During the mid-sixteenth century, Queen Mary feared that her half-sister Elizabeth would become a rallying point for Protestant resistance in England. For this reason, Mary sent her sister to live in partial captivity in Ashridge, Hertfordshire. When two rebellions broke out in 1554, despite Elizabeth's lack of knowledge of the revolts, Mary had her sister imprisoned immediately. Elizabeth was first taken to Whitehall Palace, where she was interrogated by the Council. Two weeks later, on Palm Sunday, Elizabeth was taken to the Tower of London by boat. Upon her arrival there, Elizabeth found herself not at the Queen's Steps, but rather at Traitor's Gate. Despite the fact that this arrival at the Gate had highly sinister implications for the Princess, she kept her sense of honour fully intact. Upon landing on the flooded platform of the landing deck of Traitor's Gate, Elizabeth said, "Here landeth as true a subject, being a prisoner, as ever landed at these steps, and before thee, O God, I speak it, having none other friends but thee" (qtd in Minney 162). She then sat down in the water and refused to move. At this time the Lieutenant of the Tower was Sir John Brydges. After great resistance from Elizabeth, she was confined in an upper chamber of the Bell Tower and guarded by Brydges, directly above the chamber in which her father had imprisoned Sir Thomas More years before. While a prisoner of the Tower, Elizabeth was entitled to two servants to bring her food from outside and two female attendants to aid her inside the Tower. However, Sir John Gage, the Constable, insisted that the food be handed first to the guards at the gates to prevent Elizabeth from having any contact with possible supporters from outside of Tower walls. Mary took certain measures to ensure that England would remain Catholic in the event of Elizabeth's ascension to the throne. She insisted that Mass be celebrated within Elizabeth's cell on a daily basis. Both this attempt to convert Elizabeth and Bishop Gardener's attempt to incriminate her failed. The Bishop's ploy to charge Elizabeth with a Protestant conspiracy proved fruitless. It was at this point that Elizabeth was more strictly confined. Concessions were not made until she became ill; she was then given permission to walk, accompanied by the Lieutenant and a guard, between the Bell Tower and the Beauchamp Tower. To this date, this area is still known as Princess Elizabeth's Walk. She was also allowed access to the royal Privy Garden. She was allowed the freedom to walk but was strictly forbidden any type of contact with the Tower's other prisoners. They were not allowed to look in Elizabeth's direction, let alone converse with the Princess. On Saturday, 19 May 1554, after two months in the Tower, Elizabeth was released. She was then taken to Tower Wharf, from which she made the journey by boat to Richmond Palace and then on to Woodstock. Upon hearing the news of Elizabeth's release from the Tower, many church bells rang in celebration. In appreciation for their support, "Elizabeth presented these churches with silken bell ropes, one of which was still on view in Aldgate Church three hundred years later" (164). -- Heather Stuart, 2000