A Hidden History of the Tower of London: England's Most Notorious Prisoners

by John Paul Davis

“With these incredible and often heartbreaking stories, John Paul Davis clearly demonstrates how the fortress acquired its sinister reputation.” —History . . . the Interesting Bits!Famed as the ultimate penalty for traitors, heretics and royalty alike, being sent to the Tower is known to have been experienced by no less than 8,000 unfortunate souls. Many of those who were imprisoned in the Tower never returned to civilization and those who did, often did so without their head! It is hardly surprising that the Tower has earned itself a reputation among the most infamous buildings on the planet.Beginning with the early tales surrounding its creation, this book investigates the private life of an English icon. Concentrating on the Tower’s developing role throughout the centuries, not in terms of its physical expansion into a site of unique architectural majesty or many purposes but through the eyes of those who experienced its darker side, it pieces together the, often seldom-told, human story and how the fates of many of those who stayed within its walls contributed to its lasting effect on England’s—and later the UK’s—destiny. From ruthless traitors to unjustly killed Jesuits, vanished treasures to disappeared princes and jaded wives to star-crossed lovers, this book provides a raw and at times unsettling insight into its unsolved mysteries and the lot of its unfortunate victims, thus explaining how this once typical castle came to be the place we will always remember as THE TOWER.“The building is as imposing now as it ever was, and the author’s complete and thorough knowledge is imparted in grand style.” —Books Monthly

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, British Literature, London, Tudor Period

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2020

About the author

📚 John Paul Davis is the international bestselling author of fourteen thriller novels. His debut, The Templar Agenda, cracked the UK Top 20 and claimed the #1 spot in Historical Thrillers. Since then, he has continued to keep readers on the edge of their seats, with hits like The Cortés Trilogy, which reached the UK Top 40 and US Top 20, and the White Hart series, starring a secret black ops group with origins dating back to the Middle Ages.

🖊 In addition to thrillers, JPD has authored seven works of nonfiction. His debut work, Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar, sparked international press interest, while Pity For The Guy, the first full-length biography of Guy Fawkes, was featured on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

🏠 JPD is an active member of International Thriller Writers (ITW) and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He holds a BSc from Loughborough University and resides in Warwickshire, where he enjoys sports, history, reading, contemplating the meaning of life, planning book-related travels and pondering plot twists.

Checkout his official Website: www.johnpauldavis.com

Reviews

[Andrea van der Meer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love the Tower of London, this book is a must-read! It goes beyond the well-known stories and adds depth, especially when it comes to the prisoners who were held within its walls. Some as famous as Anne Boleyn and Guy Fawkes.

As someone who makes sure to visit the Tower every once in a while, this book gave me a new appreciation for its hidden corners and lesser-known tales. A fascinating read that brings the Tower’s past to life in a whole new way!

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and fascinating read, well researched and full of information.
I found it engrossing and informative, an excellent read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

Review to be added to Amazon US on 2nd June 2020 - publication day!

I love this kind of book and couldn’t wait to get stuck in!

I thought that the different sections were great and I will admit my favourite periods in the book were those in the run up to the end of the Tudor period. Personally I am not a huge fan of the time of James I and after that until we get to Victorian times but there were still a few interesting characters in that period.

I liked the descriptions given as to why the people were in the Tower, the different escapes that were attempted, those that were successful, and those that weren’t, the things that had affected the Tower through its different periods of construction too including fires and more recently attacks from the IRA. It was a genuinely interesting book and I found it to be an easy read too – definitely one I would recommend – it was packed with detail!

It is 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon, I thought it was a well-crafted book and I loved the snippets that author selected to illustrate the history of one of the world’s most famous buildings!

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy the Tower of London, then you really are going to need to grab a copy of this book. Get the ins and outs of daring escapes, fires, prisoners of renown, and the little known history that lay behind the Tower of London.

While reading through this book, there were several pieces that were presented that I was acquainted with, but there were many that I had never heard of. We know of some of the higher profile nobility that were held within the tower, but this book gives you so much more.

