Built in the late 1230s, the Salt Tower stands as a testament to medieval power. We are standing at the southeastern corner of the Tower of London. It overlooks the Thames.
Originally called Julius Caesar’s Tower, it later became Baliol’s Tower. But why Salt Tower? Salt was once a valuable commodity. Only the higher nobility could afford it.
The lords sat at the high table. Servants sat at lower tables. Salt was placed in the center of the high table. Only those of proper rank could use it. People with lower rank were “beneath the salt”. Perhaps salt was stored here.
The Salt Tower is one of 21 towers in the Tower of London complex. King Henry III ordered its construction. The Salt Tower was built between 1238 and 1240. It is part of the inner curtain wall around the White Tower.
The Salt Tower once served as a prison. King John Balliol of Scotland was imprisoned here. Edward I set him up as a puppet king in 1292. The Scottish nobles humiliated him. They called him Tom Tabbard or Empty Coat. Edward invaded Scotland in 1296. He stripped John Balliol of his power. Balliol was imprisoned for three years. He was released in 1299. He went to his family estates in France.
Hew Draper was also held in the Salt Tower. He was an innkeeper from Bristol. He was accused of sorcery in 1561. He carved an astronomical clock on the wall. The inscription reads, “Hew Draper of Brystow made this sphere the 30 daye of Maye anno 1561”. Draper was very sick when he made this carving.
Jesuits were also imprisoned in the Salt Tower. They carved religious scenes on the walls. A pierced heart, hand, and foot symbolize Christ’s wounds. The IHS monogram appears with a cross. Michael Moody’s name is inscribed with the year 1587. It recalls a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth.
The Jesuit priest John Gerard was tortured in the Salt Tower. He was suspended from chains on the dungeon wall. Gerard escaped in 1597. He used a rope across the moat. He reached Rome and lived in exile. Henry Walpole, a young Jesuit, was imprisoned here in 1593. He refused to give information. He was executed in York in 1595.
Giovanni Battista Castiglione, an Italian tutor, was also imprisoned. He carried Princess Elizabeth’s private letters.
The Salt Tower has a basement with dungeons. It has two storeys and an upper floor. The ground floor was used for storage. Upstairs, there is a pentagonal chamber. It features a 13th-century stone fireplace. Graffiti covers the walls.
Anthony Salvin restored the Salt Tower in 1857. He aimed for a pseudo-medieval look. Today, the Salt Tower stands open to the public. It whispers tales of kings, prisoners, and religious intrigue. Its walls hold centuries of secrets.