Little Ease

Little Ease was a prison cell located beneath the White Tower in the Tower of London.[1][2] The lightless cell was designed 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) on a side, meaning that while an adult human could be placed inside, any occupant was prevented from being able to either stand, sit, or lie down, meaning it was impossible for him to find any physical position of rest (i.e., "little ease" could be found).

"Chamber of Little Ease" in the Tower of London.

Evidence suggests that Edmund Campion, a Catholic priest in Elizabethan England, was imprisoned for four days in the cell in July 1581.[3] According to Bell (1921), by tradition, Guy Fawkes was housed there in 1605.[4] Another possible inmate was Miles Prance in 1678. Bell also commented that some, however, doubt that the cell ever actually housed prisoners.[4]

References
  1. "Sir Benjamin Stone (1838–1914) – Little Ease, torture cell beneath the White Tower". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  2. "The Tower: (part 1 of 2) | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  3. Simpson, Richard. Edmund Campion: a Biography, (1867), p.239.
  4. Walter George Bell (1921). The Tower of London. John Lane. p. 46.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.