm was probably made in England in the same period.
In tournaments
mounted men ran different courses against each other, each course requiring
armour of a special design. Men also fought against one another on foot and
this required armour of yet another pattern. The Armouries contain three
foot-combat armours made for Henry VIII, the first dates to about 1512 and the
second about 1515, when he was slim and active. The third one was made in 1540
when he was forty-nine and very portly. The middle armour is remarkable in that
all the plates fit together, over flanges, thus enabling his height of six-feet
one-inch to be accurately determined.
An especially interesting
exhibit is the elegant silver-decorated sporting gun made in Dundee in 1614. It
came from the personal gun-room of Louis XIII of France. Another unique exhibit
is the Scottish gun made entirely of engraved brass for Charles I when he was a
young man. Through the Chapel of St John is the Mediaeval Room, which is now
devoted to the earliest arms and armour in the Tower. The exhibits are mostly
of the late 14th and 15th centuries and include a superb Italian visored bascinet
with its original neck protection of mail. There is also one of the few Gothic
horse armours surviving. It was probably made to order for Waldemar VI of
Anhalt-Zerbst (1450-1508).
The Arms and Armour (Part Two)
In the
adjoining Sixteenth-century Room, fine arms and armour date from that century,
but exclude English products. Most conspicuous is the massive suit of German
armour made around 1540 for a man nearly seven feet tall. From the middle of
the century is the splendid Lion Armour embossed with lions masks and
damascened in gold.
On the top floor, the
Tudor Room is devoted mainly to the armours made in the royal workshops at
Greenwich which Henry VIII established about 1514. They include four armours
made for the king himself -- one engraved and silver plated -- and others made
at Greenwich for Tudor courtiers. There is an armour made for one of Elizabeth
I's favourites, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, another for William Somerset,
Earl of Worcester, another for Sir John Smythe, who vainly championed the use
of the long bow many years after its inevitable super-session by firearms.
In the adjoining Stuart Room are beautiful little armours made in
France and England for the Stuart kings and princes and the London-made
harquebus armour of James II. They are the focus of a display devoted to the
17th century -- the last period before armour ceased to be used. Separate
displays are devoted to the armour, arms and accoutrements of the richly
equipped bodyguards, the light and heavy cavalry, and the infantry. The armour
of the pikemen was the last to be worn by foot soldiers before the increased
efficiency of firearms made its use impractical.
In the basement is the
Mortar Room, where the bronze mortars on view include one of the bores used for
fireworks at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. At the far end of the room
is the entrance to the sun-crypt of the Chapel of St John, where a carved and
gilt figure of the Lion of St Mark, a trophy from Corfu, is flanked by a number
of the finest small cannon from the armouries collection.
In the adjacent Cannon
Room the walls are hung with relics of Henry VIII's army and a great array of
armour and weapons returned to the Tower after the Civil War. Here also is the
greater part of the Armouries collection of cannon, including several from the
ships of Henry VIII's navy.
The New Armouries
comprise a red brick building close to the White Tower. On the ground floor is
a representative collection of armour and arms of Africa and the Orient. It is
dominated by armour for an elephant, probably captured at the battle of Plassey
in 1757. One Japanese armour on view was presented to James I by the governor
of Edo in 1613. Many of the later sporting firearms on the first floor are of the
highest quality. The flintlock guns include ones given by Louis XIV to the
first Duke of Richmond, another was sent by Napoleon to Charles IV of Spain,
and a third with matching powder flask, pair of pistols and stirrups, was made
to the order of Elizabeth, Empress of Russia. Here also are the Reverend
Alexander Forsyth's own models of the percussion lock he invented after years
of experiment in the Tower. Superseding the flintlock, it completely
revolutionised firearms development and, consequently, the science of war.
The Crown Jewels
During medieval times Crown Jewels
were the personal property of the sovereign. It was fairly common practice for
the King or Queen to pawn them or use them as security for loans in time of
war. Most were kept at the Tower, particularly when the sovereign was in
residence there, although the Coronation Regalia was held at Westminster Abbey.
Sometime after 1660, a new set of Regalia was made to replace what had been
destroyed during the Commonwealth. It was at that time that the Tower became
the permanent home of the Crown Jewels and put on public display.
The Crown Jewels are what
most visitors to the Tower of London come to see. This incomparable collection
of crowns, orbs, swords, sceptres and other regalia, and gold and silver plate
was refashioned in 1661 after parliament had ordered the original gold and
precious metals to be melted down for coinage in 1649.
The Imperial State Crown
worn by monarchs at their coronations is set with jewels of great antiquity and
historical significance. The oldest is Edward the Confessor's sapphire,
believed to have been worn by him in a ring. The great gem above the rim is the
ancient balas-ruby, known as the Black Prince's ruby, which is said to have
been given to him by Pedro the Cruel of Castile.
