I must say that Sudeley is one of the most atmospheric and beautiful places I have ever visited and you’ll notice that it is the Chapel of St. Mary at Sudeley that features prominently on my website’s header.

Thank you Debbie!

The Queen Katherine Parr Quincentenary

This year Sudeley Castle is celebrating the life of Queen Kateryn Parr with a series of special events and exhibitions to mark the 500 years since the birth of this remarkable woman.

Katherine Parr is best known for being Henry VIII’s surviving queen, but through the exhibitions on show we find out more about the life and loves of Katherine and her time at Sudeley. I was surprised to learn that KP stood 6 feet tall, almost unheard of in Tudor times. It is no wonder she caught Henry’s eye at court – towering above the other ladies. Katherine was also a published author and you can view original copies of her work on display for the first time. In KP’s book of lamentations you can see she has signed her name, Kateryn the Queen KP.

Katherine Parr's Book of Lamentations © Debbie Fenton

Also on display are love letters written to Thomas Seymour and items taken from her tomb when it was opened in 1782 which include a lock of auburn hair and a tooth! (In very good condition I might add) The exhibition ends with a short film by Dr David Starkey where we learn more about Katherine and her time at Sudeley and why she felt compelled to marry Henry when she was in love with Thomas Seymour.

Katherine Parr's Closet Window © Debbie Fenton

The next part of the KP trail takes you to the South Hall and Katherine’s private rooms, which are open to the public for the first time in five years. If like me you like to soak up the atmosphere of an historic place and imagine the conversations that have taken place within the walls, then you will enjoy this experience the most. You ascend a staircase to the only remaining rooms from the original castle that KP lived in. (No photography sadly as my partner found out when he took a snap then was fiercely reprimanded by the guide!). There is a beautiful closet with a stained glass window that allows light to flood in, giving the room a very happy feel. The idyllic views across the garden as Katherine would have seen them, lead on to her private chapel in the church of St Mary. In the window stands a mannequin of Lady Ann Herbert, KP’s sister who was her groom of the stool, who according to the display, assisted KP with the very important job of wiping her bottom!

Katherine Parr's private door © Debbie Fenton

As you descend the staircase you are invited to exit the castle through the very door that KP would have used to make the short walk to her private chapel to carry out her daily devotions. An added moment of excitement ensues when you are told that the door has remained until now unopened since Tudor times. Now you can make your way to the church for the most poignant part of the trail.

Inside the church of St Mary’s, alongside KP’s tomb, you will see a peaceful Katherine lying in state surrounded by candles. She is being watched over by her young chief mourner, Lady Jane Grey. I found this moment quite haunting and a fitting end to the trail.

Katherine Parr lying in state © Debbie Fenton

There are more special events planned for this year, including talks with Dr David Starkey and Alison Weir, and also a re-enactment of Queen Katherine’s funeral.

The exhibitions are on a small scale, but I found them to be intimate, atmospheric and engaging. I left feeling closer to Katherine, and I will certainly now give her as much thought as I do all my other favourite Tudor people.

By Debbie Fenton

Bullen/Boleyn Coat of Arms

In this case it was Loades’ assertion that when Sir James Boleyn died in 1561, ‘with him the direct male line of the Boleyns became extinct’ (pg. 18).

James Boleyn was Thomas Boleyn’s younger brother and was born in c. 1480. He was in his eighties when he died and lived to see his great niece, Elizabeth, ascend the throne in November 1558. A few years later, he left a number of things to her in his will (Loades, pg. 18).

James was Anne Boleyn’s chancellor and his wife, Elizabeth Wood, Lady Boleyn, ‘served’ Anne during her imprisonment in the Tower and was one of the four ladies that accompanied her to her death in May 1536 (Ives, pg. 357).

But before we delve any further into the life of James Boleyn it is necessary to divert a little…

If I had read this five years ago, I would have accepted it without questioning. I used to read non-fiction from start to end, generally not taking any notice of the notes, happily assuming that the person writing the book was always correct. Well, it was published and non-fiction after all, must be accurate right?

I have of course since learned that this is not always the case and I now regularly refer to the notes section and always check the bibliography for interesting primary and secondary sources.

Back to James, after further investigation I found that there were another two Boleyn brothers that lived to adulthood, William and Edward Boleyn (Griffiths, pg. 454) making that four surviving sons of Lady Margaret Butler and Sir William Boleyn: Thomas, James, William and Edward.

Unfortunately, I found no mention of either William or Edward in Loades’ book and any information I found about William on the internet was contradictory.

Frontispiece, 1805 quarto edition of An Essay Towards a Topographical HIstory of the County of Norfolk, Vol. I.

Francis Blomefield in ‘An essay towards a topographical history of the county of Norfolk’ volume 6 states: ‘William, archdeacon of Winchester, died without issue, and was buried at Blickling, December 18, 1571′.