A great and amazing read - I look forward to hearing more from this author in the future! Well written, and full of wonderful information, this book is a winner!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! This wonderful book, A Hidden History of the Tower of London, England's Most Notorious Prisoners written by John Paul Davis, is GOLD! He covers the Tower's beginning with William the Conqueror in 1066 and continues throughout 1000 years to the present time. Now that includes all the characters we are all familiar with...Henry II, John the Gaunt, Mathilde, Edward and his love Elizabeth Woodville (another author of British history calls her The White Queen) Margaret Beaufort, Henrys V, VI, VII, and of course the great beastie of them all, Henry VIII of Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced Beheaded, Survived. They're all in this wonderfully written book. How was Mr. Davis able to write just a few pages per character when there are books and books written about each one of these historical figures. And then there is the star of the book, The Tower of London! I cannot even imagine what it must be like to be inside it, as I have never been, standing in the rooms that held Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard! This is a fabulous book! I give it 25 stars!!! It was fascinating, interesting and answered questions that I have of the place. Alas, we'll probably never really know what happened to the Princes in the Tower, or I should say, who murdered them? and who is the ghost that haunts the Tower!! A great great read!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun read, and is a good illustration of just how big a part the Tower has played in the history of England since the days of William the Conqueror initiated the building of it. It is a bloody story, full of torture, executions, and the occasional murder. There are also daring escapes, and sometimes a touch of humor as well.

It's all presented in a very accessible, highly readable way. If you're curious about the Tower, or the history of England in general, this one is a good option. It also has an extensive bibliography that offers many suggestions for future reading on anything of particular interest.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This is a (very) comprehensive history of the life and times of those who at one time or another inhabited the Tower of London from its inception by William the Conqueror. It was remodeled several times throughout the years, so much so that William wouldn't have recognized it.

The names and the pages fly by in this chronicle. In fact the names blur, there are so many. The poor, hapless souls (for the most part), who were sentenced to terms in the Tower or death by various means were innocent victims of politics, intrigue or happenstance.

The language in the book was difficult to follow in some areas. I had to read the sentence twice, or even three times to get the sense of it. Also, if I had not known the story behind many of the incarcerations, especially those of the Tudor period, I would hardly have understood much of the book. My hat is off to Mr. Davis for having the courage and stick-to-it-evness to tackle this huge subject. There is also a copious bibliography included at the end of the book for those who want to further explore the topic and its related issues.

I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword History for forwarding to me a copy of this very interesting and enlightening book for me to read, enjoy and review.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but when I come across a book like this I really have to ask myself why. Packed full of the people and events surrounding the Tower of London, author John Paul Davis really brings history alive in "A Hidden History of the Tower of London". It honestly surprised me how little I knew. This book is very informative and written in a very engaging way.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: I am not sure I would consider this book the “hidden” secrets of The Tower of London since I was quite aware of most of the tales, sufficiently to take exception on occasion to an interpretation of one thing or another. However, a more complete story of the Tower and its various inhabitants both voluntary and involuntary, a reader is unlikely to find.. Let’s face it, most of us are mostly intrigued by those involuntary ones who seldom lived to tell the tale.
It goes right back to when the Tower was first erected by William The Conquerer who wanted those upstart Londoners, living within the old walls, to know who was boss. They definitely got the message although it was a “sport” from time to time to torment rebellion of one form or another and the Tower usually played an integral part in the game. Often it was where those in power sheltered. Often it was where those who failed were housed and taught the errors of their ways. In the centuries it went from being a home and stronghold of the monarch to a combination of home and prison and then solely prison, expect for the Yeoman Warders and ravens who live there.
It is a fascinating place to visit and thanks to the guides, quite entertaining. This book is a good adjunct to a first hand visit or a great prep for a future one. Either way, it is complete and very detailed.
Four purrs and two paws up.

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

I love learning about the tower of London. Even more so about the hidden history of it. Really interesting book with loads of information that I never knew about it! 4 stars

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a historical and insightful tutorial to say the least. Although the book reads like a tome at times, covering the world renown tower through the royal reigns (i.e. Willam the Conquerer to King George VI), the copious amount of information kept me engaged until the end.

Keep in mind that a bulk of the research is committed to the agonized prisoners who once filled the cells and endured excruciating torture (everyone from poets to kings and queens). John Paul Davis peppers up the overall experience of those who perished (and in some cases absconded) by describing the architectural progress of the tower, key battles and events, and royal succession. The accounts are significant in their own ways, and as an American who only knows enough about British history and various monarchs, I can only conclude that some of these prisoners did not die in vain and were pivotal in England’s overall success and development.

