Poem of Margaret Salisbury

After Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury had been executed, a short piece of text was found carved into the wall. The Countess denied her guilt to the end and it is believed that the poem is written by the Countess herself.

For traitors on the block should die;

I am no traitor, no, not I!

My faithfulness stands fast and so,

Towards the block I shall not go!

Nor make one step, as you shall see;

Christ in Thy mercy, save Thou me!

Sadly, the elderly woman's prayer was not heard - her execution would be remembered as the most horrible execution of the Tower of London.

Margaret Beaufort

Mother of a new dynasty - role model of her time 

Margaret Beaufort was born on May 31 either 1443 or 1441. Her parents were Margaret Beauchamp and John Beaufort (Duke of Somerset); her father was in good standing with the King and made sure that if he died on an up-coming campaign to France then the guardianship of Margaret should belong to the little girl's mother. But John Beaufort fell out with the King and was consequently banished from court - it would later be reported that he died of illness but some suggest that he committed suicide. By the death of her father, Margaret was the heir to his fortunes.

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.