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In the Tower’s long history, only two of its prisoners are believed to have twice escaped. The Tower of London, 1647 (Credit: Wenceslaus Hollar, Project Gutenberg) On the night of the next new moon, Tankerville escaped with the help of her gaoler, whose securing of a rope to an iron hook ensured their way down the parapets from St Thomas’ Tower. Having fallen in love with his prisoner, Bawd agreed to help her escape. Buoyed by claims from Denys that the Coldharbour Gate had a plausible escape route, Bawd purchased two long pieces of rope and had a second key cut of the tower’s outer door.
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The only escapee of Henry VIII’s reign, Alice Tankerville was the first and only woman to flee the Tower.Ĭondemned to death for stealing a shipment of 366 crowns and brought to the Tower, the reputedly charming woman managed to befriend two of the gaolers – William Denys and John Bawd. Despite the end of the rope being about 20 feet from the ground, he managed to scale the curtain wall to where a horse had been left for him by his allies. Once his captors were inebriated, he used a rope that had been smuggled into his cell and abseiled down the walls. Removed from all offices of state and charged with embezzlement, Flambard became the first official prisoner of the Tower.įor 6 months, he wiled his time away patiently.Renowned for his qualities as an entertainer, he frequently hosted banquets for his gaolers.Īfter slowly building their trust, on 2 February 1101 the canny cleric organised one such event, taking note to ensure extra quantities of wine. The accession of William’s younger brother, Henry I, saw a dramatic downturn in Ranulf’s fortunes. The South View of the Tower of London” engraving, published in 1737 (Credit: Nathaniel Buck, Samuel Buck, British Museum). Influential in establishing the Domesday Book, Ranulf Flambard was Bishop of Durham and a key supporter of the tyrannical William Rufus.Ī keen builder, he oversaw the construction of Durham Cathedral, the first stone London Bridge, Westminster Hall and – most ironically – a curtain wall around the Tower of London. Here are 5 of the very best escapes from ‘The Tower’. For a small number, however, the supposedly impenetrable walls proved merely a minor nuisance. Those who did, often did so without their head. Out of the more than 8,000 unfortunate souls, many who were imprisoned in the Tower never left.
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For more than 900 years, the Tower of London has occupied its place at the heart of English life.Īt various times a royal citadel, palace, menagerie, observatory, public records office, mint, arsenal and, even to this day, the home of the crown jewels of England, since 1100 it has famously served as a prison for notorious traitors, heretics, and even royalty.