Penshurst Church
After my initial post about ‘The Other Boleyn Boy’, that you can read here, one of my very generous readers, Gilly, offered to travel to Saint John the Baptist Penshurst to take some photos of the brass and try to uncover some more information about the other Boleyn boy – Thomas Boleyn (a sibling of Mary, Anne and George’s).
Unfortunately, the church was deserted and Gilly was unable to find any church employees to question but did take some wonderful photos of the church and brass.
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She has also confirmed the following important details:
The brass measures 8 inches along the base and is 12 3/4 inches long. The stone it is set in being 18 1/2 inches wide and 30 inches long.
The inscription actually reads:
THOMAS BWLLAYEN THE SONE OF SYR THOMAS BWLLAYEN.
There is NO date on the brass or stone.
The only reference to the date of his death appears in the Church Guide, which says that he died in 1520 but refers to him as Anne’s ‘infant’ brother which is a little confusing.
In other notes provided by the church, it states that
‘The memorial on the floor beneath the south window is to Thomas Bwllayen, the brother of Anne Boleyn who lived at Hever and was the second wife of Henry VIII. Their father, Sir Thomas, was appointed Keeper of Penshurst in 1521.’
This has of course left me wondering what records the church used to confirm that Thomas died in 1520.
Alison Weir, in her new book about Mary Boleyn, states that ‘Thomas Bullayne’, whose grave in Penshurst Church, Kent, is marked by a cross and the date 1520…’ (Pg. 12).
Yet Gilly has only just returned from a visit and has confirmed that there is no date on the brass but that the date 1520 does appear in the Church guide.
Why isn’t anything straightforward in the world of Tudor history?
I was also very moved by the message Gilly left in the church visitors book. In her own words:
‘I also wrote in the church visitors book that I had visited on behalf of Natalie and “On the Tudor Trail” for us all to enjoy the beauty and history of this ancient church.’
What lovely photos. My own first impression is that perhaps Thomas was the first born son, but didn’t survive his first year? Or was he an adolescent? Love the search for knowledge so I will be following this to, hopefully, the actual roll call of the Boleyn offspring, those who survived childhood and those who didn’t. 😉
Thank you for going to the church for us, Gilly! Another Boleyn mystery for us to mull over….
Very interesting, thnx for sharing the lovely pics