If the history doesn’t fancy your interest, check out some of the spooky ghost stories in the back of the book. And the ravens, don’t forget about the ravens.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just the kind of memoir that I love. The author's voice was so authentic, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. I got an insider's look behind the scenes at an iconic historic heritage site. The author was so deeply involved with these ravens that he has committed his life to caring for them. The individual raven personalities were fascinating. It was a charming and delightful book.

[Ashley Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the author gave out details to every prisoners’ stories about their lives. I found it interesting and amusing to read. The author did a good job making this.

[Ellie Cripps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly highly entertaining, a good variety of stories across the course of the extensive history of one of England's most famous buildings. Made for an excellent audiobook.

[Ille · Rating 4 out of 5]

History is my favourite subject because I love learning about life in past times. So I am really pleased that I read this book. It talks about the Tower of London's history as a prison right from the 1000s to modern days.
Another highlight of my year so far, I really recommend this book.

[Ian McGaffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read. It is amazing to me that the telling of the story of the tower so closely follows the history of England. It is so integrally tied to the politics, religion, and more of the country. A lot of research went into this book, my only issue was it was hard to keep track at times of who the author was referring to. Names and titles blurred together. Still an excellent exploration of the history of the Tower of London.

[Amy McElroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive book of those imprisoned in the Tower. As a Tudor fan I found it pretty interesting and it was a great way to learn more about the Tower itself. The ok oy downside is a personal preference that I would have preferred it to be referenced throughout so I could look up certain things but as I said that's my personal preference. The bibliography is extensive and provided me with much further reading! This is clearly the result of much effort and research and I will be keeping my copy to refer back to. Thank you pen and sword for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

[Mac Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough, if not extremely detailed of prisoners who have been "guests" at the famous Tower of London. Started by William the Conqueror, the Tower has hosted monarchs, members of the peerage and even some commoners, not all of whom left with their heads intact.

It's a fascinating history and made me want to learn more about the unfortunates imprisoned there over the centuries.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted this to be more about the prisoners but instead we got a time travellers guide to the whole history of the Tower along with the monarchy at the time.
It was interesting enough and had some cool facts and what little there was about the Towers prisoners was engaging enough.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and scary place. Well written, adding substantially to my knowledge of the Royal home turned prison turned national place of interest.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historic fortress originally built by William the Conqueror in the years after the Conquest of England in 1066, it has continued to be expand with additional towers and various means to not only protect those inside from attacks and sieges but to prevent prisoners from escaping. Well, in that last case, it hasn't done so well over the centuries. Davis does even attempt to explain how each escapee managed to do it if known.

Being sent to the Tower was practically a death sentence for many of the nobles and citizens of England who had gotten on the wrong side of the reigning royalty - or during the Commonwealth of England, the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. The 15th and 16th centuries saw the most prisoners and executions of notables people. From Catholics and Protestants during the religious upheavals of Henry VIII and his children, couples that failed to ask royal permission to marry (all relatives of the Crown had to get the monarch's approval), missing Princes' (the legends of Edward V and his brother, Duke Richard of Shrewsbury), royal treasures (location of the crown jewels for many centuries) to pretenders and conspirators.

Overall, there are quite the number of persons that spend some time in the Tower. For a few, they spent years and were released, others spend weeks and were executed for sometimes rather trumped up charges.

It would have been nice to include a map/footprint of the Tower from over the centuries. The author did list the towers from their construction to removal as the complex grew and changed over the centuries. It even goes into the legend of the ravens and why they were kept - actual accounts only show that the ravens have been kept at the Towers since the 1880's although a raven has been considered an omen of doom dating back to Roman Cicero. Just in case, the English government is not willing to test the legend.

Then there are the ghost stories - the old White Tower is associated with the most hauntings - but nothing has been proven save some people saw or experienced 'something' be it a ghostly procession, voices or icy sensations.

Admittedly, it gets a bit monotonous with the continual this 'person did this and was in this part of the Tower having angered so-and-so and was executed (well or badly) on this date'. Next!
It does give some insights especially as the book gets closer to the current age as more history is available. Unfortunately, the tours will likely not give the truly curious the type of extensive examination of all the little nooks and crannies and special accommodations experienced over the years.

