Visit to the Tower of London

White Tower

So, as you might have guessed from my previous post on the ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature’ exhibition (click here) I have been on holiday in London. How could I not visit some Tudor-related sites? I was with a friend who had never visited the Tower of London before, so we used the tickets that had been booked way back at the beginning of 2020 when the pandemic hit.

We arrived early and spent five hours wandering around, stopping for a café break as well. We walked the walls, and took in the exhibitions, seeing displays on the Medieval Palace, Imprisonment at the Tower, and the Tower in War. We were using my guidebook from 2010 as I haven’t got an updated version and, in one display, there were guidebooks from the past and the same copy as mine was in a glass case! That was weird.

Dudley coat of arms carved in the Beauchamp Tower

The Beauchamp Tower is where we saw all of the graffiti left by those imprisoned there, notably this coat of arms likely carved by one of the Dudleys in 1553-4 after Jane Grey’s failed reign (the photo isn’t great because of the light from behind). There were also several pieces of graffiti left by those involved in rebellions against Elizabeth I which was especially interesting for me to see.

The Bloody Tower includes Walter Raleigh’s study and an exploration of the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, something that I’ve read quite a lot about. Raleigh wrote his ‘The History of the World’ while imprisoned here. The Salt Tower was the place of imprisonment of Hew Draper who was incarcerated for sorcery during the reign of Elizabeth I. There are some fascinating astrological drawings on the walls of various places in the Tower where he was kept. A zodiac design contains the date 30 May 1561.

Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula

Of course, a visit to the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula (Peter in Chains) was a must. It’s an absolutely beautiful space where lie buried the remains of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, Jane Boleyn Lady Rochford, Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset, John Dudley Duke of Northumberland, and Guildford Dudley within the main body of the chapel. In the crypt are the remains of Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher of Rochester who were executed on nearby Tower Hill.

The armouries in the White Tower were fascinating, though I had seen them before. I almost looked at the rooms anew and visited St John’s Chapel in the White Tower for the very first time. It’s starkly simple but incredibly profound with plain walls and some stone carving, quite a contrast to the better-known St Peter ad Vincula in the grounds. The armouries themselves contain armour from Henry VIII, Charles I, and James II, and a collection of swords, cannon, and other arms from across the ages and across the world. Possibly of more interest to a military historian but seeing the detail on the armour was a highlight of the White Tower for me.

Tower Hill Memorial

On the way back to our hotel we visited the memorial on Tower Hill where the likes of Edward Stafford 3^rd Duke of Buckingham, Sir Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher of Rochester, and Robert Devereux 2^nd Earl of Essex were executed, among many others. The names and dates of execution are places on blocks around a small square within the First World War memorial gardens. It’s very easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there. More were executed there than are named, but the names of those who were the most notable are written. It is worth a visit if you’re going to the Tower of London as many of those executed there spent time in the Tower itself.

All in all, an incredibly fascinating historical day out, even if we were exhausted afterwards having been on our feet most of the day and then going on a Jack the Ripper walking tour that evening! A blog post on that to follow …

Natural History Museum – ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature’ Exhibition

Today I’ve been to the Natural History Museum to see the ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature’ exhibition. It was incredibly interesting to see creatures that inspiration may have come from in real life and how some fantasy creatures were thought to be real in the not too distant past and why that might be.

There were props from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films alongside actual historical artefacts including books, skeletons, and replicas. It’s worth seeing for any Wizarding World fan and for anyone who is interested in fantasy creatures and their origins as the exhibition does go into creatures that we know about today that exhibit some of the same characteristics or that Rowling and the filmmakers could have drawn inspiration from in designing their own creatures.

Buxton Mermaid

One of the objects that I found the creepiest was this mermaid. It’s known as the Buxton Mermaid, lent to the exhibition by Derbyshire County Council, and Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, date unknown. She is mummified and may have held a comb and mirror to brush her hair at one point. The maker of this remains a mystery but sailors were sometimes known to keep them as lucky charms or exhibit them. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the mermaids are part of the second Triwizard task where the four champions have to rescue something that has been taken from them. The chief merman speak to Professor Dumbledore after the task to say that Harry was first to the hostages but was determined to rescue them all, not just his, demonstrating moral fibre.

