Ghost of the Nine Days Queen

Lady Jane Grey is one of the many tragic Tudor figures who has been seen at the Tower of London after her death. The last recorded sighting of the Nine Days Queen was on February 12, 1957 - the anniversary of her execution. Her ghost was seen by two guardsmen of the Tower that reports the lady was a "white shape shaping itself on the battlements".

Lady Jane Grey has also been spotted at Astley Castle. She is reported to be sitting, quietly and reading. After the castle was destroyed by a fire, Lady Jane Grey's ghost has still not left the palace. She can still appear, sitting and reading in her book but without the palace she seems oddly out of place.

Her husband, Guildford Dudley, was also executed for treason. His ghost has been seen at the Beauchamp Tower, sobbing.

A Tudor Mystery

A book on the Nine Days Queen who died despite her reluctance to commit take the crown over Mary I. Eric Ives takes on a new presentation of Lady Jane Grey - not as a Protestant martyr or a helpless pawn in a dangerous political game - but as a woman of high integrity and strong moral standards.

Lady Jane Grey

Lady Jane Grey was the eldest daughter of Henry Grey (Duke of Suffolk) and Lady Frances Brandon. She had royal blood in her veins through her mother who was the daughter of Mary Tudor, Queen of France. It is assumed that she was born between 1536-37. Jane grew up with her two sisters, Lady Catherine Grey and Lady Mary Grey.

Jane received a good education, learning both Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Italian. Through her childhood and education she became an ardent Protestant. Jane was fond of book-studies and would prefer to study rather than attend a hunting-party. Jane was sent from home in February 1547 to join the household of Thomas Seymour and stayed with him during his marriage to Catherine Parr. She only left after Catherine's death. After the funeral of Catherine Parr - in which Jane acted as chief mourner - she stayed at Thomas Seymour's house again. However, she moved a few months before he was arrested.

Jane was betrothed to Lord Guildford Dudley in the spring of 1553 who was the son of the Duke of Northumberland. The couple was married on May 21st.

The Execution of a Would-be-Queen

This is probably the most famous portrait of Lady Jane Grey's execution after only nine days as Queen of England. It is obvious from the picture that the artist wanted to show her innocence which is seen in the completely white Lady Jane Grey.

The most horrible execution ...

Tower of London is considered to be one of the most haunted places in Britain and has witnesses countless executions through the years. The execution of Lady Margaret Pole during the reign of Henry VIII has been named as the most horrible execution that took place at the castle.

Lady Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury

Lady Margaret Pole was arrested because her son Cardinal Pole had denied Henry VIII as the Head of the Church of England and she was suspected of sharing her son's point of view. But that is not the only reason for her arrest - actually it is most likely that it was just a pretext to arrest the entire Pole family. Lady Margaret Pole and her sons where the very last of the Plantagenet family who ruled England before the Tudors which made them a treat in the eyes of Henry VIII.
And so, the entire family was arrested when Cardinal Pole had managed to escape to Rome. Lady Margaret Pole was 72 years old when she was taken to the Tower which made the entire situation absurd even to the courtiers of the day. The elderly Lady was sentenced to death and on May 27th 1541 she was taken out to the place of her execution where 150 spectators were waiting to oversee the execution.

But when the executioner asked her to kneel, she simply said: "So should traitors do and I am none." The Lady was held down by a couple of guards but when the executioner - shocked no doubt - swung his axe he missed her neck and hit her shoulder instead. She ran down from the scaffold in hysteria with the executioner running behind her. He hacked at her eleven more times until she died.

That was the way Lady Margaret Pole died and ever since her ghost has been seen re-enacting the horrible execution over and over again - still being chased by the ghost of her executioner.