On this day in Tudor history, 26th January 1546, judge of assize and law reporter, Sir John Spelman, died.
Now, you may never have heard of Justice John Spelman, but his reports on the legal cases of people like Queen Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey have been very useful to historians - a wonderful resource.
Let me tell you more about Sir John Spelman and what he had to say about Anne Boleyn's trial.
Find out more about Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, in my video Jane Boleyn - Did she help bring down Anne Boleyn?
Also on this day in Tudor history, 26th January 1554, Queen Mary I wrote to her half-sister, Elizabeth, summoning her to court and warning her about Wyatt's Rebellion. Find out how Elizabeth reacted in last year's video:
Also on this day in history:
- 1528 – Death of Sir Francis Poyntz, courtier and diplomat, in London. He died of the plague. He was made an Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII in 1516, and then a Carver in 1521. Poyntz carried out a diplomatic mission in 1527, when Henry VIII sent him to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, to help negotiate peace between Charles and Francis I of France.
- 1533 – Henry VIII appointed Thomas Audley as Lord Chancellor to replace Sir Thomas More, who had resigned the previous year. Audley had actually been carrying out the duties of Lord Chancellor since May 1532.
- 1567 – Death of Nicholas Wotton, diplomat, Secretary of State and Dean of Canterbury and York. He died in London and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral.
- 1612 – Burial of Jane Suárez de Figueroa (née Dormer), Duchess of Feria, at Zafra, in the monastery of Santa Clara.