‘The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents’ by Edward Topsell (1658)

There was a beautiful book called ‘The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents’ by Edward Topsell (1658) which has some drawings of dragons and other creatures. Bestiaries were very popular in the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern period across Europe and combined real creatures with imagined ones. Topsell’s work is no different. People used to believe, however, that dragons were real, a possible descendent of the dinosaurs. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry has to fight his way past a dragon in the first task to retrieve a golden egg with a clue for the second task. The four champions each face a different type of dragon – Welsh Green, Swedish Shortsnout, Hungarian Horntail, or Chinese Fireball. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape from Gringotts Bank on the back of a dragon they’ve set free.

Dracorex hogwartsia

Something that I didn’t know is that there is a dinosaur named after Hogwarts – the Dracorex hogwartsia which was discovered in 2004. A cast of the skeleton is part of the exhibition. The dinosaur itself was part of the pachycephalosaur family (bone-headed dinosaurs). The name means ‘Dragon King of Hogwarts’. The remains were discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota, U.S.A., by three amateur palaeontologists.

It’s well-worth a visit to the Natural History Museum in London just to see this exhibition, though they also have fantastic exhibitions on dinosaurs, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the development of humans.

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature’ is on at the Natural History Museum in London until 3 January 2022.

Tynemouth Priory and Castle

Tynemouth Priory is the most local historic site to where I live, no more than a 15-minute walk from my home. I’ve lived in the area since I was 7 years old and the Priory has been a constant fixture. I remember going there many times when I was growing up – to see fireworks displays, jousting contests, and other displays.

I didn’t realise until recently that there was actually a Tudor connection and that the Priory was one of those dissolved during the Reformation. The Priory was also the birthplace of Henry Percy, 9^th Earl of Northumberland, in 1564.

Early History

Some Roman stones have been found at the Priory, but there is no evidence of any settlement there. The Danes persistently plundered the priory, and Earl Tostig made Tynemouth his fortress during the reign of Edward the Confessor. In 1095 Robert de Mowbray took refuge in Tynemouth Castle after rebelling against William II. In 1110 a new church was founded on the site.

In 1296 the prior of Tynemouth was given royal permission to surround the site with stone walls and in 1390 a gatehouse and barbican were added on the landward side of the castle. It was originally completely enclosed by walls, but the north and east walls fell into the sea and most of the south wall was demolished. In 1312 Edward II and Piers Gaveston took refuge at Tynemouth Castle before fleeing to Scarborough.

In 1336 a new presbytery chapel was built at the north end of the presbytery. In the 1400s the Percy Chantry was added to the east end of the presbytery. This is the only complete part of the church that remains.

The Tudor Connection

In the early 1500s Tynemouth gained independence from St Alban’s Abbey, but the wealth of the priory was huge so it became a target for Henry VIII’s commissioners who in 1536 brought trumped-up charges of misconduct against the prior and 7 of the 15 monks.

In 1538 the priory at Tynemouth was suppressed as part of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. The priory and its lands were granted to Sir Thomas Hilton. Most of the monastic buildings were destroyed, leaving only the church and prior’s house. Within a year work was underway to improve the defences around the priory to protect from invasion from the river. New artillery fortifications were built from 1545 with the threat of invasion from the French.

The castle was also the birthplace of Henry Percy, 9^th Earl of Northumberland, in 1564, when his father, the 8^th Earl, was custodian of the castle.

Later History

The headland at Tynemouth remained defended throughout the 1700s. A new barracks was built for 1000 men in 1758. By the end of the 18^th century military preparedness was in decline, but this ratcheted up again with the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19^th century.

After 1882 Germany was considered a large threat, and so new military gun emplacements were built. During the First World War there was a selection of long-range artillery based at Tynemouth intended to attack ships out at sea. There were also quick-firing guns to attack smaller boats in the River Tyne. Searchlights and ammunition storage were also in place.

