The Tudor Society

10 September – Elizabeth I’s christening

On this day in Tudor history, 10 September 1533, King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn's daughter, Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I), was christened at the Church of Observant Friars in Greenwich.

Elizabeth I's christening service was a lavish ceremony presided over by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who also stood as the little girl's godfather.

In today's talk, I share a contemporary source of Elizabeth's christening service and also of the celebrations that followed.

Also on this day in history:

  • 1515 – Thomas Wolsey was made Cardinal.
  • 1543 – Death of Sir Edward Chamberlayne, Oxfordshire gentleman and soldier. He was buried at Woodstock.
  • 1547 – The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, part of the War of the Rough Wooing between England and Scotland. It took place near Musselburgh, in Scotland, on the banks of the River Esk. The English forces, led by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, defeated the Scots, killing thousands.
  • 1549 – Death of Sir Anthony Denny, Henry VIII's great friend and groom of the stool, at Cheshunt. He was buried in St Mary's Church, Cheshunt.
  • 1557 – Execution of Joyce Lewis (née Curson and other married name Appleby, Lady Appleby), Protestant martyr, at Lichfield. She was burned at the stake for her Protestant beliefs.
  • 1569 – Death of Gilbert Bourne, Bishop of Bath and Wells, at Silverton in Devon. Bourne was deprived of his see in Elizabeth I's reign after refusing to take the “Oath of Supremacy”. He was buried in Silverton Church.
  • 1604 – Death of William Morgan, Bishop of St Asaph and Bible translator, at the Bishop's Palace at St Asaph. He was buried there in the cathedral church.

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10 September – Elizabeth I’s christening