Carving in the Beauchamp Tower of the Tower of London. Photo May 2003.
This carving was done by John Dudley (the son of John Dudley Duke of Northumberland) while he and his brothers were held in the Beauchamp Tower following the short reign of Lady Jane Grey and the Wyatt Rebellion in the reign of Mary I.
The carving reads: “You that these beasts do well behold and see, may dem with ease wherefore here made they be, with borders eke within [there may be found] 4 brothers names who list to search the ground.”
I first saw this in the Tower when I was about 11 and then, as now, wondered how a busy Tudor nobleman would really have had the time, inclination and opportunity to reach the level of competence this work required – which he would have to have done before his incarceration. It looks like a professional job to me, or at least the work of an experienced hand. Having said that, I have very little knowledge of the actual story behind it. Any comments?
(Lara, loved the pics of the cannon from the Mary Rose)