From the intersections of
the arches hang four superb drop pearls, the so-called Queen Elizabeth's
Earrings, but there is no evidence that she ever wore them in this way. Set in
the rim at the back of the crown is the Stuart sapphire. It is probably much
older than its name implies, but is known to have been in the possession of
James II when he fled to France after his deposition. It was formerly mounted
in the rim, at the front, but was displaced by the Second Star of Africa cut
from the Cullinan diamond. In addition to these jewels, the Imperial State
Crown contains over 3,000 diamonds and pearls, as well as fine sapphires,
emeralds, and rubies.
The Crown
Jewels have in the past resided in both the White Tower and in the Martin
Tower. Today they have their home in Jewel House which is a part of the
Waterloo Barracks (left side of photo). [Greeley/Gilmore]
The Royal Sceptre with the Cross is
a rod of chased gold, with the peerless Star of Africa cut from the Cullinnan
diamond held in a heart shaped mount. Above this is a superb amethyst with a
diamond-encrusted cross set with an emerald.
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's
Crown was made for her coronation as queen consort in 1937. This graceful crown
is set with diamonds, dominated by the famous Koh-i-noor. Its Indian name means
"Mountain of Light" and the jewel has a long and turbulent history.
Tradition says that its male owners will suffer misfortune, but women who
possess it will rule the world.
Ceremonies
These are some of the ceremonies
that take place at the Tower of London.
Ceremony of Keys
The traditional locking
up of the Tower of London each night. This ceremony has been carried out every
night for the last 700 years.
Set admit the
mighty battlements of this ancient historic fortress, it is one of the oldest
and most colourful surviving ceremonies of it's kind, having been enacted every
night without fail for approximately seven hundred years, in much the same form
as we know it today.
The exact origin of the
Ceremony is somewhat obscure, though it probably dates from the time of the
White Tower - the great Norman fortress commenced by William the Conqueror and
completed in about 1080 AD - become regularly used as a Royal stronghold in the
capital city.
As the fortifications
around the Tower were increased from time to time so it became used not only as
Royal residence, but also as the Mint and State Prison. The Country's gold was
stored at the Tower, as were the Royal Records and Royal Regalia, and numerous
historical figures were imprisoned within it's walls for political reasons,
many of whom were never to emerge to freedom, dying either from natural causes
or by execution on Tower Green or Tower Hill.
The surrounding populaces
were not always in sympathy with activities inside the Tower, and as enemies of
the King might attempt to rescue prisoners or to steal the Crown Jewels, the
need for security was very great. Thus it was in olden times that every night
at dusk the Gentlemen Porter - now known as the Chief Yeoman Warder - would
collect an armed escort, and would Lock and secure all the gates and doors
leading into the Tower, thereby making it proof against hostile attack or
intrigue, This done, the Keys would be handed over to the Tower Governor for
safe keeping during the night.
In 1826, the Duke of
Wellington (then Constable of the Tower) ordered that the time of the Ceremony
be fixed at ten o'clock each night, so as to ensure that his soldiers were all
inside the Tower before the gates were locked.
Accordingly, every night
at exactly 7 minutes to ten, the Chief Warder emerges from the Byward Tower,
carrying the traditional lantern - still lighted with a piece of candle - and
in the other the Queen's Keys. He proceeds at a dignified pace to the Bloody
Tower, where an escort consisting of two sentries, - a Sergeant and a
representative Drummer are marched to the outer gate. En route, all guards and
sentries present arms as the Queen's Keys pass.
As the Chief Warder shuts
and locks the great oak doors of first the Middle Tower and then the Byward
Tower, the escort halt and present arms.
They now return along Water Lane
towards the Wakefield Tower, where in the deep shadows of the Bloody Tower
Archway a sentry waits and watches.
As the Chief Warder and escort
approach, the sentry's challenge rings out.
"Halt!" the escort is halted.
"Who comes there?"
"The Keys" replies the Chief Warder.
"Who's Keys?"
"Queen Elizabeth's Keys" is the answer.
"Pass Queen Elizabeth's Keys - All's well".
Whereupon the Chief Warder and
escort proceed through the archway towards the steps by the 13th century wall,
where the Guard for the night is drawn up under an officer with drawn sword,
The Chief Warder and escort halt at the foot of the steps. The Officer gives
the command, Guard and Escort - present arms. The Chief Warder takes two
paces forward, raises his Tudor bonnet high in the air and calls out God
preserve Queen Elizabeth. The Whole Guard reply Amen, and as the
parade ground clock chimes ten, the Drummer (bugler) sounds the Last Post.
The Chief Warder takes the Keys to
the house of the Resident Governor, and the Guard is dismissed.
The Wakefield Tower,
built originally for defensive purposes swiftly became the Presence Chamber of
Plantagenet kings. It is with an indication of this ancient role that you see
it today. In a recess is the Oratory with an altar chest, bearing the likeness
of King Henry VI and the Arms of Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. In
front is an appraisal of the King by his confessor, John Blacman.
In 1471 King Henry VI,
founder of those Colleges was held a prisoner in this tower. He was murdered at
these prayers in the Oratory between eleven and twelve o'clock on the night of
the 21st May. His body rests in St George's Chapel at Windsor, in which Castle
he was born on the 6th of December 1421.
