On the Tudor Trail

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...]

The Virgin Queen’s Fatal Affair- Who Killed Amy Robsart?

There has been much discussion of late about the recently aired (in the UK) documentary, The Virgin Queen's Fatal Affair. Here is Channel 5 website's description: "Did a controversial love affair between Elizabeth I and her confidante Robert Dudley lead to a savage murder? This programme explores remarkable new evidence suggesting that Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart, was assassinated so that her husband could be free to marry the Queen." From these few lines alone we can see why there is … [Read More...]

December book giveaway competition- The King’s Rose by Alisa Libby

Yesterday I announced the winner of our November book giveaway competition at On the Tudor Trail, congratulations again Kelly! And today I am very happy to post the details of our December book giveaway competition. This time the lucky winner will receive a copy of Alisa Libby's The King's Rose, the story of Catherine Howard's rise and fall told in Catherine's own words. I was engaged from the opening line and did not want to put the book down. Believable, entertaining and intriguing- highly … [Read More...]

Henry VIII and Travel

I have just finished reading a very interesting and informative article about Henry VIII and travel. In the article Dr Glen Richardson describes the reasons behind the regular moves made by the court. He states that “Henry usually travelled to hunt, to get to know his kingdom better and to show himself off to his own people and to foreigners alike as a magnanimous and accomplished prince” (Pg. 1). Even though Henry did a fair amount of travelling he was still the ‘least well-travelled’ of … [Read More...]

Little Sodbury Manor hosts King Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn

During their 1535 summer progress, King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn stayed at Little Sodbury. The manor, originally built in the 15th century, was the home of Sir John Walsh and his wife. The Walshes had employed William Tyndale “in the awkward days before he had fled abroad to escape Wolsey’s persecution” (Starkey, Pg. 532). Tradition has him beginning his translation of the bible in one of the bedrooms. Continue reading here. … [Read More...]

Queen Elizabeth’s Virginals- Elizabeth’s or Anne Boleyn’s?

Anne Boleyn was a skilled musician and according to Eric Ives, "Her skill in performance is commented on by everyone" (Pg. 285). Ives believes that it is possible that a case of virginals, known as 'Queen Elizabeth's Virginals' housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum may have originally belonged to Anne Boleyn. Thought to have been made during the first part of Elizabeth's reign until the date '1594' was recently discovered on the jack-rail of the instrument. The collections department … [Read More...]