2021-194

[Kitty Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hidden History of the Tower of London by John Paul Davis
Genre: History and Non-Fiction
Publisher: Pen & Sword History
Publish Date: 28 February 2020

Star Rating: 3/5

This book is a good book to read for a history of the Tower as you can tell though the writing how much the author is passionate about his subject. The Tower of London casts a long and sometimes infamous shadow and anyone who is interested in the history of the UK needs to know something about the Tower. The book covers from the foundations of the Tower, in the mind of the Conqueror, up to the present day, and has interesting stories within about prisoners, eras, and a possible origin story for J. R. R. Tolkien's, Lord of the Rings.

A negative for me about the book is that the stories are not so hidden. I was looking forward to reading about little known facts and people (and there are some) but the majority are well-known stories with the most expansive chapters given over to the Tudor period (which I didn't mind, and the Queens, Boleyn, Howard, and Grey are always fascinating). Another disappointment is how long the book is. After finishing it I was left with the feeling that the book could have done with a good edit. But on the other hand, the author's passionate voice coming though makes it forgivable, to a point. It felt like I was in a pub with a loveable uncle chatting away.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does exactly what you'd expect of it: it gives a comprehensive history of the Tower of London. And it does it incredibly well and in such a way that there's something there for everyone, including history buffs with a solid working knowledge of the subject.

Everything from the different stages of building, to the menagerie housed within its walls and, obviously the people locked away awaiting trial/execution are covered in what I'd class as just the right amount of detail. We learn of the kings, queens and pretenders to the thrones whose lives impacted and were impacted by the tower, as well as the evolution of the methods used in 'questioning' the tower's prisoners.

In the appendixes, something I'm not usually one to read, we learn of the numerous ghostly sightings and stories that surround the tower, along with the fact that it is home to longest-running ritual (ceremony of the keys) in modern history.

Personally, I thought I knew a fair bit about the tower and have come away surprised at how little I actually knew. From successful escape attempts, to disappearances within the tower, there really is something for every reader (provided you like history, obviously).

It's also hands down got one of my favourite covers for a book.

[Kimberly Tierney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well researched and documented book telling the history of one of the most notorious buildings in British History.
He touches on the known stories (Anne Boleyn/Princes in the Tower) but focuses on the stories we don’t hear about all the time in documentaries and other books.
As an Anglophile and British Monarchy nerd this is going to forever be a must have/must recommend book when it comes to British History.
If you have a British history nerd in your life, or you’ve just come back from London and can’t get enough British knowledge now this is a great book.

[Lynn]

I started reading this book in anticipation of a visit to the Tower of London, having just finished The Ravenmaster (about caring for the ravens at the Tower of London and being one of its Yeoman Warders (commonly called "Beefeaters" but, who knew?! that's not the proper term) ...and it is dense with the history of prisoners. Having read a number of Shakespeare's English history plays in the last couple of years, I'm not quite so lost as I might otherwise be! Fascinating.

[Alayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the subject matter was interesting, this book was extremely poorly written. The sentences and paragraphs were very often ambiguous with the reader not knowing which "he" was being referred to. I wondered how any proofreader could have bypassed "wiled" away instead of "whiled" away and "writhe" instead of "rife". I have finished the book without any clear view of the history of the Tower of London, and I would give it one and a half stars.

[Morag Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook: This book takes the reader back to the building of the tower and up to the 20th century. It gives a voice to a small number of the prisoners held in the tower over the hundreds of years of history. There were some fascinating stories and gripping historical mysteries. But to me the whole thing felt very list like and that meant the human element of the stories got a bit lost.

[Nyamh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a well paced read, however, sometimes sections went a little too fast, it was hard to keep track of pertinent names and titles and their connections with one another. I think a few pages more in each chapter for the sake of clarity would have been welcome.

[pierre bovington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good detailed account. I opened wiki and used a map to track some of the information.
Some fantastic tales about the escapes and the people who assisted the runners.
From William the Conqueror, who built the place to Lord Haw Haw, the WW2 spy.
Good entertaining read.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the lives and (in many cases) deaths, by execution or murder, of the many people - from commoners to highranking nobles, including kings and queens - imprisoned in the Tower of London, this compelling book provides an interesting look at English history.