Recent Posts

Death in Tudor England

As Halloween in Sydney comes to an end, I thought it would be fitting to find out a little more about death in Tudor England. Luckily, I found a fabulous article written by Professor Peter Marshall of Warwick University and available at Hampton Court’s Website that answered most of my questions. Even before reading this article I was aware that death plagued the minds of the Tudors more than it does our own today. The lack of sanitation, the presence of a variety of epidemic diseases and the … [Read More...]

Tudor Christmas and New Year Celebrations

With Christmas less than two months away, I have started thinking about presents for the family, Christmas decorations and Christmas cards. I have also been thinking about whether the Tudors practised any of our modern traditions, like decorating a Christmas tree or singing carols. So I thought it would be a good idea to find out what a 16th century Christmas was like and whether or not we share any traditions with the Tudors. Let’s take a look. In the 16th century, Christmas was a … [Read More...]

Interview with Linda Porter

I have just posted my exclusive interview with author and historian, Linda Porter. Linda's first book Mary Tudor: The First Queen dispels many popular conceptions about Queen Mary. Her second book, Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr has been described as "colourful and well paced" and "a reliable synthesis of the best historical research on Katherine's life and times, while periodically going beyond it to offer original contributions." In our interview we talk about … [Read More...]

Tips for the Tudor Time Traveller

Today's post is a guest article by Christian Boulton from Nights in the Past a website for those of us that love travel and are passionate about history. The site lists historic hotels in the UK, Europe and more. It features both places connected to famous figures and events and accommodation of historic significance, such as buildings connected to the Tudor and Medieval periods. Tips for the Tudor Time Traveller is a guide to the numerous buildings with associations to the Tudors that today … [Read More...]

Exclusive interview with Tracy Borman

I have just posted my exclusive interview with author and historian Tracy Borman. Tracy is the author of Henrietta Howard: King's Mistress, Queen's Servant and Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen. The blurb for Elizabeth's Women reads: Elizabeth I was born into a world of women. As a child, she was served by a predominantly female household of servants and governesses, with occasional visits from her mother, Anne Bolyen, and the wives who later took her place. As … [Read More...]

New Anne Boleyn Place!

It has been a while since I have added a new Anne Boleyn place to our already long list, so I am very happy to add location number 28- St Peter's Church, Hever. The church is well known for being the final resting place of Sir Thomas Boleyn, Anne's father, and a local historian in the area recently confirmed what I already suspected, that the Boleyn's indeed attended the church whilst in residence at Hever Castle. St Peter’s Church dates back to the 14th century and is located in the … [Read More...]

New Book giveaway competition- The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Yesterday I announced the winner of our first book giveaway competition at On the Tudor Trail, congratulations again Kate! And today I am very happy to post the details of our second book giveaway competition. This time the lucky winner will receive a copy of Philippa Gregory's The Red Queen. This is the second book in the Cousins' War Series, read my review here. Entry is only open to our mailing list subscribers (if you are not one already, sign up on our homepage) and residents of all … [Read More...]

Elizabeth I’s Magical Unicorn by Carlyn Beccia

Today's post is a very interesting guest article by Carlyn Beccia, author of The Raucous Royals and I Feel Better with a Frog in my Throat. To learn more about this wonderfully talented author and illustrator read my exclusive interview here. In the meantime, enjoy! Elizabeth I's Magical Unicorn In the 16th century, Elizabeth I’s seamen were like little boys running in a vast field, trying to find the prettiest wild flowers to run back and give to their queen mum. Francis Drake, John … [Read More...]

She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth

I have just come across this book by historian Helen Castor and it sounds fascinating! The Amazon product description reads: The boy in the bed was just fifteen years old. He had been handsome, perhaps even recently; but now his face was swollen and disfigured by disease, and by the treatments his doctors had prescribed in the attempt to ward off its ravages. Their failure could no longer be mistaken. When Edward VI – Henry VIII’s longed-for son – died in 1553, extraordinarily, there was … [Read More...]

Welcome Carlyn Beccia & The Raucous Royals

I have just posted my exclusive interview with Carlyn Beccia, author of The Raucous Royals the winner of the International Reading Association's 2009 Children's and Young Adult Book Award for Intermediate-Nonfiction. Carlyn describes The Raucous Royals as "history lesson meets tabloid magazine." Beccia explains, "we think that Hollywood stars are the only ones that are abused by untrue rumors and gossip. History's most famous royals faced the same challenges. They didn't get maligned by … [Read More...]

Shakespeare’s Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon

This week's Tudor Time Traveller location is Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-Upon-Avon. During a visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon last year I took this photo of the Holy Trinity Church better known as Shakespeare’s Church as this is where the famous poet and playwright was baptised on the 24th April 1564 and buried on the 25th April 1616. The present church was begun in 1210 and looks much the same as the church Shakespeare would have known and worshipped in as a boy and again on his return … [Read More...]

Recipes, Food and Cooking in Tudor England

Conner from Historical Foods has written an exclusive article for us here at On the Tudor Trail about Recipes, Food and Cooking in Tudor England. It is brimming with those scrumptious facts about daily life that us Tudor aficionados love, describing, in detail, ingredients and recipes used in authentic Tudor cooking. The article is meticulously researched, informative and entertaining and as though all this wasn’t enticing enough, Conner has gone the extra mile by translating an original … [Read More...]