During World War Two Tynemouth also had a defensive role, to defend against aircraft as well as enemy shipping. Tynemouth then remained a military base until the UK’s coastal defences were disbanded in 1956. In 1960 many of the military buildings were pulled down to give more prominence to the Medieval ruins.

Tynemouth is a mishmash of Medieval remains and 20^th century military fortifications. It is a beautiful place to visit, and an inspiring place to sit and think. Well worth a visit if you haven’t already.

References

• https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/tynemouth/tynemouthcastle/index.html
• https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/tynemouth/tynemouthpriory/index.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tynemouth_Castle_and_Priory
• https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tynemouth-priory-and-castle/

History Bookshelves

I thought I’d do a walkthrough of my history bookshelves, as pictures on my Instagram of different books that I’ve bought or been sent by publishers are always very popular. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt through the #HistoryGirls community on Instagram, it’s that historians and history lovers are always looking for new reading material!

And, no, before anyone asks, I haven’t read all of these yet. I’m steadily working my way through them. I’ve had some very lovely publishers (The History Press and Pen & Sword Books) send me some complimentary copies for review and these are currently top of my list, though this lockdown has slowed me down rather than speeding me up! I promise, I will get there.

Shelf 1 – Monarchy and Wars of the Roses

This shelf starts with my books on the monarchy in general, before moving onto the Plantagenets, Wars of the Roses, Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, the Princes in the Tower, and Richard III.

From left to right:

• John Burke – An Illustrated History of England
• David Loades – The Kings and Queens of England
• J.P. Brooke-Little – Royal Heraldry: Beasts and Badges of Britain
• The Royal Line of Succession: Official Souvenir Guide
• Andrew Gimson – Kings and Queens: Brief Lives of the Monarchs Since 1066
• David Starkey – Monarchy: England and Her Rulers from the Tudors to the Windsors
• Mike Ashley – A Brief History of British Kings and Queens
• Elizabeth Norton – She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England
• Alison Weir – Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy
• Peter Ackroyd – History of England Volume 1: Foundation
• E.F. Jacob – The Fifteenth Century 1399-1485
• Ian Mortimer – The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England
• Desmond Seward – The Demon’s Brood: The Plantagenet Dynasty That Forged the English Nation
• David Grummitt – A Short History of the Wars of the Roses
• Desmond Seward – A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses
• Sarah Gristwood – Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses
• Michael Jones – Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle
• John Ashdown-Hill – Elizabeth Widville: Edward IV’s Chief Mistress and the ‘Pink Queen’
• Amy Licence – Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance
• Jeffrey James – Edward IV: Glorious Son of York
• Andrew Beattie – Following in the Footsteps of the Princes in the Tower
• Alison Weir – The Princes in the Tower
• David Horspool – Richard III: A Ruler and His Reputation
• Philippa Langley & Michael Jones – The Search for Richard III: The King’s Grave
• Michael Hicks – The Family of Richard III
• Kristie Dean – The World of Richard III
• Amy Licence – Richard III: The Road to Leicester
• Matthew Lewis – Richard III: Fact and Fiction
• Peter A. Hancock – Richard III and the Murder in the Tower
• Matthew Lewis – Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me

Shelf 2 – General Tudors and Henry VII

This shelf consists of all my books on the Tudor dynasty as a whole, then just manages to start Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on the end.

From left to right:

