Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-11-17

sovereigns of England down to Charles
ii. The last was lodged in the royal apart
ments on the south side Of the White tow
er the night before his coronation. and
from here he rode through the city to
Westminster. Asa prison the tower has
held some Of England's best, noblest and
most honored of both sexes among her
people, as well as many noted subjects Of
other countries.
The tirst known prisoner confined here
was Rolf Flambard. Bishop of Durham.
who was one of the builders of the tower
under William Rufus. or part of 1t that
was left unfinished under William the Con-
queror This Bishop managed to escape in
ll0l. Outside the tower limits to the
northeast is quite an elevation known A.
Tower Hill. From here one can get
good general view OF the outside of the
buildings; here also, in the grass, is u
paved spot marking the place where the
first permanent gibbet was set up in the
reign of Edward ". And this is the spot
whereon many heads fell during the next
two or three hundred years after the erec-
tion of the tower. This was also used as
place Of execution many years before
the building of the tower.
You obtain your ticket Of entry at a
gate on the border of the tower grounds
known as the Lions Gate, which takes its
name from the royal menagerie which was
located here shortly after the building of
the tower, and the different rulers of Eng
land kept wild beast here until 1894, when
the last Of them was moved to the Zoo
logical Gardens at Regents Park. The
main entrance Is through the middle tow
er. Passing through the archway in the
tower We stand upon what was once the
drawbridge across the moat. We cross the
long and resch what Is called the Byward
Tower. After passing through this tower
we come into narrow roadway, and q
little farther along on our right stands the
famous Traitors Gate, and on our left the
Bell Tower, which is solid masonry ten
feet above the ground. Many prisoners
have had spell IN the tower. Queen
Mary sent her sister Elizabeth to this tow
er for time, and the psrapet walk is yet
called Queen Elizabeth's walk" A few
steps farther along is the Council Cham
Der wherein Guy Fawkes and his conspira-
tors were tried and condemned in 1906
The Traitors Gate is considered quite
wonderful piece Of workmanship, 1t being
an arched way sixty feet wide Formerly
this gate opened on the river Thames. 1t
is said that when this gateway WAS first
built 1t fell down. and year later, l24l,
In the time of Henry III, 1t was rebuilt
again. There is story that it fell the
second time, and that on the night OF its
last fall priest standing in the gateway.
saw two ghosts, one In the robes of an
archbishop, the other his attendant. The
ghost of the archbishop stood with cross
in hand looking with displeasure upon the
walk. He said to the priest, why do We
build these With this question be
struck the wall, which fell down. The
frightened priest turned to the attendant
and asked, who is the archbishop"
The reply was. st Thomas, the martyr,
by birth a citizen, who resents these
works. undertakes In scorn and prejudice
of the citizens, and destroys them beyond
the power of restoration" But King
Henry built them up again at once and
there the gateway yet stands. Prisoners
brought to the tower by water were landed
at this gate and when trials took place at
Westminster the prisoner was often taken
from this gateway by water to Westmin-
ster in barge, Among the noted prison
ers that have landed here | will mention
the Duke of Buckingham In 1921, Sir
Thomas More. 1884, Queen Anne Boleyn.
May 2nd. 1886, who never left the tower
again, Queen Katharine Howard. 1912. be-
headed three days later without leaving
the tower, Lady Jane Gray, July 10th,
1853; Elizabeth. afterward Queen of Eng
land, was landed here prisoner by order
of her half sister Mary, Queen of Scots,
Mar nth, 1854, and many others.
A few more steps bring US to the Bloody
Tower. In this tower the children of
Edward Nv were murdered, and here
Henry VIII, Earl of Northumberland,
was found dead in his bed with three bull
let-holes through his body. on the 2lst day
of June, 1855.
The Wakefield Tower next claims our
attention. This tower is circrlar in form
and two stories high. II was partially re-
built in the reign of Henry III, and its
walls are thirteen and one half feet thick.
Since its erection it has borne several
Tower, Record Tower and Wakefield Tow
er. The last name is supposed to have
some connection with the Lancastran vic
tory at Wakefield in l460. The principal
apartment is circular in form, thirty feet
in diameter and 25 feet high. On the
southeast side Of this circular room is q
recess that was used as a chapel by Henry
Nv during the many years of his confne-
ment in the tower. Here he knelt at his
devotions, and here he was found dead on
the 22nd of May, l47l, said by some au-
thorities to have been murdered. Many
years ago the records were taken from this
tower and the crown jewels placed here.
/ Previous to 1912 those jewels were al
times in the keeping OF the Templars in
Fleet street, but in 1858 they were sent to
the tower. Under Cromwell many of the
| jewels. scepters, &c, were broken, stolen
or lost, but were replaced after the resto
ration. In 1867 this chamber in the Wake
| field Tower was strengthened and refitted
and the many interesting objects, crowns
scepters. gold and silver table plate, sa
cred vessels used at the coronations and a
coronation bapquets, insignia of British
orders of knighthood and many othe
beautiful articles are here kept. All thos,
objects are kept in an iron cage, circular ii
form, the bars of the cage woven like wir'
netting, so that every piece can he seen OF
the circular shelves one above the other
Victoria's crown being above all the othe
articles. in the center of the cage. Their,
is an interesting individual history con
nected with each object here displsyet
that would Ill quite large volume il
properly related; SO shall speak of bu
few Of them particularly. There are sew
eral crowns in the cage, but will tell 70,