Various online genealogy websites followed suit by stating that William had died in 1571. This date is also used in the Boleyn family tree published in Elizabeth Griffith’s fantastic article about the Boleyns at Blickling and appears in The Boleyn family tree on page 321 of Alison Weir’s biography on Mary Boleyn. I was now determined to find out who in fact had been the last Boleyn – James or William?

I contacted a very knowledgeable friend and researcher, Lauren Mackay, who accessed a PhD about Thomas Boleyn that stated that William had died in October 1551 and on this occasion the source was listed – hooray!

Winchester Cathedral

My next step was to follow this lead to the register of the University of Cambridge. Here a quick search revealed that William, among other things, had in fact been archdeacon of Winchester until his death in 1551 but perhaps most excitingly, that he was buried at Stiffkey in Norfolk.

I was delighted to now have a location to investigate!

I proceeded to find out what I could about Stiffkey, a village on the north coast of Norfolk, and learnt that at the east end of the village is its church, St John the Baptist and that in the churchyard is the remains of another church, St. Mary’s. Behind the church is the sixteenth century Stiffkey Hall.

Church of St John the Baptist, Stiffkey

Whilst researching the churches, I found out some interesting information. It was unusual to have two churches in one churchyard but apparently more common in Norfolk than anywhere else in England. There remained two churches at Stiffkey until they were officially united by the Bishop of Norwich in 1563, after which one was deconsecrated and fell into disrepair. It was always thought that St. John’s was the church that had survived and remains until this day but ‘some authors have asserted that it is St John’s church which has gone, implying that St Mary’s survived and that at some time in the past the dedication has been changed.’ (St John & St Mary Stiffkey)

I also came across this information detailing the various Lords of Stiffkey Manor:

“John Hasham presented as lord in 1413; and Sir Hugh Halsham dying lord in the 20th of Henry VI. and having no issue by Petronilla his wife, this lordship came to Joan, daughter and heir to his brother, Richard HalshamI wife of John Lewkenor, Esq. from whom it came to Sir Jeffrey Boyleyne, Knt. and Lord Mayor of London, in 1457, whose son, Thomas Boleyn, presented to St. Mary’s church in 1461, and 1463, as did Will. Boleyn, Esq: his brother, in 1474, &c. and Sir James Boleyne in 1542.”

This connection between the Boleyns and the local manor and church made me confident that I was on the right track.

A few days later I received an email from the incredibly helpful staff at the Norfolk Record Office who checked the Stiffkey parish registers and confirmed that William Bulleyn was buried 6 February 1552 (new style) and also that he was the archdeacon of Winchester. The researcher also mentioned that the entry is quite faint and the rest of the text illegible. This might account for the confusion with the date.

If you’re wondering about the ‘new style’ reference, a Tudor person writing about William’s death might have recorded it as 6 February 1551 because the Tudor new year did not commence until March 25 and remained this way in England until 1752. So what is February 1552 to us is February 1551 to a Tudor person. Thank you to Suzannah Lipscomb for helping me get my head around this!

The October 1551 date given in the entry about William in the University of Cambridge register is a bit of a mystery. William died some time before he was buried but four months before sounds highly unlikely!

So now with William out of the picture so to speak, I was left with one more brother – Edward.

Sadly, it was difficult to find any information about Edward and no date for when he died. Online genealogy websites list him as dying some time before 1536.

Blomefield states that,

‘Sir Edward Boleyn, Knt. of Blickling, married Anne, daughter and coheir of Sir John, son of Sir Robert Tempest, Knt. and Catherine his wife.’ (Read the entry here)

We know then that he was knighted and married Anne Tempest but we don’t know when he died or where he is buried apart from the reference to it being pre 1536. I found no further clues by looking for information about the death and burial of his wife Anne, as her final resting place, as far as I can see, is also unknown.

In Feet of Fines of the Tudor period [Yorks]: part 1: 1486-1571 Edward is named in an entry dated 1531 and in January 1531 is granted ‘Custody of the possessions of Roger Appleyard, deceased; with wardship of John, s. and h. of the said Roger’ (Letters & Papers).

He is then mentioned in an entry dated January 1536,

Declaration by Ric. Redmayne of the money received by him out of the study of the late bishop of Norwich, from the 12th Nov. 27 Hen. VIII. to 4 Jan. following:—

Total receipt, 2,331l. 16s. 11d., whereof he accounts for 1,576l. 5s. 10d. Among the persons mentioned in the account are Ric. Bellamy, Wm. at Mere, the Bishop’s receiver, and Wm. Newton, late receiver; Robt. Frank, farmer of Terlyng; the duke of Norfolk, Mr. Redcliffe, the Bishop’s godson; John Beale, who had married a kinswoman; Mrs. Rochester, of Terlyng, a kinswoman; Sir E. Boleyn, Robt. Bate, a kinsman; Master Winter, archdeacon of— (fn. 2) Thos. Sakforde, alms to various poor persons, amounting to 133l. 3s. 7d. &c.

