After being named as King Edward VI’s successor Lady Jane Grey was taken to the Tower of London on 10th July 1553 in order to be proclaimed Queen.
Lady Jane Grey arrived by barge and was accompanied by her husband, her parents and her husband’s mother. They had travelled from Syon and were greeted by Jane’s father in law, the Duke of Northumberland and councillors who escorted them into the Tower.
According to ‘The Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary’;
“The 10 of July, in the afternoone, about 3 of the clocke, lady Jane was convayed by water to the Tower of London, and there received as queene. After five of the clocke, the same afternoone, was proclamation made of the death of king Edward the sixt, and how hee had ordained by his letters patent bearing sate the 21. Of June last past that the lady Jane should be heire to the Crowne of England, and the heire males of her body.”
As Jane and her husband, Guildford, walked under the a canopy and upon reaching the Tower trumpets and a gun salute were used to silence the crowd and then two heralds proclaimed that Jane was the new Queen of England. Anyone disagreeing with this was found and punished as was noted by Henry Machyn who wrote in his diary what happened to one boy who supported Mary;
“The xj day of July, at viij of the cloke in the mornyng, the yonge man for spkyng was sett on the pelere, and boyth ys heres (ears) cutt off; for ther was a Harold, and a trumpeter blohyn; and contenent he was taken downe.”
Upon arrival at the Tower it is believed that Jane felt faint trying on the crown as well as argued with her husband and his mother after she declared that she would not make him joint monarch but instead the Duke of Clarence. It was later in the evening that the letter from Mary arrived addressed to the Council declaring herself as Queen.
Just a few short days later Mary would be proclaimed the rightful Queen.
Lady Jane Grey’s signature as Queen
Tudor Chronicles 