In Tudor, England, escaping from the Tower of London was nearly impossible.

And if you were a woman, it was unheard of.

But Alice Tankerville wasn't the sort to let rules, chains, or even the River Thames get in her way.

My friend, settle in, grab some water or a warm beverage and get cozy because today we are going to talk about Alice Tankerville and her great tower escape.

Hey there, friend, welcome back to the YouTube channel for the Renaissance English History Podcast.

I am your host, Heather. I've been podcasting on Tudor England since 2009 with my show, which makes it the original Tudor History podcast.

I am, as always, delighted, thrilled, tickled pink that you have joined me today to talk about an infamous tower

escape. Let's dig in. Alice Tankerville's story begins in the autumn of 1531, when a ship

arrived in London carrying a massive payment, 366 gold crowns, from the Hanseatic League to Henry

the 8th. At the time, Henry was desperate for allies. Europe's Catholic powers were turning against

him as he pursued his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The Protestant Hanseatic towns, eager to

curry favor, sent him a very generous loan.

But when the ship was unloaded, the iron-bound chest that should have held the money was empty.

That vanished gold worth over a million pounds in today's money set off a two-year investigation. The main

suspect was a sailor named John Wolfe, a man who had a reputation for theft, piracy, and

general mayhem and troublemaking. There wasn't a lot of hard evidence, but the suspicion alone was

enough to land him in the Tower of London on charges

of theft and treason. Wolf's common-law wife, Alice Tankerville, soon became a familiar face around

the tower. Prisoners then were expected to pay for their own food and clothing. So Alice came often with supplies and charm.

She quickly befriended the guards, especially one called William Dennis and another called John Baud.

Alice had a reputation for being lively, flirtatious, and very persuasive, traits that would soon prove both useful and fatal.

After six months, the case against Wolf fell apart and he was released.

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