On the Tudor Trail

In Conversation with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson

ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! Introducing ‘In Conversation with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson’. I'm thrilled to share that Dr Owen Emmerson and I have teamed up once again to bring you a new online event, ‘The Six in 20 Objects’. Join us as we discuss our favourite artefacts associated with the six women who married King Henry VIII and consider what insights they offer into their remarkable lives. A pre-recorded presentation will be followed by a live Q&A session, where participants … [Read More...]

Episode 252 – The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn with Dr Estelle Paranque

Guest Bio Estelle Paranque is a public historian, an author, a broadcaster; and an Associate Professor in History at Northeastern University London as well as an Honorary Research Fellow within the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick. She earned a PhD in Early Modern European History from University College London in 2016. She has participated in international historical TV documentaries including BBC Two's The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family(2021) and … [Read More...]

Episode 251 – James II & the Tudors with Justine Brown

Guest Bio Justine Brown was born in Vancouver, Canada. She grew up travelling widely. She holds an MA from the University of Toronto, where she studied 17th century culture. She is the author of three books on a Utopian theme. In recent years she became fascinated by the Jacobites. Her new book, published by Pen & Sword, is The Private Life of James II. She runs a YouTube vlog, Justine Brown's Bookshelf. Justine lives in London with her husband. Justine's Tudor Takeaways! The … [Read More...]

Episode 250 – A Gentleman from Japan at the Court of Elizabeth I with Thomas Lockley

Guest Bio Thomas Lockley is Associate Professor at Nihon University College of Law, where he researches and teaches themes related to the international history of Japan. He has published numerous papers and several books, the best known of which is African Samurai (2019), concerning the life of Yasuke, the African man who served and fought beside Oda Nobunaga. His latest book is A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth's … [Read More...]

Episode 249 – Three Queens: Jane Grey, Mary I & Elizabeth I with Rosamund Gravelle

Guest Bio Rosamund Gravelle is a writer whose poems have been published in magazines, online, and in poetry anthologies, while her plays have been featured in scratch presentations at Barons Court Theatre and Queens Theatre, Hornchurch. Rosamund's writing focuses on strong, dynamic and complex characters. Her first self-published book of poetry will be published later in the year, and her first novel is in progress. "Three Queens" is her debut … [Read More...]

Episode 248 – Queen Anne Boleyn’s Trial Records with Dr Dan Gosling

Guest Bio Dr Daniel F. Gosling is Principal Legal Records Specialist at The National Archives, specialising in the records created by the central law courts, c. 1485-1841. He formerly worked as Archives Assistant at the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn. His recent research includes work on the Fifteenth Century Court of Chancery, the records of the Court of Star Chamber, and gender nonconformity in the Eighteenth Century King’s Bench. He is a co-author of A History of Treason, which includes … [Read More...]

Episode 247 – Anne Boleyn’s Apartments at the Tower of London with Dr Owen Emmerson

Guest Bio Dr Owen Emmerson is a social and cultural historian and author of four books. He worked as the Castle Historian and Assistant Curator of Hever Castle for six years. He has appeared in seventeen documentaries about the Tudor era including 'The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family' (BBC, 2021) and 'Blood, Sex and Royalty: Anne Boleyn' (Netflix, 2022). He is currently writing a full history of Hever Castle, and a cultural history of the ten Tudor Queens. Website: … [Read More...]

Episode 246 – The Extraordinary Life of Catherine Willoughby with Victoria Male

Guest Bio Victoria Male is a 2023 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Finalist whose writing also made the 2024 Love List of the best unproduced romance scripts in Hollywood. Her prose has appeared in over a dozen literary magazines worldwide, including oranges Journal, The Chamber Magazine, Carolina Muse, The Icarus Writing Collective, and Retrospect Journal. She worked in creative development for The Montecito Picture Company and media startup Graphic India, in addition to … [Read More...]

Episode 245 – The Life of Alice Spencer with Dr Vanessa Wilkie

Guest Bio Vanessa Wilkie is the William A. Moffett Senior Curator of Medieval Manuscripts and British History at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. She has a PhD in British history and gender history and an MA in public history from the University of California, Riverside. She lives in Los Angeles. A Woman of Influence is her first book. Website: https://www.vanessawilkie.com/ Dr Wilkie's Tudor Takeaway The National Archives' palaeography … [Read More...]

Episode 244 – The Women Who Served the Tudor Queens with Dr Nicola Clark

Guest Bio Dr Nicola Clark is a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Chichester and writes about women in the Tudor period. Her first book, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485-1558, was published by Oxford University Press in 2018. She also writes for public audiences, with work featured in History Today and History Extra, and has appeared on television as part of the BBC's The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, and More4's Royal Scandals. Dr … [Read More...]

Episode 243 – Heroines of the Tudor World with Sharon Bennett Connolly

Guest Bio Sharon Bennett Connolly is the best-selling author of several non-fiction history books. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Sharon has studied history academically and just for fun – and has even worked as a tour guide at a castle. She also writes the popular history blog, www.historytheinterestingbits.com and co-hosts the podcast A Slice of Medieval, alongside historical novelist Derek Birks. Sharon regularly gives talks on women's history, for historical groups, … [Read More...]

Episode 242 – The Life of Anthony Woodville with Danielle Burton

Guest Bio Danielle Burton is a historian with a focus on the life of Anthony Woodville, but is also a history blogger, who focuses on little known stories from roughly the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries. She has worked and volunteered in the heritage sector since 2016 and has a First in History and an MA in Public History and Heritage from the University of Derby. https://voyagerofhistory.wordpress.com/ Danielle's Tudor Takeaway 'A Traveller in Time' by Alison … [Read More...]