The Tudor Society

A secret agent and rebel, Henry VIII’s barber, More’s granddaughter, and a Puritan soldier

In this second part of This Week in Tudor History, historian Claire Ridgway introduces Sir Christopher Blount, a secret agent and rebel who married his master’s widow and whose stepson, the Earl of Essex was his undoing; Edmund Harman, the man who trimmed and washed King Henry VIII’s hair and beard, and who was rewarded for it; Mary Bassett, Sir Thomas More's granddaughter, who was a highly educated Tudor woman and gifted translator; and Sir John Leveson (pronounced Looson), a Puritan and soldier whose later life was marred by a falling out over money.

--Contents of this video--
00:00 - Introduction
00:39 - 18th March 1601
06:08 - 19th March 1577
07:55 - 20th March 1572
09:45 - 21st March 1555

18th March 1601 - The execution of Sir Christopher Blount, husband of Lettice Knollys (other married names: Devereux and Dudley), and stepfather of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. He was executed for treason after supporting the 1601 Essex's Rebellion.

19th March 1577 - Death of Edmund Harman, former barber to King Henry VIII and a man who is depicted in Hans Holbein the Younger’s painting, Henry VIII and the Barber Surgeons.

20th March 1572 - Death of Mary Bassett (née Roper), granddaughter of Sir Thomas More and a gifted translator.

21st March 1555 - Birth of Puritan Sir John Leveson, Kent landowner and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, at Whornes Place in Cuxton in Kent.

Other Tudor history events for these dates:

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A secret agent and rebel, Henry VIII’s barber, More’s granddaughter, and a Puritan soldier