The Salt Tower

Previous page: Crown Jewels

This was formerly called Julius Caesar's Tower and is of special interest as containing more prisoners' inscriptions than any other, except the Beauchamp Tower; they are moreover in their original places, which many of those in the Beauchamp Tower are not.

Among them the most conspicuous is the figure for casting horoscopes cut by Hew Draper of Bristol in 1561. He was sent to the Tower for an accusation of witchcraft against Lady St. Lo, better known as Bess of Hardwick, and her husband Sir William St. Lo.

A finely cut armillary sphere is also to be seen, and a pierced heart, hand and foot occur in different places on the wall, signifying the five wounds of Christ.

The name of Michael Moody, 1587, recalls a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth, and here as in the other tower are several inscriptions marked by the IHS monogram, with a cross above the H, a form commonly used by members of the Society of Jesus.

Next page: Broad Arrow Tower

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