Recent Posts

Anne Boleyn’s First Public Appearance as Queen

On Saturday 12 April 1533, the chapel royal at Greenwich was the setting for Anne Boleyn’s first public appearance as queen. Anne attended mass with great pomp, resplendent in a pleated gown of cloth of gold, and adorned with sumptuous jewels. Sixty ladies accompanied her, and her cousin, Lady Mary Howard, soon to become Duchess of Richmond and Somerset, carried her train. One can only imagine how Anne’s dark eyes must have glistened and how secure she must have felt with a crown on her … [Read More...]

Birth and Burial Records of William Shakespeare

A quick post to share with you a wonderful new ‘app’ that will be launched this month at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, to help guide visitors through Stratford-upon-Avon. The app will make use of various digital images from the Trust’s collections and offer a new way of exploring its properties and treasures. What’s really exciting is that parts of the collection not normally available to the general public, like the baptism and burial records of William Shakespeare, will now … [Read More...]

Chapuys’ Audience with Henry VIII

After hearing of the passing of the Act of Appeals, Chapuys requested an audience with King Henry VIII. The act, engineered by Thomas Cromwell, ‘removed English religious rule from the authority of Rome, ultimately restricting appeals to Rome on legal matters, endowing Thomas Cranmer with the right to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon and enabling him to marry Anne Boleyn.’ (The Literary Encyclopedia) On April 10 1533, Chapuys was granted this audience and had a long … [Read More...]

Why ‘plain Jane’ Deserves a Second Look

An event over this Easter weekend (6th – 9th April, 2012) at Hampton Court Palace re-examines the brief queenship of Jane Seymour, and presents a far more politically active queen than many will be familiar with. I am delighted to share with you a guest post by Lauren Johnson, who interprets Jane, and is the Research Manager for Past Pleasures Ltd. about why ‘plain Jane’ deserves a second look. Was Jane Seymour really as meek and mild as she is so often portrayed? Click here to read … [Read More...]

Interview with Emily Pooley – Creator of an Anne Boleyn Waxwork

I have just published my interview with Emily Pooley, a Technical & Special Effects Artist, who recently made a life-sized waxwork Anne Boleyn figure that is now on display at Hever Castle as part of the ‘A Royal Romance’ exhibition. Emily very kindly agreed to talk to me about her wonderful project, one that I am very much looking forward to seeing at Hever Castle in May. Click here to read the interview. (Photos published here © Emily Pooley) … [Read More...]

Guest Post and Giveaway!

By Michelle Diener Thank you again to Natalie for having me back as a guest blogger. I know Natalie's particular interest is Anne Boleyn, and while Anne plays an off-stage role in my Tudor-set Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series in the current books, Thomas Wyatt is a prominent secondary character in Keeper of the King's Secrets, the second book in the series (released 3 April). Because Wyatt's history is entwined with Anne Boleyn's, I thought it might be fun to talk about Thomas a bit, … [Read More...]

The Life and Times of William Paulet by Margaret Scard

I am delighted to welcome Margaret Scard, author of Tudor Survivor: The Life and Times of William Paulet, back to On the Tudor Trail. Margaret has written a guest post for us about William Paulet- a fascinating figure. He served four Tudor monarchs – Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth - and lived to tell the tale. Thank you Margaret! Tudor Survivor by Margaret Scard For many historians William Paulet is a shadowy figure in the background of the Tudor court. Writers often give him … [Read More...]

Guest Post by Historian Suzannah Lipscomb

I am frequently asked two questions: why am I a Tudor historian? And why do I think people remain fascinated by this period? The answer is the same: the Tudor era has all the best stories. Consider: the remarkable sixteenth century contains our tabloid king – the much married Henry VIII - and our virgin queen – the unmarried Elizabeth I – and huge religious change – the overthrow, restoration and eventual displacing of the Roman Catholic church in England; centuries-old monasteries dissolved; … [Read More...]

Sir James Boleyn

Background - the Boleyns Today the Boleyns are usually associated with Hever Castle in Kent but they were in fact a Norfolk family firmly established at Blickling. They traced their origins to Geoffrey Boleyn of Salle and Alice, daughter of Sir John Bracton (Griffiths, pg. 454). The couple had several children, including Geoffrey Boleyn who was born c. 1405 in Blickling. According to David Loades, he was ‘the founder of the family fortune’ (pg. 9). Geoffrey married as his second … [Read More...]

The Last Boleyn – Part 1

I had only just started reading David Loades’ book about the Boleyn family when I had one of those moments... Immediately recognisable, my curiosity was piqued, excitement grew in the pit of my stomach and all because I'd just read something, a tiny morsel of information, that beckoned me to investigate further and embark on another Tudor journey. 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' … [Read More...]

Kendal Parish Church

Kendal Parish Church in Cumbria dates from the early thirteenth century although there is evidence to suggest that it occupies the site of a much earlier Church. It is Cumbria’s largest parish church, and one of the largest in England boasting five aisles, two each side of the nave, a western tower, and a peel of ten bells. The Church is home to the Parr Chapel built by the Parr family of Kendal Castle in the fourteenth century. A chantry priest was engaged to offer daily prayers … [Read More...]

The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England

The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer sounds wonderful! Another book to add to my ever growing collection. Available from Amazon UK and Book Depository now. Will be published in the US on April 9, 2012. Synopsis We think of Queen Elizabeth I as 'Gloriana': the most powerful English woman in history. We think of her reign (1558-1603) as a golden age of maritime heroes, like Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Francis Drake, and of great writers, … [Read More...]