Guy Fawkes is famous to this day – or should that be infamous – for his attempt to blow up Parliament with gunpowder, on November 5th 1605. He was a tall striking-looking man, with a big red bushy beard.  He could speak Spanish because before the plot, he had lived in Spain working with others who wanted a Catholic monarch to take the English throne. He was part of a group of 13 conspirators, led by a man called Robert Catesby. It was Catesby’s idea to try to blow up Parliament,...

The Tower of London has imprisoned several monarchs, and one of the first was John Balliol, who became King of Scotland in 1292.  Whilst the Scottish and English Kings and Queens had lived peacefully side by side, Balliol and his Scottish noblemen were not always loyal to the English.  They were angry about laws made to tax and control them, and some of the nobles even made alliances with the French, who were sworn enemies of the English at that time. This betrayal was too much for King...

William Maxwell was part of a group who didn’t think that the English King, George I, nor his descendants, had the right to the English throne.  They had schemes to restore their chosen monarchs to the throne. When captured, some of the group, many of whom were noblemen were released, but William Maxwell was singled out for harsh treatment.  He was to be executed as a warning to others who would plot against the King. On hearing the news about her husband’s fate, Lady Nisdale was...

Hugh Draper was a wealthy innkeeper from Bristol.  He was popular with his neighbours and was quite an ordinary person.  So how did he end up in the Tower of London? Hugh was interested in sorcery and the occult – these are theories about magic. Just like today, in centuries past, some people have found it interesting to think that they might be able to predict the future or cast spells.  The difference being that it was thought people practicing magic could cause serious harm to others –...

In Locked Up in The Tower, Annabel’s uncle is a Beefeater, one of the special Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London! He’s always telling her about the famous prisoners the Tower of London has held over the years so she’s taking us on a tour to check the place out for ourselves! One of the most famous prisoners was Sir Walter Raleigh, an explorer from the 17th Century, who is best known for making tobacco popular in England, especially in the royal court. In 1594 Raleigh heard of a “City of...

One of the people who spent some time in the Tower of London was Alice Wolf, a common thief who murdered two merchants – Jerome de George and Chales Benche with her husband John Wolf on 16th January 1533.  Alice had enticed the men onto a boat, whereupon they were killed and their bodies thrown overboard. Alice and her husband then went to the merchant’s lodgings and stole a large amount of money. At first John Wolf was the only one to be imprisoned, and in fact briefly let free. But it...

One of the people that was really important to the Tower of London was Ranulf Flambard, a Bishop from Normandy who was a trusted advisor to William 1 and King William Rufus. He lived from 1060 to 1128. He helped create the Doomsday book and took care of many affairs for the monarch. His special skill was in raising money for the King. He destroyed churches and got rid of Bishops, took payments from landowners and the church and even out of the pockets of soldiers who thought they were going...

One of the most famous prisoners of the Tower of London was Anne Boleyn – a Queen! Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, his second wife, in January 1533. In advance of Anne’s coronation, they stayed at the Tower of London where the royal apartments had been refurbished and other lodgings rebuilt or erected for the joyous occasion. Anne proved unable to provide Henry with the son he so desperately sought and by the end of 1535 he was anxious to marry again.  On 2nd May 1536 Anne was arrested at...

Rudolf Hess was the “Deputy Fuhrer”, second in command to Hitler. He claimed to live a simple life, although he was plagued with health problems – some of which never really existed; it’s thought he had health anxiety. There are prescriptions for sedative medicine, issued to him when he was in the Tower. He was also quite spiritual and believed in signs and superstitions. He is recorded as saying his plan to go to England was an idea he had in a dream. He was behind the laws which treated...

One of the Tower of London's most famous prisoners was John Gerard, a Jesuit from a northern Catholic family. After studying on the Continent, he returned to England as a Jesuit priest, moving between families until he was captured in 1594. At this time it was against the law to practice the Catholic faith, by order of the King. He was imprisoned first in standard prisons in London – in the Counter, then the Clink prison in Southwark, and finally (in 1597) in the upper chamber in the Salt...