On the Tudor Trail

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...]

Playing Dress-Up

Today's post is an entertaining guest post by Anne Barnhill whose debut historical novel, At the Mercy of the Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, will be released in January 2012! Playing Dress-Up While doing research for AT THE MERCY OF THE QUEEN, I became fascinated with the clothing of the period and decided to ask my high school buddy, Becky Thacker, if she would help me with an authentic (that is, as authentic as we could get) Tudor dress. She agreed to join me in my madness and now, I'm the … [Read More...]

Catherine of Aragon: A Life

I have just received information about a new book by Patrick Williams, Emeritus Professor of Spanish History at the University of Portsmouth. Product information: The tragic story of Henry VIII's first unfortunate wife. Catherine of Aragon was a central figure in one of the most dramatic and formative events of Tudor history - England's breach with Rome after a thousand years of fidelity. She lived through traumatic and revolutionary times and her personal drama was played out against … [Read More...]

Mary Rose: The Princess and The Ship

Today's post is a fascinating article by Katherine Marcella about the Mary Rose and its connection to Henry VIII's sister, Mary. I love having such talented readers who are willing to share their interests and expertise with us all. Thank you Katherine! Mary Rose: The Princess and The Ship A guest post by Katherine Marcella Everybody knows the pride of Henry VIII's war fleet, the Mary Rose, was named after Henry's sister, Princess Mary Rose. Right? Well, almost, but not … [Read More...]

White Magic in Elizabethan England

“The Medieval Catholic Church laid claims to many powerful kinds of magic which touched the lives of its members at every point.” Magic of confession and absolution Magic of conjuration and consecration whereby ordinary materials such as oil, water, salt were invested with the power of God to protect the wearer from evil. Magic of exorcism and healing Magic of the sacraments And the source of this magic was always God. With the reformation came another form of … [Read More...]

Fish Court Apartments at Hampton Court Palace

On the Tudor Trail reader Laurie recently wrote in to share some eerie events that her and her husband experienced while staying at the Fish Court Apartments at Hampton Court Palace. This is Laurie's story: We had the privilege of spending four nights in the Fish Court Apartments at Hampton Court Palace. We had a few ghostly experiences happen to my husband and I and even caught an orb out in the Wilderness Area, by the maze, with my camera. It was the talk of my Facebook friends for … [Read More...]

Haunted Westminster Abbey…

Happy Halloween everyone! One of my readers, Katherine, just wrote in to share with me a truly scary experience she had whilst visiting Westminster Abbey. Here is her true story: One of the places I make sure to visit on every trip to London is Westminster Abbey. I just love to wander around contemplating all the history that has happened in the building and all the people who have passed though it -- or stayed. I've never had anything even slightly eerie happen to me there -- … [Read More...]