Pp. 3. Endd. by Southwell: To be delivered unto Mr. Secretary.

(Letters & Papers)

I could find no other mentions of Sir Edward Boleyn after 1536.

James Boleyn and Elizabeth Wood did not have any children that survived, William Boleyn died without issue, Edward Boleyn and his wife had daughters, and Thomas Boleyn, well, we all know what became of Thomas and Elizabeth’s children – Mary, Anne and George…

Although Thomas Boleyn is the most famous of the four Boleyn siblings, the direct line of the male Boleyns did indeed end with the death of James Boleyn.

In part 2 I will look at what we know about the life of Sir James Boleyn.

Enjoy!

Hampton Court Palace

A Brief Introduction to Hampton Court by Mike Glaeser

Why come ye not to Court?
To which court?
To the king’s court?
Or to Hampton Court?
Nay, to the king’s court!
The king’s court should have the excellence
But Hampton Court hath the pre-eminence!
- John Skelton

Despite the land having ties to the Romans, Hampton pulls its name from two Saxon words: Hamm (bend in a stream) and Ton (settlement). Hampton Court’s slow rise to becoming the byword for majesty and magnificence started in the 1330s when the Knights Hospitaller built a priory on the land that would eventually hold a palace. As a priory, the location was visited by the head of the order in England several times a year. Multiple visits dictated that the site was prosperous and while it did not provide sufficient manpower for further Crusades to the Levant, it did have a substantial agriculture base. From past archeological surveys, it is thought the priory contained a hall, pigeon house and a separate chapel, all of which was surrounded by a rectangular moat funneled from the nearby Thames. In 1497, the Hospitallers leased the land to Sir Giles Daubeney, the future Lord Chamberlain for Henry VII. Sir Daubeney fought for Henry at Bosworth and would rise through the ranks during his reign. His tomb, complete with reclined effigy, can be seen in Westminster Abbey’s St. Paul’s Chapel. It was Daubeney who started the elaborate buildings that would later be completed by both Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII. In fact, a portion of what is currently called “Henry VIII’s Kitchens” was originally built by him.

Continue reading here.

ERITudor during her "Elizabeth Addresses the Troops at Tilbury" program.

As you may be already aware, this year I added a new section to the site called ‘Tudor Talk’ where I share my interviews with people who are experts in various fields of Tudor history and/or who on a daily basis are immersed in the sixteenth century for work or pleasure.

Today I am delighted to share with you an interview with Ashlie Jensen, who runs a website called ‘Being Bess‘ dedicated to the celebration of the life and reign of Elizabeth Tudor, Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Ashlie is employed in Museum Education and regularly performs first-person interpretations of Elizabeth Tudor. She has dedicated her life to bringing Elizabeth and her legacy to modern audiences and is incredibly knowledgable and passionate about her work.

I would like to thank Ashlie for being a part of On the Tudor Trail and for responding to my questions in such a detailed and sincere manner. Her enthusiasm and love of the sixteenth century are clear.

Read our full interview here.

Scandalous Women by Elizabeth Kerri Mahon

Scandalous Women: The Lives and Loves of History’s Most Notorious Women by Elizabeth Kerri Mahon sounds really interesting.

Product Description:

Throughout history women have caused wars, defied the rules, and brought men to their knees. The famous and the infamous, queens, divorcées, actresses, and outlaws have created a ruckus during their lifetimes-turning heads while making waves. Scandalous Women tells the stories of the risk takers who have flouted convention, beaten the odds, and determined the course of world events.

* When Cleopatra (69 BC-30 BC) wasn’t bathing in asses’ milk, the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt and forged an important political alliance with Rome against her enemies-until her dalliance with Marc Antony turned the empire against her.
* Emilie du Châtelet (1706-1748), a mathematician, physicist, author, and paramour of one of the greatest minds in France, Voltaire, shocked society with her unorthodox lifestyle and intellectual prowess-and became a leader in the study of theoretical physics in France at a time when the sciences were ruled by men.
* Long before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1928) fought to end discrimination and the terrible crime of lynching and helped found the NAACP, but became known as a difficult woman for her refusal to compromise and was largely lost in the annals of history.
* Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) had a passion for archaeology and languages, and left her privileged world behind to become one of the foremost chroniclers of British imperialism in the Middle East, and one of the architects of the modern nation of Iraq.

I have it on good authority that Anne Boleyn even makes an appearance! Check out Elizabeth’s great blog at http://scandalouswoman.blogspot.com/

Anne Neville

Today’s post is a guest article by author Anne O’Brien. She has very kindly written a mini-biography on Anne Neville, the daughter of Richard, Earl of Warwick and wife to the last Plantagenet King Richard III.