• David Loades – Chronicles of the Tudor Kings
• Frances Wilkins – Growing Up in Tudor Times
• Peter Marsden – 1545: Who Sank the Mary Rose?
• Rosemary Weinstein – Tudor London
• Peter Ackroyd – The History of the England Volume 2: Tudors
• Amy Licence – In Bed with the Tudors: The Sex Lives of a Dynasty from Elizabeth of York to Elizabeth I
• Leanda de Lisle – Tudor: The Family Story
• David Loades – The Tudors: History of a Dynasty
• Chris Skidmore – The Rise of the Tudors: The Family That Changed English History
• Terry Breverton – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tudors But Were Afraid to Ask
• Tracy Borman – The Private Lives of the Tudors
• Timothy Venning – An Alternative History of Britain: The Tudors
• Kirsten Claiden-Yardley – The Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2^nd Duke of Norfolk
• A Guide to Tudor and Jacobean Portraits
• John Matusiak – A History of the Tudors in 100 Objects
• David Loades – The Tudor Queens of England
• Alex Woolf – The Tudor Kings and Queens
• Carola Hicks – The King’s Glass: A Story of Tudor Power and Secret Art
• J.D. Mackie – The Earlier Tudors 1485-1558
• Annie Bullen – The Little Book of the Tudors
• Alison Weir – The Lost Tudor Princess
• Alison Plowden – The House of Tudor
• Dave Tonge – Tudor Folk Tales
• Jane Bingham – The Tudors: The Kings and Queens of England’s Golden Age
• Elizabeth Norton – The Lives of Tudor Women
• Ruth Goodman – How to be a Tudor
• Jasper Ridley – A Brief History of the Tudor Age
• G.J. Meyer – The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty
• John Guy – The Tudors: A Very Short Introduction
• Christopher Morris – The Tudors
• Phil Carradice – Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor

Shelf 3 – Henry VIII and the Six Wives

This shelf has the rest of my books about Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, all of my Henry VIII books and those overarching books about the Six Wives.

From left to right:

• Thomas Penn – Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England
• Alison Weir – Elizabeth of York: The First Tudor Queen
• Joan MacAlpine – The Shadow of the Tower: Henry VII and His Background
• David Loades – Henry VIII
• David Starkey – Henry: Virtuous Prince
• John Matusiak – Martyrs of Henry VIII: Repression, Defiance, Sacrifice
• J.J. Scarisbrick – Henry VIII
• George Cavendish – The Life of Cardinal Wolsey
• John Guy – The Children of Henry VIII
• Robert Hutchinson – Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII
• Alison Weir – Children of England: The Heirs of King Henry VIII
• John Matusiak – Henry VIII: The Life and Rule of England’s Nero
• Philippa Jones – The Other Tudors: Henry VIII’s Mistresses and Bastards
• Kelly Hart – The Mistresses of Henry VIII
• Alison Weir – Henry VIII: King and Court
• David Starkey – The Reign of Henry VIII: Personalities and Politics
• Robert Hutchinson – Thomas Cromwell: The Rise and Fall of Henry VIII’s Most Notorious Minister
• Derek Wilson – A Brief History of Henry VIII
• Robert Hutchinson – The Last Days of Henry VIII
• Sarah Morris & Natalie Grueninger – In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII
• Amy Licence – The Six Wives and Many Mistresses of Henry VIII
• Karen Lindsey – Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII
• Alison Weir – The Six Wives of Henry VIII
• Lauren Mackay – Inside the Tudor Court: Henry VIII and His Six Wives Through the Eyes of the Spanish Ambassador
• Antonia Fraser – The Six Wives of Henry VIII
• David Starkey – Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII

Shelf 4 – Six Wives

This shelf is broken down into books on each of the Six Wives – Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn (by far the biggest section, as you can see!), Jane Seymour (zero books), Anne of Cleves (zero books), Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr.

From left to right:

• David Loades – The Six Wives of Henry VIII
• Amy Licence – Catherine of Aragon: An Intimate Life of Henry VIII’s True Wife
• Giles Tremlett – Catherine of Aragon: Henry’s Spanish Queen
• Patrick Williams – Katharine of Aragon
• Paul Friedmann – Anne Boleyn
• Elizabeth Norton – Anne Boleyn: In Her Own Words and the Words of Those Who Knew Her
• Alison Weir – The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn
• Elizabeth Norton – The Boleyn Women: The Tudor Femmes Fatales Who Changed English History
• David Loades – The Boleyns: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Family
• Amy Licence – Anne Boleyn: Adultery, Heresy, Desire
• Lissa Chapman – Anne Boleyn in London
• Lacey Baldwin Smith – Anne Boleyn: The Queen of Controversy
• Susan Bordo – The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors’ Most Notorious Queen
• Alison Weir – Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore
• Carolly Erickson – Mistress Anne
• Eric Ives – The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn
• Francis Bacon – The Tragedy of Anne Boleyn
• Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
• Retha Warnicke – The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn
• Josephine Wilkinson – Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIII’s Favourite Mistress
• Josephine Wilkinson – Anne Boleyn: The Young Queen to Be
• Elizabeth Norton – Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII’s Obsession
• G.W. Bernard – Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions
• Joanna Denny – Anne Boleyn
• Marie Louise Bruce – Anne Boleyn
• Josephine Wilkinson – Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII’s Fifth Queen
• Conor Byrne – Katherine Howard: Henry VIII’s Slandered Queen
• Robert Hutchinson – House of Treason: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Dynasty
• Linda Porter – Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr, the Last Wife of Henry VIII

