Recent Posts

Tudor Writing Box

This exquisite writing box was made c. 1525 almost certainly in the court workshops of Henry VIII. It is lined with leather and painted with the heraldic badges of Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. It is also decorated with the royal coat of arms. The box, or writing desk as it is sometimes referred to, is now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Click here to read a detailed description of this Tudor treasure. Although the history of the box is uncertain, it is … [Read More...]

Pastime with good Company by Henry VIII

Henry VIII was an accomplished musician and the words of the song he wrote soon after being crowned, sum up his youthful ideals. Pastime With Good Company by Henry VIII Pastime with good company I love and shall unto I die; Grudge who list, but none deny, So God be pleased thus live will I. For my pastance Hunt, song, and dance. My heart is set: All goodly sport For my comfort, Who shall me let? Youth must have some dalliance, Of good or illé some pastance; Company methinks … [Read More...]

Happy New Year!

As 2011 comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your participation, encouragement and support. I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed being a part of our online Tudor community as much as I have. I have had the opportunity to 'meet' so many wonderfully talented people who share my love of Tudor history and I have also made some great friends along the way - something that I am very grateful for. I continue to be amazed by how people from all over the world, … [Read More...]

Wicked women of Tudor England : Queens, Aristocrats, Commoners

Just a quick post to bring to your attention a new book that will be released on April 10, 2012 called 'Wicked women of Tudor England : Queens, Aristocrats, Commoners (Queenship and Power)' by Retha M. Warnicke. Contents Introduction Queen Anne Boleyn Queen Katherine Howard Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset Lettice, Countess of Essex and Leicester, 1543-1634 Jane More Alice More Conclusion I have not been able to find a synopsis but did find mention of a project that … [Read More...]

Marguerite de Navarre and Anne Boleyn

“In Marguerite the Renaissance and the Reformation were for a moment one. Her influence radiated throughout France. Every free spirit looked upon her as protectoress and ideal .... Marguerite was the embodiment of charity. She would walk unescorted in the streets of Navarre, allowing any one to approach her and would listen at first hand to the sorrows of the people. She called herself 'The Prime Minister of the Poor'. Henri, her husband, King of Navarre, believed in what she was doing, even to … [Read More...]

Bouche of Court

I am currently reading All the King’s Cooks: The Tudor kitchens of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace and loving all the wonderful details that Peter Brears has included about life at Henry’s court. The term ‘bouche of court’ which meant ‘the right to receive food and other necessaries from the court’ (Pg. 12) was a privilege granted by the ‘White Sticks’. These officers, whose positions were held by the direct authority of the King, were represented by a white staff of office. It was … [Read More...]

Winners of our Tudor Ghost Story Contest!

Thank you, Natalie, for asking me to judge the 2011 Tudor Ghost Story Competition. I really enjoyed reading all the entries and want to encourage everyone to keeping writing. Remember – the Tudor Ghost story competition will be open for entries next year – this time in August so the winner can be announced for Halloween. Two days ago I selected two excellent but very different stories as the place getters. Both stories were so wonderful it was hard to decide the winner at first, but time … [Read More...]

The Tudor Royal Interior

The Interior walls of Tudor palaces were either brick or stud partitions (Pg. 207). In both cases they were plastered with hair plaster and adorned in some way. According to Simon Thurley, the choices were few: “the plaster could be painted, with a single colour in a utilitarian area, or with a more complicated scheme in a more important one. Timber cladding could be provided for panelling, either to a room’s full height, or as wainscot (to two-thirds of the height). Or textile hanging could … [Read More...]

An Education: The shaping of Elizabeth I, through childhood events and academic pursuit

Today's post is a wonderful guest article about Elizabeth I's education and early influences, written by Ashlie Jensen from Being Bess. If you have not yet visited Ashlie's website, then I urge you to pop over and take a look as she often publishes very interesting articles. Happy reading and I look forward to hearing your responses. An Education: The shaping of Elizabeth I, through childhood events and academic pursuit By Ashlie Jensen from Elizabeth I of England is … [Read More...]

The Tudors Courtly Couture Collection

Just a quick post to share with you some photos that one of our readers recently took on her visit to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, where costumes from the television series The Tudors are currently on show. The exhibition closes on November 30. I hope you enjoy the pics! [AFG_gallery id='9'] … [Read More...]

Guest Post and double giveaway!

I am delighted to welcome Michelle Diener, author of In a Treacherous Court back to On the Tudor Trail and excited to share, not only Michelle's fascinating guest post but also details of a double book giveaway made possible by this author's generosity! You can read my interview with Michelle here. All you need to do to be in the running to win either a copy of In a Treacherous Court or an advance reading copy of the uncorrected page proofs of KEEPER OF THE KING'S SECRETS, Michelle's … [Read More...]

Dreaming Anne Boleyn

One of my readers recently wrote in to share a very interesting dream she had involving Anne Boleyn. Was it just a dream or something more? Dreaming Anne Boleyn by Tiula Last night, I dreamt I was at the court of Elizabeth I. I saw her famous Chequers ring, which I knew to contain a portrait of Anne. So I asked to see it. She declined, but someone came up to me and introduced herself to me as "Kat". (Having done more research, I now think it may have been Kat Ashley, Elizabeth's friend and … [Read More...]