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Start · Tower Hill, London · 1549
The Uncle Who Stalked a PrincessA queen's widower crept into a teenage princess's bedroom at night in a scheme that would cost him his head.
same spot · Tower Hill, London · 1536
The Brother Executed Alongside The QueenAccused of incest with his own sister on evidence most historians reject, he died two days before her.
same spot · Tower Hill, London · 1540
The Chief Minister's Botched BeheadingHenry VIII's most powerful minister was condemned without trial. One chronicler says his executioner botched the job, though some historians doubt it.
same spot · Tower Hill, London · 1552
The False Cry of Pardon at the Duke of Somerset's ExecutionOn January 22, 1552 a roar swept Tower Hill and the crowd shouted that a pardon had come for the fallen Lord Protector. It had not, and Edward Seymour was beheaded before the hope died.
1.4 km on · Bermondsey, London · 1849
The Murder Dickens Turned Into FictionA cold, calculated murder buried a body in a Bermondsey kitchen, and became fodder for the country's most famous novelist.
Coordinates mark the place of each story, and some are approximate. Check opening times and access before you go.