In this final instalment of The Ghosts of
Tower of London, you will learn about fate of Catherine Howard and discover treachery behind death of Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for only nine days.The most grisly execution and thus haunting is that of 70 year old Countess of Salisbury, last of Plantagenets. King Henry VIII had her executed for political reasons. The feisty Countess refused to put her head on block like a common traitor.
When her executioner came after her she ran, but was pursued by him, with his axe in hand hacking at her until he had hewn Countess to death.
Her ghost has been seen reliving this truly gruesome act. Also shadow of a great axe has been seen falling across scene of her murder.
At one time Tower of London was home to Royal Menagerie. Lions, leopards, bears, birds, monkeys and an elephant, that was a gift from King of France, were kept on exhibit. On stroke of midnight in January of 1815 a sentry saw a bear from this menagerie emerge from a doorway. He lunged at it with his bayonet, it passed right through apparition. The Sentry was later found unconscious, it is said he died of fright within two months of this encounter.
Something unseen and very frightening is in Salt Tower. This is one of most haunted areas of Tower of London complex. This is a very old section, dogs will not enter this ancient building, and ever since one of Yeoman Warders was nearly throttled by a force unseen, they will not go in area after nightfall.
In 1864, a soldier whose post was to guard Queen’s House at Tower of London, saw a apparition so real, that after ignoring soldiers three challenges, he charged with all his might at intruder with his bayonet, only to go straight through figure.
He was found unconscious at his post and was court-martialled for neglecting his duty. Luckily there were two witnesses who corroborated his story. The soldier was eventually acquitted.
Lady Jane Grey is another tragic story of a young life cut short at Tower, due to actions of others most despicable of who was her own father.
She was granddaughter of Mary (Henry VIII younger sister) and Louis XII of France. The Duke of Northumberland would lose everything if Henry VIII’s son was to die and Mary, who was Catholic, would become queen.
He and her father arranged her marriage to his son and persuaded her cousin Edward VI to name her his successor in case of his death instead of his two half-sisters. When Edward VI died she was crowned Queen of England, but supporters of Mary overthrew her.
