Dudley graffito

A heraldic carving, done either by or for the members of the Dudley family, who were imprisoned at the Tower of London shortly after the unsuccessful coup of Lady Jane Grey. This carving is in the Beauchamp Tower.

The carving is a rebus, which means that there are certain visual puns carved into the wall which refer to the names of some of the members of the Dudley family. At the centre is their heraldic symbol, the bear and the ragged staff. The various carved motifs around this central bear refer to the names of the prisoners. In the bottom right-hand corner you can see acorns which refer to Robert Dudley, as the Latin for oak tree is ‘robur’. Above it are gillyflowers referring to Lady Jane Grey’s husband, Lord Guildford Dudley.