The name of this tower, "Bowyer" refers to the fact that this tower was used by the Master and Provider of the King's Bows, where the royal bowmakers plied their trade. It sounds like a bit of a bore, doesn't it? But in fact, it was not! What fun we had here! So, with no further ado, photographic evidence of our fun!
This room was used for storing weapons as well as for domestic purposes. A garderobe was also located here. (you remember what a garderobe is, don't you?) Oh, and sorry about the "ado." Although I promised no further "ado", it seemed to have happened anyway. And will probably happen again.
The rectangular tower is Bowyer Tower
Note the huge keg behind Sara. This is representative of probably the worst hangover ever. King Edward IV's younger brother George, was not exactly supportive of his older brother's claim to the throne. Apparently this wasn't the first instance of sibling rivalry on this branch of the family tree and so Edward had him arrested, accused of treason and imprisoned in the tower. Their mother, worried about a public spectacle, asked that he be executed privately and Edward decided that drowning him in a keg of strong Madeira wine seemed to be a reasonable concession to a mother's plea.
I am pretty sure if the four of us had been at court, we would have given the other ladies-in-waiting a run for their money! (never mind the fact that all four of us are married ladies and certainly too wise to be the least interested in King Henry and his capricious ways!)
Two cheerful posters of events in the history of the Tower of London. The poster on the left depicts the imprisonment of the two brothers, Edward V and Richard. Their story is just a continuation of the sibling rivalry mentioned earlier. King Edward VI died quite
suddenly of a plethora of ailments, leaving behind two sons who were
next in line for the throne. However, in true kingly fashion, Edward's other brother Richard felt that his qualifications were better than those of little Edward V. So he assumed the role of Protector to the prince and
hustled him and his younger brother to the Tower to await the
coronation. (this was quite the usual thing) With some political maneuvering, Richard was able to have the two boys declared illegitimate. Then his courtiers, lords and other noblemen petitioned to have Richard declared king and the Lord Protector Richard became King Richard III. Prince Edward and Prince Richard were seen playing in the gardens of the Tower for awhile
but less often as time went by until they were never seen again. Tradition states they were smothered in their beds and indeed, in the
mid 17th century two tiny skeletons were uncovered in a chest under a
staircase is the White Tower. There was really no doubt that these were the remains of the two princes and so they were transported to Westminster Abbey and buried in the Innocents' Corner.
The other poster could be any one of several ladies sentenced to beheading during or just after Henry VII's reign. Anne Boleyn, accused of adultery and treason, as well as Catherine Howard, accused of pretty much the same things, and Lady Jane Rochford, (who testified against her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn) found herself in the Tower for aiding and abetting the adulterous goings-on of Catherine Howard. Lady Jane Grey, niece of Henry VIII and reluctant queen for a mere nine days, was also beheaded, ostensibly for high treason but more likely just to get her out of the way so Queen Mary, aka Bloody Mary, wouldn't have to worry about Jane possibly gathering enough support to get herself back on the throne, never mind that the humble Jane had no such desire.
A need arose for an entrance from the Thames River directly to the Tower; thus was built Traitor's Gate and the tower above it, which were to be royal quarters. The tower was named after the martyred Thomas Becket, about a century after his death. And about three centuries after that, St. Thomas Tower was refurbished during the era of King Henry VIII for use as royal quarters and, if necessary, for detaining highborn "traitors." It was seriously dangerous to have religious convictions at variance with the king's beliefs or to be married to to this particular king.
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