Although ‘Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London’ by Nigel Jones is a fast-paced and fascinating look at the Tower of London, he does make the following errors relating to Lady Jane Grey.
• Jones writes, ‘Edward died on the evening of 9 July’ (p228).
Contemporary sources state that King Edward VI died on 6th July.
‘The vj day of July, as they say, dessessyed the nobull kyng Edward the vj.’
Diary of Henry Machyn, p35
‘King Edward died at Greenwich, on the 6th July 1553, towards night.’
The Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary, and Especially of the Rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyat, p 1
• Jones also states ‘…11th July, as heralds proclaimed her accession to a muted reception in London, Jane was rowed downriver to the Tower’ (Jones, p229 )
Contemporary sources state that Queen Jane was taken to the Tower on 10th July.
‘The x day of July was reseyved in to the Towre (the Queen Jane) with a grett company of lords and nobulls…after the qwen, and the duches of Suffke her mother, bering her trayn, with mony lades, and ther was a shot of gunnes and chamburs has nott be sene oft be- tweyn iii and v of (the clock); by vj of the cloke be-gane the proclamasyon of the same (after) non (of) qwen Jane with ij Harold(s) and a trompet blohyng (declaring) that my lade Mare was unlawfully be-gotten, and so (went throught) Chepe to Fletstrett, proclamyng qwen Jane…’
Diary of Henry Machyn, p 35
‘The 10 of July, in the afternoone, about 3 of the clocke, lady Jane was convayed by water to the Tower of London, and there received as queene. After five of the clocke, the same afternoone, was proclamation made of the death of king Edward the sixt, and how hee had ordained by his letters patent bearing sate the 21. Of June last past that the lady Jane should be heire to the Crowne of England, and the heire males of her body, &e.’
The Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary, and Especially of the Rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyat, p 3
‘When I had written thus far, my honoured friend in the Lord, the 10th of July arrives, when it is publicly proclaimed here, in the name of the aforesaid king Edward is dead, that the lady Frances aforesaid, the queen’s mother, had no son, and therefore as I understand, that the government of this realm had devolved upon this queen Jane, to which event may our good and gracious God grant his blessing! Amen.’
Letter CXXV, Original Letters Relative to the English Reformation, p 274
• Finally, Jones writes that ‘Jane spent her last night, 8 February writing letters to her family.’ (Jones, p 242)
February 9th was the original date set for the execution of Lady Jane and Guildford Dudley. It was postponed until February 12th.
‘The Monday, being the xijth of Februarie, about ten of the clocke, ther went out of the Tower to the scaffold on Tower Hill, the lorde Guilforde Dudley, sone to the late duke of Northumberland, husbande to the lady Jane Grey, daughter of the Duke of Suffolke…
By this tyme was ther a scaffold made upon the grene over against the White tower, for the saide lady Jane to die apon.’
The Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary, and Especially of the Rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyat, p 54-55
