Recent Posts

Anne Boleyn’s Christmas Ghost

In my series of posts about Tudor hauntings published earlier this year I wrote about the ghosts of Henry VIII’s six queens, including Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. Anne’s ghost is by far the most prolific with sightings reported in many locations across the UK. As expected, one location where Anne’s ghost has been regularly seen is at Hever Castle in Kent. Each Christmas at Hever Castle, Anne’s childhood home, her ghost is said to manifest beneath a great oak tree where she and Henry … [Read More...]

Escape from the Tower- Historic Royal Palaces first app!

The Historic Royal Palaces has just released their first app! Play Escape from the Tower a new app for iPhone and iPod Touch, and re-enact some of the Tower's most famous escapes. The free app can be downloaded from home or on site at the Tower wi-fi hotspot in front of the Tower shop at the main gate. Help prisoners like Henry Laurens, John Gerard and Ranulf Flambard escape from the locations where they were actually held. You may even 'meet' other famous prisoners like Anne Boleyn or Guy … [Read More...]

Loseley House- panelling from Nonsuch Palace, a portrait of Anne Boleyn and more!

This historic manor house is situated outside Guildford in Surrey, England. The direct descendants of the current owners, the More-Molyneux family, acquired the estate in the 16th century and the current house was built in the 1560’s to replace a smaller house. Elizabeth I felt that the original house was not up to hosting a royal guest and so requested that something more adequate be built. It is said that the current house was built with stones from the ruins of Waverley … [Read More...]

Tudor Hygiene- bathing, perfume and undergarments

“One of the misconceptions of popular history is that concern for hygiene and sanitation is a recent – and decidedly modern – phenomenon.” Simon Thurley We don’t often think about the Tudors as being particularly hygienic people but they were actually a lot ‘cleaner’ than what we generally give them credit for. They were of course limited by the technology of the time and the challenges associated with disposing of the sewage and rubbish of a growing population but this does not mean … [Read More...]

New Anne Boleyn Book!

I recently stumbled across a new novel about Anne Boleyn told through Meg Wyatt's eyes. The book is called 'To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn' and is written by Sandra Byrd. It is due to be released in early August 2011. Here is Amazon's book blurb: To Die For, is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods on neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life … [Read More...]

Create your own authentic Tudor dishes

Would you like to wow your guests this Christmas by serving them genuine Tudor dishes? Well, this is not as tricky as it may sound now that the Historic Royal Palaces has uploaded three wonderful cook-along videos filmed in Henry VIII's kitchens at Hampton Court Palace. The recipes are 500 years old but have been adapted just enough to make them accessible to our modern selves! You can also download the recipes and instructions as PDF's from their website. I think the videos are fabulous … [Read More...]

The Development of the Codpiece

Just a quick post today to bring to your attention a very interesting and informative article that I just read about the development of the codpiece. In the article, we learn about the introduction of the codpiece, its rise in popularity during the reign of the Yorkist kings of England, its absolute rise to fame during the reign of Henry VIII and its disappearance during Elizabeth's reign. What I found most interesting was the idea of the 'exaggerated codpiece' being used as a container for … [Read More...]

Ewelme Manor joins our list of Anne Boleyn places!

When I posted my first few Anne Boleyn places in August 2009, I never imagined that there existed so many locations that Anne had visited that we can still see today. I continue to be amazed by the ancient treasures, the Tudor treasures, that still exist within our modern society. Never do I feel so close to them, so close to Anne, as when I am standing in a building she once stood in, laughed in, cried in. I am fascinated by the thought of looking at something that her beautiful black eyes … [Read More...]

Online Tudor Courses

Readers often ask me whether or not I know of any quality online courses related to Tudor England. I have two to mention today, the first is a course written by author, Wendy J. Dunn on Henry VIII. The course is available on Suite 101 and sounds fabulous! I have not yet completed it but I am determined to complete it in my upcoming summer holidays. The second is a course offered by The National Archives and is a practical online tutorial to help you learn to read the handwriting found in … [Read More...]

Regarding Henry VIII: Bipolar or Brain Injured?

Today's post is a guest article from one of On the Tudor Trail's readers, Fran Jablway. Fran has an MS in counselling psychology and is in the process of writing a Tudor novel. Thank you Fran for submitting this very interesting article and taking the time to consider whether Henry VIII may have suffered from a mental illness or sustained a serious brain injury. It would certainly explain a lot! Regarding Henry VIII: Bipolar or Brain Injured? Already he was a skillful horseman and … [Read More...]

The Enduring Appeal of Tudor Women

Today's post is a guest article by author and historian, Linda Porter. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Linda back to On the Tudor Trail. Read my exclusive interview with Linda here. THE ENDURING APPEAL OF TUDOR WOMEN BY LINDA PORTER, AUTHOR OF KATHERINE THE QUEEN, THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF KATHERINE PARR, THE LAST WIFE OF HENRY VIII Despite the difficulties facing biography as a genre (which the publishing world seems to think are rapidly worsening), there remains a great deal of interest … [Read More...]

King Henry VIII’s Palaces & Royal Houses

I was recently searching the Internet trying to find a list of Henry VIII’s palaces and houses but was unable to find a complete list online. I am though lucky enough to own Simon Thurley’s The Royal Palaces of Tudor England, which includes a wonderful map showing the distribution of royal houses in 1547 (Pg. 69) and so decided to put together my own resource. The following list, adapted from Thurley’s map, includes castles, palaces, large houses, lesser houses, hunting lodges, confiscated … [Read More...]