Escape from the Tower of London

The Tower of London is an old fortress in England. It was built in 1078 on the bank of the Thames River, just outside the city of London. Originally, the tower was built as a home for the royal family. So, to be well protected, it was surrounded by steep walls and a moat. Later, the tower became a j ail for famous prisoners. Henry VIII had his wife Queen Anne beheaded there in 1536. Yeomen of the Guard (known today as the famous English Beefeaters) have guarded the tower for centuries. It was almost impossible to escape from the tower. One of the few people who did, however, was helped by a woman. In 1714, King George I charged the Earl of Nithsdale with treason. The earl's crime was that he was a Catholic. King George was a Protestant, and he thought that anyone who did not believe as he did was a traitor to the crown. The earl was sent to the Tower of London to await execution. He was kept a prisoner in a cell in the tower dungeon for almost two years. During that time, his wife, Lady Nithsdale, did everything in her power to get him released. She even wrote petitions to the king, but he refused to set her husband free. Meanwhile, she visited her husband every day. She was always kind to his guards so that they would treat him well. When King George set the date for the earl's execution, Lady Nithsdale decided she must help her husband escape. She went to the tower with two other women-a close friend and a maid. The friend was a large woman. She wore a heavy cape, big enough to fit Lord Nithsdale. The maid was small. She easily wore two sets of clothing without arousing any suspicion. Lady Nithsdale told the sympathetic guards that this was to be their last visit to her husband. Once inside the cell and out of the guards' sight, the large woman stepped out of her cloak and gave it to the earl. She put on the maid's large outer cloak. She and the maid then climbed back up the dungeon stairs. They told the guards they wanted to give Lady Nithsdale some time alone with her husband. After a few minutes, the friend and the maid went back down to the cell to see if they could be of any help to the about-to-be widow. They went back and forth like this several times. The plan was to confuse the guards so that they would not be able to remember how many people had come and gone from the dungeon. Finally, Lady Nithsdale left with a very tall person in a cloak who was weeping uncontrollably. Lady Nithsdale told the guards, "I must help my friend outside. She is overcome with grief." The guards let them pass. The "weeping" earl covered his face and his beard with a big handkerchief. The guards never guessed that it was the earl. Once the disguised earl was outside the tower gate, Lady Nithsdale bravely returned to his cell. She begged the guards, "Please, let me see him just one more time." The guards opened the cell door and stood aside to let her in. Luckily they did not look into the cell or they would have discovered that it was empty. Lady Nithsdale then struck up an imaginary conversation with her husband. First, she said some-thing to the earl. Then, pretending she was the earl, she replied in a low voice. She kept up the dialogue until she was sure the earl was far enough away from the tower. Then, for the guards' benefit, she said a loud and tearful goodbye to the cell door. She closed the door and climbed sadly back up the dungeon stair. She wanted as much time to escape as possible. So she cleverly told the guards that her husband "did not want any dinner." Between sobs, she told them that he wanted to spend his "remaining hours alone and in peace." Several miles from the tower, she caught up with her husband. They spent the next few nights in hiding with friends. Finally, they made their way to Rome, Italy. Then, as now, Rome was the center of the Catholic Church. Lady Nithsdale and her husband spent the rest of their lives in peace. It was a well-deserved rest after such a daring escape.

Questions

Answer the following questions using full sentences.

1. In what country was the Tower of London located?

2. What river flowed beside the tower walls?

3. Which king had his queen beheaded in the tower?

4. What is the current name of the famous English soldiers who guard the tower?

5. What was the Earl of Nithsdale's crime? 6. How many people did Lady Nithsdale take with her to the dungeon?

7. How did the earl cover his face and beard during the escape?

8. Where did Lady Nithsdale and the earl go to live after the escape? Why did they go there?

Vocabulary Find each of these words in the Google Dictionary. Copy and Paste an appropriate definition. Write a sentence that includes the word.

A. Fortress

B. Steep

C. Execution

D. suspicion