The King's birthday has
long been celebrated by both his Colleges as Founders Day and since 1905
two Kin's Scholars of Eton have laid a sheaf of its white lilies on his tomb on
that day.
Through the friendly
interest of Sir George Younghusband, then Keeper of the Jewel House, King
George V was graciously pleased to approve the setting of a marble tablet in
the Oratory at the spot where by tradition King Henry VI met his death. Eton
lilies have since been laid there in the evening of each anniversary. By the
Sovereign's sanction and with approval of the Constable of the Tower, the
arrangements for this annual ceremony were delegated to the incumbent Keeper of
the Jewel House; and it was not neglected even during the Second World War,
when HM Tower of London was restricted area and the Wakefield Tower itself was
hit by a German bomb.
In 1947, the Provost and
Scholars at King's College, Cambridge, secured the permission of the King and
the Constable to associate King Henry's sister foundation with the ceremony.
The white roses of Kings, in their purple ribbon, have since been laid
alongside the Eton lilies, in their pale blue, on the Founder's stone.
The Ceremony of the
Lilies and Roses. Though still a very simple one, has over the years acquired a
certain form and formality. The Provost of Eton or his deputy, the Provost of
King's or his deputy, and the Chaplain of the Tower are conducted by the
Resident Governor and Keeper of the Jewel House, with an escort of Yeoman
Warders, from Queen's House to the Wakefield Tower. The Chaplain conducts the
short service and the lilies and roses are ceremoniously laid: to lie until
dusk on the next day as token that King Henry's memory is ever green in the two
Colleges which are perhaps his most enduring monument.
Ghost Stories
There are many
stories of ghosts, poltergeists and other malevolent spirits connected to the
Tower of London. Who hasn't heard the one about the headless apparition of Anne
Boleyn stalking the Tower grounds at night. Who for instance, hasn't heard
stories of the chained and headless Sir Walter Raliegh being seen on the
ramparts close to where he was kept prisoner. The Tower of London with its 900
years of history has earned itself a multitude of spine tingling stories,
mainly due to its infamous reputation as a place of execution. The following
stories are different in the fact that as far as we know, they have never been
told before, at least not beyond the boundaries of the Tower of London.
The Ghost of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn, the most
celebrated of the wives of Henry VIII was beheaded on Tower Green in 1536. Her
ghost has frequently been seen both on the Green and more spectacularly in the
Chapel Royal situated in the White Tower. It was in the Chapel that a Captain
of the Guard saw a light burning in the locked Chapel late at night. Finding a
ladder, he was able to look down on the strange scene being enacted within. A
nineteenth century account described it thus:
Slowly down the aisle moved
a stately procession of Knights and Ladies, attired in ancient costumes; and in
front walked an elegant female whose face was averted from him, but whose
figure greatly resembled the one he had seen in reputed portraits of Anne
Boleyn. After having repeatedly paced the chapel, the entire procession
together with the light disappeared. (excerpt from Ghostly Visitors by
"Spectre Stricken", London 1882.)
Another
account of this same story tells of how the procession always occurs on the
anniversary of the terrible execution of Margaret Pole the Countess of
Salisbury, in 1541. This brave old lady (she was over seventy when she was
killed) suffered because of her son's (Cardinal Pole) vilification of the King
Henry VIII's religious doctrines, something the Cardinal did from the safety of
France. So when Henry realised that the Cardinal was out of his reach his
mother was brought to the block instead as an act of vengeance. Instead of
submitting weekly to the axeman however she refused to lie down and was pursued
by the axeman around the scaffold. Swinging wildly he inflicted the most
hideous wounds on her till at last she died.
Another sighting of Anne
Boleyn is alledged in 1864 by a sentry standing guard at the Queen's house. The
guard saw and challenged a white shape that appeared suddenly veiled in mist.
When the challenge went unanswered the sentry put his bayonet into the figure
but he was overcome with shock when it went straight through the figure without
meeting any resistance. This story was corroborated by two onlookers who saw
the whole event from a window of the Bloody Tower. It is not known what made
the sentry and the onlookers believe that this was the ghost of Anne Boleyn but
we can only accept that after 100 years of tradition it must be so.
Traitors’ Gate
The Traitors' Gate was
the watergate entrance for prisoners condemned after trial at Westminster. It
dates from 1240 when Henry III enlarged the fortress by building extra defence
works. There is a story that when the work was nearing completion on St
George's day 1240 there was a great storm that resulted in the foundation's
being undermined and this resulted in the gate collapsing. When the
circumstances were repeated identically a year later an inquiry revealed that a
priest claimed to have seen the ghost of Sir Thomas Becket striking the walls
with a crucifix. He said that the ghost was proclaiming that the new building
was not for the common good but "for the injury and prejudice of the
Londoners, my brethren". Since it was the King's grandfather who had
caused the death of the saint he felt it was wise to include a small oratory in
the tower of the new building dedicating it to Sir Thomas Becket. Even so it's
rooms have always had a reputation of being haunted. Doors open and close without
reason, the figure of a monk in a brown robe has been seen. Ghostly footsteps
including the distinctive slap of monastic sandals are sometimes heard.