Shelf 5 – The Later Tudors

This shelf goes through Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I, onto Mary Queen of Scots and the English Reformation. As you can probably tell from the number of books on the later Tudors compared to the likes of Henry VIII, my primary focus is on the earlier period.

From left to right:

• Hester Chapman – The Last Tudor King: A Study of Edward VI
• Leanda de Lisle – The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey
• Nicola Tallis – Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey
• Alison Plowden – Lady Jane Grey: Nine Days Queen
• Anna Whitelock – Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen
• Phil Carradice – Bloody Mary: Tudor Terror 1553-1558
• J.A. Froude – The Reign of Mary Tudor
• Alison Plowden – Elizabethan England
• David Cecil – The Cecils of Hatfield House
• Robert Stedall – Elizabeth I’s Secret Lover: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
• John Guy – Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years
• Anna Whitelock – Elizabeth’s Bedfellows: An Intimate History of the Queen’s Court
• Carole Levin – The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power
• J.B. Black – The Reign of Elizabeth 1558-1603
• David Birt – Elizabeth’s England
• Robert Hutchinson – Elizabeth’s Spymaster: Francis Walsingham and the Secret War That Saved England
• David Starkey – Elizabeth
• Nicola Tallis – Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester
• Chris Skidmore – Death and the Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart
• Alison Weir – Elizabeth the Queen
• David & Judy Steel – Mary Stuart’s Scotland
• Mary Was Here: Where Mary Queen of Scots Went and What She Did There
• Antonia Fraser – Mary Queen of Scots
• Lynda Telford – Tudor Victims of the Reformation
• Diarmaid MacCulloch – Reformation: Europe’s House Divided 1490-1700
• Derek Wilson – A Brief History of the English Reformation

Shelf 6 – Palaces and Places

The bottom shelf currently stores largely my guidebooks and BBC History magazines, along with a couple of my more general history books.

From left to right:

• David Souden – The Royal Palaces of London
• Christopher Hibbert – Tower of London
• The Private Life of Palaces
• Simon Thurley – Houses of Power: The Places That Shaped the Tudor World
• Suzannah Lipscomb – A Journey Through Tudor England
• Nigel Jones – Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London
• Terry Deary – The Peasants’ Revolting … Crimes
• Merry Wiesner-Hanks – Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe

Guidebooks:

• Richard III and Henry VII Experience in York
• Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
• Framlingham Castle
• The Jewel Tower
• The Palace of Westminster
• Westminster Abbey
• The Church of Saint Michael at Framlingham
• St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
• Tower of London
• Hampton Court Palace
• The Mary Rose
• Imperial War Museum London
• Windsor Castle
• Tower Bridge

Are there any books missing that you would thoroughly recommend? Sound off in the comments!

Talking Tudors Podcast with Natalie Grueninger

‘Talking Tudors’ is a podcast by Natalie Grueninger, author of ‘Discovering Tudor London’ and co-author of ‘In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn’ and ‘In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII’ with Sarah Morris. Along with Kathryn Holeman Natalie has also released two Tudor colouring books – ‘Colouring Tudor History’ and ‘Colouring Tudor History: Queens and Consorts’. 

Natalie interviews guests about their particular interests and the Tudors in general. Each episode ends with “10 To Go” and a “Tudor Takeaway”, and at the beginning often starts with a piece of Tudor-inspired music. 