Anne was Queen of England for almost two years but history has all but forgotten her.

One person that has not overlooked this young queen is author Anne O’Brien whose latest novel, ‘The Virgin Widow’, is told through the eyes of Anne Neville.

The Virgin Widow is described as a “tale of intrigue, betrayal and desire in medieval England” and a book that I am most eager to read.

Read Anne’s guest article entitled ‘Who was Anne Neville? The Facts’ here.

Read my interview with Anne O’Brien here and discover more about this author and what sparked her interest in the tumultuous reign of Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses.

Sandra’s latest novel, Pale Rose of England: a novel of the Tudors, is a story of love and defiance during the Wars of the Roses.

In our interview we discuss the lure of Elizabeth of York, the mystery of the Princes in the Tower and, among other things, I ask Sandra whether or not she sees Richard III as a villain or a hero.

Read Sandra’s responses to these questions and more in our interview here.

Sandra has also very kindly written a guest article for us at On the Tudor Trail entitled ‘Uncovering the Mystery of Perkin Warbeck.’ Read it here.

Enjoy!

The Raven's Heart by Jesse Blackadder

I just received an email about a new book by an Australian author, Jesse Blackadder. The book is called ‘The Raven’s Heart: The story of a Quest, a Castle and Mary Queen of Scots’ and will be available in Australia in February 2011.

The Harper Collins description reads:

On a winter’s day in 1561, Alison Blackadder watches as a queen is rowed ashore in Edinburgh to claim her throne. Alison has been disguised as ‘Robert’ most of her life to protect her from the murderous clan who stole Blackadder Castle from her family. Now she must gain the favour of Mary Queen of Scots to have the castle restored to her father who is in perilous danger.

Queen Mary can trust nobody, not even her new husband Lord Darnley, and so Alison, with her ability to dress convincingly as a man when the situation requires, becomes the Queen’s valued spy.

Alison loves her queen almost enough to be distracted from her quest but then Mary betrays her unforgivably, and Alison’s renewed drive to reclaim the Blackadder birthright is relentless, setting off a chain of events that threatens to bring down the Scottish monarchy. Just as Mary can trust nobody, Alison discovers lies, danger and treachery at every turn. Then unexpectedly, she finds love …

Sounds like a very interesting read. I will have to add this to my long list of ‘to-read’ in 2011.

Here is a video of the author speaking about her book.

Fast Tube by Casper

To learn more about the author visit Jesse’s official site here.

The Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien

Her new historical novel, The Virgin Widow, is the story of Anne Neville, England’s forgotten Queen, wife to Richard III. This is the first of Anne’s novels to be based on the life of an historical character and she is now working on a novel about the early life of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Amazon’s product description of The Virgin Widow reads:

A dazzling historical novel set during England’s War of the Roses- the story of the courageous Anne Neville, future wife of Richard III, who comes of age in a time of chaos…

Anne Neville, daughter of the powerful Earl of Warwick, grows up during the War of the Roses, a time when kings and queens are made and destroyed in an on-going battle for the ultimate prize: the throne of England. As a child Anne falls in love with the ambitious, proud Richard of Gloucester, third son of the House of York. But when her father is branded a traitor, her family must flee to exile in France. As Anne matures into a beautiful, poised woman, skillfully navigating the treacherous royal court of Margaret of Anjou, she secretly longs for Richard, who has become a great man under his brother’s rule. But as their families scheme for power, Anne must protect her heart from betrayals on both sides-and from the man she has always loved, and cannot bring herself to trust.

I am looking forward to reading this book in the very near future!

In our interview we discuss the inspiration behind the novel, what makes Anne Neville such a fascinating subject, the process behind researching an historical novel and much more!

Anne’s responses are sincere, detailed and interesting. Read the full interview here.

Escape from the Tower app

The Historic Royal Palaces has just released their first app! Play Escape from the Tower a new app for iPhone and iPod Touch, and re-enact some of the Tower’s most famous escapes.

The free app can be downloaded from home or on site at the Tower wi-fi hotspot in front of the Tower shop at the main gate. Help prisoners like Henry Laurens, John Gerard and Ranulf Flambard escape from the locations where they were actually held. You may even ‘meet’ other famous prisoners like Anne Boleyn or Guy Fawkes.

The iTunes description states:

“Can you help four worthy prisoners escape from the Tower of London by re-enacting their real-life events? The game is designed to enrich your visit to the Tower of London, as you explore the castle and virtually encounter some of the Tower’s famous prisoners. See how many gold sovereigns you can earn through cunning game play. You can also earn a few sovereigns before you get to the Tower if you do well at the Quiz.”

This game sounds like a lot of fun and can be played at the Tower or from home. Download it from the iTunes store here.

Enjoy!

Fast Tube by Casper