Anne Boleyn, ‘the late Quene’, from The Inventory of King Henry VIII

Background

Six months after the death of King Henry VIII in 1547, a formal inventory of his moveable property was drawn up. The inventory took eighteen months to complete and according to David Starkey is more than simply ‘big and fat’ (which it is!), ‘it is also a key document for a reappraisal of the reign’ (Pg. x).

The commissioners task was to survey ‘all suche readie money plate Juelles apparel Silkes household stuff Stable stuff Muniction artillerye Tentes Revelles and other ymplementes goodes or Cattalles whatsoeuer.’ (Starkey, Pg. ix)

There are 17,810 items listed and among these are over two thousand pieces of tapestry and 2,208 pieces of plate! These items were often put on show to assert Henry’s great power and wealth. Henry VIII received foreign dignitaries surrounded by these royal treasures and at times made them accessible to the public.

In 1527, Henry VIII opened Banqueting House at Greenwich to the people and for three or four days they were permitted to admire his great hangings depicting the History of King David and also see the King’s sumptuous collection of plate.  Amongst the items on display there were,

‘Two great cupboards of plate, one of gold and jeweled vessels seven stages high and 13 feet long, and the other of gilt and silver plate nine stages high’ (Starkey, x).

I think Starkey sums it up well when he says that these were ‘all essential props of the theatre of magnificence.’

The inventory also shows Henry’s impressive arsenal and readiness for war. There are 2,250 pieces of artillery listed, along with 6,500 handguns in reserve in the Tower and a navy of seventy ships.

I purchased a copy of the inventory earlier this year because I was fascinated by the thought of owning a list of Henry’s personal belongings. What better way is there of finding out about how someone lived than by looking at the furniture, furnishings and household items that surrounded them on a daily basis.

I was also very curious to find out whether or not any items bearing Anne Boleyn’s badge or initials survived until the end of Henry’s reign. I am happy to share with you that some did!

The mere existence of such items 11 years after Anne’s death inevitably leads us to question why Henry would have kept such obvious reminders of the woman whom he forbade people to speak of.  I think that there is a strong possibility that the items were simply overlooked, after all Henry had a lot of possessions housed in a number of different locations.

Of course, I prefer to imagine that he retained something as a memento of the woman that he once loved and the mother of his daughter.

I wanted to share with you some of the items inventoried that bear Anne’s arms as a glimpse into the luxurious world that Anne and Henry lived in.

These are the items listed as definitely relating to Anne Boleyn.

There are many other items bearing the H and A initials or the name ‘Anne’ but without a date or reference to the ‘late Queen Anne’ it is impossible to know whether the commissioners were speaking of Anne Boleyn or Anne of Cleves.

For example, item number 1005 is listed as ‘one Barbours potte of siluer <parcell> gilt thandle crested hauing Quene Annes Sipher grauen in the lidde.’ (Pg. 37).

Similarly, item number 674, ‘one standing Cuppe guilt and wrought with Antique worke with a couer hauing H and A in the toppe poiz xxxj oz iij quarters’ (Pg. 29).

Unfortunately, we will never know for sure.

The original spelling was retained in the transcript and it is from this book that these entries are taken.

Anne Boleyn, ‘the late Quene’, from The Inventory of King Henry VIII

Item 178 (Pg 13)

Receaued at the Castell of Windesor the xxvjth day of July anno regni Regis Edwardi vj primo in the presens of Sir John Gate knight and Edmond Pigeon clerke of the kinges Guarderobe

Item one glasse of birrall garnished with gold with the late Queen Annes armes vppon the cover poiz glasse and all viij oz iij quarters.

