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10 stops · about 0.0 km on foot · London, United Kingdom

Dark history around Tower of London, London (part 2)

Follow the stops in order. Each is a documented story set at or near this spot.

Open the walking route in Maps See it on the Dark Atlas

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  1. Start · London · 1381

    The Archbishop's Head That Still Survives

    A raging mob hacked the Archbishop of Canterbury to death, and his mummified head still sits in a Suffolk church today.

  2. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1535

    The Chancellor Who Said No To A King

    Henry VIII's closest friend and Lord Chancellor refused to recognise him as head of the church, and paid with his head.

  3. same spot · Lollards' Tower, London · 1514

    The Corpse Burned to Complete a Sentence

    A merchant was found hanging in the bishop's prison, and the church still tried his corpse for heresy and burned it.

  4. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1541

    The Countess Who Ran From The Executioner's Axe

    A 67-year-old countess with no trial was told to prepare her soul — and the execution that followed was a butchery.

  5. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1478

    The Duke Drowned in a Barrel of Wine

    A treacherous royal brother's noble blood spared him hanging, but not a private death in a barrel of wine.

  6. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1478

    The Duke Drowned In A Barrel Of Wine

    He betrayed his brother the king twice — and legend says his private execution ended in a butt of Malmsey wine.

  7. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1594

    The Jesuit Hung by His Wrists in the Tower

    Father John Gerard was hung from iron manacles in the Tower of London and would not name Henry Garnet. In 1597 he crossed the moat on a rope, with hands that could barely grip.

  8. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1554

    The Nine Days' Queen Who Watched Her Husband's Body Pass

    She saw her husband's headless body lifted from a cart, and walked to her own scaffold inside the hour.

  9. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1536

    The Poet Who May Have Watched Her Die

    A poet linked to Anne Boleyn before the King was locked in the Tower in 1536, and tradition says he watched her walk to the scaffold.

  10. same spot · Tower of London, London · 1536

    The Princess Who Lost Everything Overnight

    At two she watched her mother beheaded — at three she had no gowns and no title.

Coordinates mark the place of each story, and some are approximate. Check opening times and access before you go.