The Signature Scratched into the Tower Cell Wall

The stone is cold and grey. The room is small and dark. There is only one small window. Almost no sunlight comes in. This is a cell in the Tower of London. For hundreds of years, important prisoners lived here. Kings and queens sent their enemies to this place. Some prisoners waited months. Some waited years. Many prisoners did something interesting while they waited. They used a sharp stone or a metal tool to scratch their names into the wall. They wanted the world to know: I was here. Today, you can still see these carvings. There are pictures and many names.

One is very famous. In the Beauchamp Tower, there is a beautiful carving with flowers. The name in the center is IANE. Historians believe this is the name of Lady Jane Grey. She was queen of England for only nine days in 1553. Then, Queen Mary I took power and sent Jane to the Tower. Jane was only sixteen or seventeen years old. She was very intelligent and loved books. In February 1554, she was executed.

For many years, people believed Jane made the carving herself. But now, historians ask questions. The letters are very neat. Did a frightened prisoner have the time to do this? Also, Jane lived in a different part of the Tower. Did she ever visit this wall? Some say the carving is hers. Others say a friend made it later to remember her. Nobody knows the true answer. However, the carving is still there after five hundred years. Visitors look at the name and think about the young queen. She wanted the world to remember her, and we still do.