Due to the intense emotions commonly involved with politics- dealing with war, civil rights, employment, etc, you can probably see how an imprint of a politician's spirit could be made on the place they work. The White House is a good example of this with Abraham Lincoln's ghost having been sighted there several times.
Just imagine the emotions that surround a place like the Tower of London- with imprisonment, torture and death a very real part of the political climate during its prime. Surely, a place like that would be ripe for ghosts and hauntings.
And such is the Tower of London's reputation as one of the most haunted locations in the United Kingdom.
The first reported sighting of a ghost there was of Thomas A. Becket. When construction of the Inner Curtain Wall started during the reign of Henry III. The archbishop, who died because of Henry III's grandfather, didn't seem pleased with the construction going on. It was reported that he reduced the wall to ruins when he struck it with his cross. Henry III built a chapel in the tower, and named it after the slain archbishop. It is suspected that, the ghost, having been pleased by this act of penance then stopped causing problems for the construction crews.
Prince Edward V, and Prince Richard, Duke of York, who were aged twelve and ten respectively, are assumed to have been murdered in the Tower of London in 1483. The Duke of Gloucestershire is suspected of ordering their deaths so that he could be crowned King Richard III. Guards in the 15th century reported walking pass the Bloody Tower (as the Tower of London is also called), and seeing the shadows of two young figures in white night shirts gliding down the stairs. They said that when they stopped, they stood hand in hand before disappearing. Workmen found a chest in 1674, that held the bones of two young children. It is generally accepted that these were the two murdered princes, and they were given a royal burial after their discovery.
One of the more famous, and most often seen ghosts is that of Anne Boleyn. She was ordered to be executed for infidelity after the only male heir she bore Henny VIII was still born. One May 19, 1536, she was beheaded. Her spirit is often reported by the Queen's House, near her execution site. Her figure is often reported to be followed by ghostly Lords and Ladies down the aisle of the Chapel Royal, to her final resting place under the Chapel's altar. Anne Boleyn's spirit is also often seen stalking the Tower of London's hallways... with her head under her arm.
One spirit that didn't seem to suffer while alive was Sir Walter Raleigh. His cells were furnished comfortably during his imprisonment, and visitors to the Bloody Tower can see them as they looked back in the 16th century. Executed by James I, Sir Walter Raleigh's ghost is reported to look exactly as he does in the portrait of him hanging in the Tower.
While Sir Walter Raleigh may have had a comfortable end to his life, the Countess of Salisbury did not. Ordered to die by Henry VIII for political reasons, the 70 year old Countess refused to rest her head on the block. The exectutioner wound up chasing her, swinging his ax until she died of her wounds. Not only has she been seen re-enacting this horrible death, but it's been reported that the shadow of the ax has been seen over the scene of her murder.
Another tragic tale of death at the Tower of London is that of Lady Jane Grey. The granddaughter of Mary (the younger sister of Henry VIII), and Louis XII of France, it was arranged for her to marry Guildford Dudley, and her cousin, Edward VI was convinced to name her his successor. This was a political move by the Duke of Northumberland, as he would lose everything if Mary- a Catholic became queen. Dudley was his son. When Edward VI died, Lady Jane Grey was crowned Queen. When she was overthrown by the supporters of Mary, her own father betrayed her by throwing his support behind Mary. Lady Jane Grey, Guildford Dudley, and the Duke of Northumberland were imprisoned in the Tower of London. The Duke was executed, while Mary- showing mercy, let Lady Jane Grey and Dudley go.
Not long after this, Lady Jane Grey's father was part of a rebellion against Mary, and Lady Jane Grey and her husband wound up once again in the Bloody Tower. Dudley was beheaded first, with Lady Jane Grey being executed shortly after. She was 17 when she died. Her ghost has been seen as a "white shape forming itself on the battlements" up to at least February 12, 1957, marking the 403rd anniversary of her beheading. Guildford Dudley has been reported being seen in Beauchamp Tower weeping as the time for his execution draws near.
Escaping from her cell in the Tower of London, Catherine Howard screamed out for help and mercy. After being caught, she was returned to her room to await her execution the next day. A phantom matching her description is often seen running down the hallway, screaming for help.
1864 saw a sentry guarding the Queen's House challening an apparition that was so solid and detailed that he thought it was a real, living person. After ignoring the soldier three times, the guard lunged with his bayonet, only to fall through it to the ground. He was found unconcious and put up on charges of neglecting his duty. He would've been court martialed if two others hadn't come forward to confirm his encounter.
And it's not just people that haunt the famous Tower of London. The location once was home to the Royal Menagerie. Here, various animals ranging from lions, birds, monkeys, and even an elephant that was a givft from the King of France were exhibited. It was reported that one night in January, 1815, as the clock struck midnight, a bear from the menagerie was sighted coming through a doorway. The guard on post lunged at it with his bayonet, but struck nothing but air. He was found unconcious, and died two months later from fear.
There is "something" stalking the Salt Tower. This area of the Tower of London complex is claimed to be the most haunted of them. Dogs refuse to enter, and no guards will enter after nightfall, espectially after one of the Yeoman Warders was attacked, and nearly strangled by an unseen power.
Phantom funeral carriages, and a woman in a veil and no face have also been reported as haunting the famous Bloody Tower.
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