Murderous May: The Headless Ghost of Anne Boleyn

Today, May 19th, marks the anniversary of the execution of famed historical figure Anne Boleyn. Anne, the second wife to King Henry VIII of England, was taken from her quarters in the Tower of London and presented for execution at the scaffold site where her head was summarily separated from her body with the swift swing of a sword. Though she has been dead for nearly half a century, some say Anne Boleyn is not about to go quietly into that good night…

Murderous May: The Black Legend of Richard III

Tower of London as viewed from the Thames River.

After becoming fatally ill at Easter in 1483, King Edward IV of England added a codicil to his will, naming his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) Protector while the King’s eldest son, Edward V, was in the minority. Shortly following the April 9, 1843 death of his father (King Edward IV) Edward V, Prince of Wales, traveled from his boyhood home in Woodville to London. In late April, the party was intercepted by Protector Richard III who arrested and subsequently ordered the execution of the Woodvilles who were traveling with the young king. Edward V (12 yrs old) was escorted to the Tower of London where he was soon joined by his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (10 yrs old), supposedly to await Edward’s coronation. However, in July 1483, it was Richard III who was being crowned king– The two young princes had disappeared without a trace.

Westminster Abbey Haunts

There has been a church of some form on this site – formerly known as Thorny Island – since the 600s dedicated to St Peter. During his reign, King Edward (better known as St Edward the Confessor), built the first of what would come to be England’s most iconic church: Westminster Abbey.