TOWER OF LONDON, in feudal days, a powerful fortress; then, and long after, a state prison of gloomy memories; now, a government storehouse and armory, and still, in some sense, a stronghold. is an irregular quadrilateral collection of buildings on rising ground adjoining the Thames, and immediately to the e. of the city of London. The space occupied is between 12 and 13 acres, and the whole is surrounded by a moat of fair width, but no great depth. Usually the moat is dry, but the garrison have the power of flooding it. Seen from without, the moat is bordered within by a lofty castel lated wall, broken by massive flanking towers at frequent intervals. Within this wall rises a second of similar construction, but greater height; and within this, again, are the several barracks, armories, etc. ; and in the center of all, the lofty keep or donjon known as the white tower. This last, which nearly resembles Rochester castle, and lilte it, was built by Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, in the time of William the con queror, is the center of interest and antiquity in the whole structure. Its walls are in pars 10 ft. thick, and of solid masonry. This tower was the court of the Plantagenet kings. The various other towers are principally noteworthy on account of the illustri ous prisoners who have pined in them, or left them for the scaffold. In the D.W. coiner of the quadrangle is St. Peter's chapel, now the garrison church. In another part is the jewel-house, containing the crown jewels, or regalia, comprising several crowns, scepters, globes, and jewels of enormous value. Near this building is the horse-armory a collection of ancient and medimval arms and armor, the latter being exhibited in com plete suits on wooden figures of men and horses. To the crown jewels and the armory, visitors are admitted on payment of a small fee.
Early writers have alleged that Julius Cwsar first built the tower of London as a Roman fortress; but there is no written evidence to prove the existence of any fortress on this site before the construction of the white tower by bishop Gundulph in 1078. Some earlier structure of the Saxon times appears to have been there, from the massive founda tions which have been discovered in the course of subsequent erections; but of the nature of those buildings we know nothing. During the reigns of the first two Norman kings, the tower seems to have been used as a fortress merely. In Henry L's time, it was already
a state prison. That monarch and his successors gradually increased the size and strength of the ramparts and towers, until the whole became a stronghold of the first class for feudal times. The kings frequently resided there, holding their courts, and not unfre quently sustaining sieges and blockades from their rebellions subjects. Of the long list of executions for political offenses, real or imputed, that of lords Kilmarnock, Bal merino, and Lovat, after the rebellion of 1745, was the last. Wilkes, Horne Tooke, and others have since been confined there; but happily, blood has ceased to flow since the existence of a living opposition has been found consistent with the safety of the govern ment.
Not the least interesting memorials are the quaint and touching inscriptions cut by hapless prisoners on the walls of their dungeons.
In 1841 a very serious fire broke out in the bowyer tower, and extended to the armo ries, causing the destruction of numerous modern buildings and many thousand stand-of: arms. At present, the tower of London is a great military storehouse in charge of the war department, containing arms and accouterments for the complete equipment of a large army. The mint and public records were formerly kept in it, but have now been removed to other buildings more suitable. Flamsteed, when first appointed astronomer-royal, made his observations from the summit of the white tower; afterward, he removed to Greenwich. It is needless to say that, viewed as a fortress, the tower would be useless against modern arms.
The government is vested iu a constable, who nas great privileges, and is usually military officer of long service and distinguished mark; the deputy-constable, also a general officer of repute, is the actual governor. He has a small staff under him, and the corps of yeomen of the guard, more commonly known as beef-eaters. In addition, a wing, and occasionally a battalion, of infantry is quartered in the barracks.—Bayley's History of the Tower of London, 2 vols. 4to; _Memoirs of the Tower, by Britton and Brayley (1831); Memorials of the Tower of London, by Lord De Ros (1866); Her Majesty's Tower, by Hepworth Dixon, 4 vols. (1871).