What happened
On 19 May 1536 Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was beheaded within the Tower of London, convicted of adultery, incest and conspiracy on charges that most historians consider fabricated. She was buried the same day in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, in a plain arrow chest. Since the 19th century the Tower has been regarded as a place where her ghost finds no rest: a female figure has been seen near Tower Green, and other tales tell of a procession of courtiers led by Anne passing through the chapel at night. The most famous account dates from 1864. Captain J. D. Dundas of the 60th Rifles is said to have seen from his window a sentry in front of the queen's former lodgings challenge “a whitish, female figure,” charge it with his bayonet and faint. Dundas's testimony reportedly saved the soldier from severe punishment for collapsing on duty.
Witnesses
Sentries, Yeoman Warders and visitors; the account of the 1864 incident and Captain J. D. Dundas was popularized by Hans Holzer in “Ghosts I've Met” (1965).
Explanations and hypotheses
Anne Boleyn “haunts” many places – the Tower, Hever Castle where she grew up, Blickling Hall and several others – which in itself suggests a legend attached to a tragic figure rather than consistent sightings. The 1864 sentry story is known from publications a century later and has not been confirmed in military records. The Tower, with its history of executions and prisoners, is a natural magnet for such tales, and the warders are happy to retell them to visitors.
Legend A story handed down through generations – it can be neither confirmed nor disproved.
Sources
- Christina Hole, Haunted England: A Survey of English Ghost-Lore (Batsford, 1951)
- Hans Holzer, Ghosts I've Met (1965)
- Daniel Farson, Ghosts in Fact and Fiction (Hamlyn, 1978)
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