Item 1046 (Pg. 38)

Flaggons and Bottelles

Item a paire of guilt bottells the feete and body chased in panes with braunches of twoo sundrye workes hauing the kinges Armes in a plate on the one side and on thither side the kinges Armes and tharmes of Quene Anne in a plate together hauing on either side An Aungell with a greate Cheyne and a small on either bottell theyr neckes grauen with braunches the knoppes or stopples hauing doble roses and therevpon Crownes Imperialls bought of Morgan Wolf vpon Newyeres daye Anne xxvij Regis Henrici viij

xxvij = 27 & viij = 8

Item 1134 (Pg. 40)

Candlesticks

Item three Chaundellors gilt with Sockettes like drones strikin with tharmes of late Queene Anne poiz together

Item 9219 (Pg. 192)

Item one Carpett of golde Silver and silke needle worke with roses of redd and white and Quene Annes Siphyres with a bordre abowte the same of honysocles Acornes H and A of like nedleworke frengid at bothe endes with a deape frenge and at bothe sydes with a narrowe frenge of venyce golde Silver and silke and lyned with grene Damaske being in lengthe three yards and in bredthe twoo yards scante.

Item 9226 (Pg. 192)

Item a Cusshion of needlework on bothe sydes with Silke and golde thonesyde with a traile of H and A of venice golde and venyce silver and honysocles and Acornes of silke and on thither side three roses white and redd with Queen Annes Cifers and worde golde and silver with foure buttons with Tasselles of venyce golde silver and silke being in lengthe iij quarters di of a yarde and one ynche and in breadthe di yarde and one nayle.

(iij quarters di = 7/8)

(di yarde = half a yard)

Honeysuckles and Acorns was Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s private motif. Read more about it here.

Item 12054 (Pg. 274)

Listed in the section

‘Hampton Courte. THE GUARDEROBE AT THONOR OF HAMPTON COURTE N THE COUNTIE OF MIDDLESEX IN THE CHARDGE OF DAVID VINCENT’

Item one Cheire of yron covered all over with needle worke all over wrought with silke and gold with the late Quenes <Annes> Sipher the post and blacke fringed with venice gold with foure pomelles of silver and gilte with the kinges and the <saide> Quene Annes armes in theym the Seate covered with clothe of gold.

Item 12162 (Pg. 280)

Listed in the section

‘Hampton Courte. THE GUARDEROBE AT THONOR OF HAMPTON COURTE N THE COUNTIE OF MIDDLESEX IN THE CHARDGE OF DAVID VINCENT’

Item one bedstead the postes heade & foote paces curiouslie wrought & carved with the late Quene Annes Ciphers and cognisaunces  painted walnuttre colour & parcel guilte having Celer Tester double vallaunces & iij bases of needlework wrought with silke & golde with the late Quene Annes Ciphers The Celer Tester and bases fringed aboue with venice gold lined with yellowe sarcenet & having vpon the saide Celer and Tester one great rundell bordered aboute garlonde wyse with the kinges armes & the <said> Queen Annes armes together within the same The vallaunces double fringed with a depe fringe of venice golde & red silke lined with saide sarcenet with v curteynes of grene damaske fringed on bothe sides and benethe with a narowe fringe of venice golde conteyning xvj breadthes of the same damaske and in depthe ij yerdes di quarter A counterpointe of clothe of golde embraudered all over with the said Cipher of other workes of grene and crimson vellat having a grete rowndell embraudred garlonde wyse with the kinges & the saide Quene Annes Armes in the myddes conteyning in lengthe iij yerdes iij quarters and in breathe iij yerdes di fringed aboute with a narrowe fringe of venice golde and lined with yellowe sarcenet one bedde of v breades of fustian filled with downe conteyning in length iij yerdes quarter one bolster of one breadthe di of fustian filled with downe conteyning in lengthe iij yerdes Two pillows of one breadth di a pece of the said fustian filled with downe and in length <one> yerd quarter di either of theym foure Quiltes of fine lynnen clothe filled with wolle conteyning in lengthe everie of them ij yerdes iij quarters and in breadthe ij yerdes iij quarters skante with ix beddestaves xij of wallnuttre colour parcel guilte.

The Inventory of King Henry VIII is an invaluable resource for any person studying the reign of Henry VIII. It is a way of travelling back in time and ‘seeing’ the king in all his glory and the man behind the legend.

Some of you may be interested in viewing two short videos, one about the inventory compiled in 1547 and the other about the Great Hall at Hampton Court and Henry VIII’s magnificent tapestries.

Fast Tube by Casper

Fast Tube by Casper

References

Starkey, D. (e.d.) 1998, The Inventory of King Henry VIII: The Transcript, Harvey Miller Publishers, London.