Anne Boleyn’s great-grandfather

Sir Geoffrey Boleyn's brass at Salle Church © Salle Church & www.churchphotography.org.uk

Sir Geoffrey Boleyn was Anne Boleyn’s paternal great-grandfather. He made his fortune as a mercer in London, served as an alderman in the City of London and became Lord Mayor in 1457-8 (Ives, Pg. 3).

He purchased the manor of Blickling in Norfolk from Sir John Fastolf in 1452, and was granted Hever Castle in Kent by William Fiennes in 1462.

Sir Geoffrey Boleyn married Anne Hoo, a daughter and joint heiress of Thomas, Lord Hoo, and together had two sons, Sir Thomas Boleyn (d.1471/72) and Sir William Boleyn (d. 1505).

Sir William Boleyn married Margaret Butler, daughter and co-heiress of the wealthy earl of Ormonde and together had 10 children.

Their eldest son, Thomas Boleyn, married Elizabeth Howard, the eldest of the two daughters of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney, and had three children that survived into adulthood, Mary, Anne and George Boleyn.

Tradition tells us that Anne Boleyn was born from a family of merchants but this is clearly not the case, as Eric Ives states ‘Anne Boleyn was born a great lady’ (Pg. 3).

Salle church contains 15th century brasses dedicated to its patrons, including Geoffrey Boleyn and his wife Anne (1440).

These brasses fascinate me because they are Anne’s ancestors and possibly offer a clue about Anne’s appearance.

The following images are reproduced with kind permission of Salle Church and remain the copyright of Salle Church and www.churchphotography.org.uk.

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