The first 21 episodes guests and topics are listed below (everything live up to this date 8th February 2019). 

Potted History of Tudor Homes

Bradgate House = Bradgate House is now a ruin, but it was home to the Grey family, descended from the first son of Elizabeth Woodville by her first husband. Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Katherine and Mary, grew up here. The Grey family lived here for two hundred year until 1739, but a newer house, also in ruins, now stands nearby to the original ruins. More of the Tudor chapel and tower stand now than of the house itself.

Burghley House was the home of William Cecil, advisor to Elizabeth I

Burghley House = Burghley House was built by William Cecil, Lord Burghley. He was the most trusted councillor of Elizabeth I, and very focused on trying to catch Mary Queen of Scots in conducting treason. Burghley’s changes to the house took from 1555 to 1587, but little of the Tudor inside now remains. Burghley House is the only one of Cecil’s many properties still standing today, though it has been much changed.

Potted History of Tudor Palaces

Greenwich Palace no longer stands, but it was the birthplace of Henry VIII, as well as both of his daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I. It used to be known as the Palace of Placentia and was built in 1433 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in the reign of the pious King Henry VI. The Palace fell into disrepute during the English Civil War, and was later demolished and replaced with the Greenwich Hospital (now the Old Royal Naval College) in the late 17^th century.

Eltham Palace was the childhood home of Henry VIII and was built in 1295. Henry stayed here even as Prince of Wales, rather than go to Ludlow. At one point, it was bigger even than Hampton Court Palace. Even as Henry got older and when he became king, he continued to prize Eltham, putting some of its features into Hampton Court, and he remodelled Eltham itself 1519-22. Only small sections now remain as it fell into disrepute after Henry’s death.

Important Tudor Executions on Tower Hill

Memorial on Tower Hill to those executed there.

Very few executions actually took place within the walls of the Tower of London. Most executions took place on the nearby Tower Hill. This post will cover the latter executions. A different post covers the former executions in the Tower itself. The executions on Tower Hill were more of a spectator sport, whereas the Tower dealt with potentially dangerous or controversial executions like Queens of England and prominent nobles.

Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham c.1520

Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham 1521 – Edward Stafford was executed on 17^th May 1521. Henry VIII knew that Stafford probably had a stronger legitimate claim to the throne than he did as the Tudor descended from the illegitimate Beaufort line. In 1520 Henry authorised an investigation against him and he was tried before a group of seventeen of his peers, as was customary for the nobility. It is suggested his opposition to the King stemmed from his hatred of Wolsey.

Tudor Executions within the Tower of London

Very few executions actually took place within the walls of the Tower of London. Most executions took place on the nearby Tower Hill, like those of Thomas Cromwell, Edward Stafford Duke of Buckingham, and Thomas More. These will be discussed in another post. Below are the notable executions that took place within the Tower during the reign of the Tudors. Lord Hastings was the first real execution in the Tower in 1483, although it is also suspected that the Princes in the Tower (Edward V and Richard Duke of York) were also secretly killed here around the same time.

Anne Boleyn National Portrait Gallery.

Anne Boleyn 1536

Anne Boleyn was executed on 19^th May 1536 on charges of adultery, incest and treason. I fully believe she was innocent and was actually executed because she failed to give Henry VIII a son and he had fallen in love with Jane Seymour who did eventually give him a son. Her so-called ‘accomplices’ had died two days earlier, including her brother and a court musician, Mark Smeaton. The other accused were William Brereton, Francis Weston and Henry Norris. All perished.

Personal Tudor 20 Questions

1. Favourite Tudor Monarch: Elizabeth I

2. Favourite Tudor Consort: Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn National Portrait Gallery.

3. Most intriguing Tudor personality: Jane Grey

4. Favourite Tudor marriage: Prince Arthur and Katherine of Aragon

5. I want to learn more about: Catherine Carey and Katherine Grey

6. Aspect of the Tudors least interested in: Military and naval

7. Least favourite Tudor personality: Thomas Seymour

8. Least favourite Tudor Monarch: Edward VI

9. Favourite Tudor place: Hampton Court Palace