Notes and Queries, Number 213, November 26, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.Various
History
Notes and Queries, Number 213, November 26, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.
Various
Questions and answers -- Periodicals
REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES:--The Claymore--
Temple Lands in Scotland--Lewis and Sewell
Families--Pharaoh's Ring--"Could we with ink,"
&c.--"Populus vult decipi"--Red Hair--"Land
of Green Ginger"--"I put a spoke in his wheel"
--Pagoda--Passage in Virgil--To speak in Lute-string
--Dog Latin--Longevity--Definition of a
Proverb--Ireland a bastinadoed Elephant--Ennui
--Belle Sauvage--History of York--Encore--
"Hauling over the Coals"--The Words "Cash"
and "Mob"--Ampers and--The Keate Family, of
the Hoo, Herts--Hour-glasses--Marriage of Cousins
--Waugh, Bishop of Carlisle--Marriage Service--
Hoby, Family of--Cambridge Graduates--"I own
I like not," &c.--"Topsy Turvy"--"When the
Maggot bites," &c. 520
MISCELLANEOUS:--
Notes on Books, &c. 527
Books and Odd Volumes wanted 528
Notices to Correspondents 528
Advertisements 528
* * * * *
Notes.
THE STATE PRISON IN THE TOWER.
A paragraph has lately gone the round of the newspapers, in which, after
mentioning the alterations recently made in the Beauchamp Tower and the
opening of its "written walls" to public inspection, it is stated that this
Tower was formerly the place of confinement for state prisoners, and that
"Sir William Wallace and Queen Anne Boleyn" were amongst its inmates.
Now, I believe there is no historical authority for saying that "the
Scottish hero" was ever confined in the Tower of London; and it seems
certain that the unfortunate queen was a prisoner in the royal apartments,
which were in a different part of the fortress. But so many illustrious
persons are known to have been confined in the Beauchamp Tower, and its
walls preserve so many curious inscriptions--the undoubted autographs of
many of its unfortunate tenants--that it must always possess great
interest.
Speaking from memory, I cannot say whether the building known as the
Beauchamp (or Wakefield) Tower was even in existence in the time of Edward
I.; but my impression is, that its architecture is not of so early a time.
It is, I believe, supposed to derive its name from the confinement in it of
Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in 1397. Of course it was not the
only place of durance of state prisoners, but it was the prison of most of
the victims of Tudor cruelty who were confined in the Tower of London; and
the walls of the principal chamber which is on the first storey, and was,
until lately, used as a mess-room for the officers, are covered in some
parts with those curious inscriptions by prisoners which were first
described in a paper read before the Society of Antiquaries in 1796, by the
Rev. J. Brand, and published in the thirteenth volume of _The Archaeologia_.
Mr. P. Cunningham, in his excellent _Handbook_, says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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