Recent Posts

Tour Guiding Skills – Calling all history lovers!

Have you ever been on a guided walking tour and thought, 'I could do that?' If so, the Tour Guiding Skills courses could be perfect for you. You'll learn how to interpret heritage sites, create and deliver an interesting narrative, design a walking tour, and successfully market your walks without breaking the bank. Aimed at beginners, all you need is a passion for historical research, a clear speaking voice and good people skills. Choose from a Distance Learning course, or join the London … [Read More...]

Guest Post and Giveaway!

I am delighted to welcome Sandra Byrd back to On the Tudor Trail. Sandra has written two fantastic books set in Tudor England - To Die For: A novel of Anne Boleyn and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr. The third book in the Ladies in Waiting series, Roses Have Thorns: A novel of Elizabeth I, is currently available for pre-order here and will be released in April, 2013. Read my reviews of both of Sandra's books here. Sandra has written a fascinating and informative guest post … [Read More...]

Haunted Queen’s Staircase Hampton Court

A lady recently contacted me to tell me about a strange experience she had during a visit to Hampton Court Palace in 2009. Since it is Halloween today, it's the perfect day to share Lauren's story and photos. Happy Halloween! This is Lauren's story. A friend and I went to Hampton Court on 18 October 2009. After only having been there a short time, we decided to make our way inside. We were aware that there were actors around as in that particular month they were re-enacting the … [Read More...]

Interview with Lyn Andrews

Welcome to On the Tudor Trail Lyn! Could you share with us a little about yourself and your background? Hi, I’m 69 years young!!! Married for 45 years to Bob, a now retired policeman and we have triplets, 2 sons and a daughter, now all married and we have 4 beautiful grandchildren. I have been writing for over 30 years. I started with Historical novels and then progressed to Family Sagas of which I’ve written 32 so far – just started my next today. Hard work, I hate first chapters!! They are … [Read More...]

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

On the morning of 12 February 1554, a petite girl of seventeen, with sandy-red hair and intelligent, sparkling brown eyes, stood awaiting her death on a scaffold by the White Tower in the Tower of London. Her ladies, Mistress Allan and Elizabeth Tilney, wept by her side but she remained composed and focused on her prayers. Her name was Lady Jane Grey and her story is as heart-rending as they come. In May 1553, Jane’s ambitious father arranged for her to marry Lord Guildford Dudley, the son of … [Read More...]

The Execution of Catherine Howard

On 10 February 1542, Queen Catherine Howard, dressed in black velvet, was escorted from Syon to the Tower by water. The Lord Privy Seal accompanied her, as did members of the council, guards and servants. Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador, described the scene, ‘The lord Privy Seal, with a number of Privy Councillors and servants went first in a great barge; then came the Queen with three or four men and as many ladies, in a small covered barge; then the Duke of Suffolk, in a great … [Read More...]

Whitehall Museum Cheam and the Nonsuch Palace Model

Whitehall Museum, Cheam

During my research trip to England in May, I took a break from following in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn to visit Whitehall, a sixteenth century timber-framed house in Cheam Village that now operates as a museum and is home to a wonderful model of Nonsuch Palace. The model, made by Ben Ruthven-Taggart and unveiled in March 2012, is incredibly detailed. Six hundred and ninety five stucco panels adorned the walls of the inner court and exterior of Henry VIII’s Nonsuch, and for the model over … [Read More...]

A review of ‘The Queen’s Promise’ by Lyn Andrews

The Queen's Promise by Lyn Andrews was the only Tudor comfort I allowed myself on a recent trip to New Zealand and it did not disappoint! The novel tells the story of Anne Boleyn, beginning with her birth and ending just after her execution but it is much more than just another account of the main events of Anne’s queenship. The focus on her early life and relationship with Henry Percy, the future Earl of Northumberland, sets it apart from the bulk of novels I have read. Just as intriguing … [Read More...]

The Hidden Life of Gloriana’s Spies

I am delighted to share with you a guest post by author Jeane Westin and details of a giveaway made possible by Jeane's generosity. We have two copies of her latest novel, The Spymaster's Daughter, to give away to two lucky commenters! Conditions of Entry For your chance to win a copy of The Spymaster's Daughter you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage). Then simply leave a comment after Jeane’s guest post between now and … [Read More...]

Did Arthur, Prince of Wales, consummate his marriage to Catherine of Aragon?

Tudor Tempest: Where do you stand? As the discovery of the possible remains of Richard III in Leicester and the renewed debate over the last Yorkist king makes clear, much about the Tudor dynasty is controversial. But that also makes the family that ruled England from 1485 to 1603 pretty fascinating. Novelist Nancy Bilyeau--author of The Crown, a thriller set in 1537—and On The Tudor Trail have joined forces to present a series of questions hotly debated. Since Arthur Tudor, oldest son of … [Read More...]

A review of Le Temps Viendra: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

Apart from my endless fascination with Anne Boleyn, I have always been intrigued by the idea of time travel, so imagine my delight when I discovered that Sarah Morris was writing a novel, Le Temps Viendra, combining the two. On several occasions, I have visited historic sites and wondered what it might be like to be suddenly hurtled back hundreds of years to the court of Henry VIII, to see with my very own eyes the magnificence of Henry’s palaces and witness the politicking of courtiers vying … [Read More...]

Henry VIII’s Final Resting Place

A marble slab marks Henry VIII and Jane Seymour’s final resting place in the Quire of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; however, this was only intended to be temporary while a grand monument was completed. In his will, Henry VIII describes the monument as being ‘almost made’ but what is perhaps not so well known is that the original tomb was not Henry’s at all, rather Cardinal Wolsey’s. In 1524, Thomas Wolsey commissioned the great Italian Renaissance sculptor, Benedetto da Rovezanno, to … [Read More...]