On this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1551, theologian, royal chaplain, and scholar John Redman, the first Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, died of consumption.
Redman was one of Tudor England’s most brilliant and balanced minds, a man who sought to reconcile faith, scholarship, and conscience in an age of division.
He served both Henry VIII and Edward VI, and tried to tread a middle way, defending traditional Catholic ideas while embracing elements of reform…
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On this day in Tudor history, 27th October 1526, Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall presided over a book burning at Paul’s Cross in London.
The goal was to stop heresy, and in order to do this, he’d ordered the buying of every copy of William Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testmant.
This censorship spectacularly backfired, though, as Tyndale used the money to pay for the printing of the improved second edition!
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On this day in Tudor history, 23rd October 1538, Thomas Goldwell, prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, wrote to Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief advisor and vicar general.
Goldwell was frightened. The world he knew was collapsing due to the king and Cromwell’s dissolution of the monasteries.
The prior begged to keep his “poor lodging” for life, adding the heartbreaking words: “I would rather die than live, if it were God’s pleasure.”
Goldwell’s letter shows us the human side of the Reformation.
Behind every confiscated abbey and looted shrine was a person left wondering how to live in a changed world.
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd October 1521, Sir Edward Poynings, soldier, administrator, and diplomat, died at his manor of Westenhanger in Kent.
He’s not a household name, but “Poynings’ Law” was quite a legacy. That law shaped Irish governance until the late 18th century
Poynings helped Henry VII restore royal control in Ireland, hunted pirates off the Flemish coast, and later steered diplomacy for Henry VIII…
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On this day in Tudor history, 21st October 1554, John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick, died at Penshurst in Kent, the home of his brother-in-law, where he was under house arrest.
Warwick had only just been released from the Tower of London.
He was the son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and brother of Guildford Dudley, both of whom were executed for their parts in the succession crisis of 1553, which saw Guildford’s wife, Lady Jane Grey, becoming queen for thirteen days.
Find out more about Warwick, whose rise had seem assured until that July…
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Step into the shadows of history this Halloween and discover the haunted secrets of Hever Castle, once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.
Join Messrs Watts, Moses and Cavendish as they lead you through a theatrical night of ghostly investigation and Victorian mystery. Together, you’ll venture beyond the veil between the living and the dead — exploring rarely seen corners of the Castle in search of spirits that may still linger there.
Your eerie evening begins at the Moat Restaurant, where you’ll meet your hosts before a lantern-lit walk along the Topiary Walk to the Castle Courtyard. Once inside, you’ll wander through the most atmospheric rooms of Hever Castle — familiar yet transformed — as haunting stories and spine-tingling surprises unfold.
Watch in wonder as a Victorian séance takes place before your very eyes. Are the spirits truly with you, or are you witnessing clever illusion? Only you can decide.
Blending favourite moments from last year’s experience with new, chilling twists for 2025, this immersive event promises to thrill both first-time visitors and returning ghost-hunters.
Each ticket includes a complimentary glass of Prosecco (or soft drink alternative) to steady your nerves before your journey into the unknown.
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On this day in Tudor history, 16th October 1594, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Cardinal William Allen died in exile in Rome.
To English Catholics, he was the shepherd who kept the old faith alive by founding colleges abroad that sent missionary priests back to England. To Elizabeth I’s government, he was a traitor who conspired with England’s enemies.
Allen even supported a Spanish invasion in 1588, the Spanish Armada, and readied himself to return to England when Elizabeth was deposed, seeing the queen as a heretic and usurper.
Find out more about him and decide for yourself whether he was a man of faith, a traitor, or both.
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On this day in Tudor history, 15th October 1542, William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Southampton, died on campaign at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, serving Henry VIII one last time.
Southampton had been by the king’s side since childhood, when he’d been placed in Prince Henry’s household. He grew up to become a soldier, sailor, ambassador, and royal enforcer.
From being injured in a naval strike in 1512, to helping with the organisation of the Field of Cloth of Gold, and being involved in the falls of Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, Cromwell and Catherine Howard, Fitzwilliam’s career ran through the heart of Tudor power.
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On this day in Tudor history, 10th October 1530, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, magnate, soldier, jouster, court insider, and Lady Jane Grey’s grandfather, died. He was buried at at Astley Collegiate Church in Warwickshire.
He was a well-connected man – his grandmothers were Elizabeth Woodville and Catherine Neville, sister of “The Kingmaker”, and at his death, he was one of the richest men in England.
Find out more about the man imprisoned by Henry VII, but released by Henry VIII…
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On this day in Tudor history, 8th October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector, woke up the most powerful man in Tudor England and went to bed a denounced traitor.
Somerset had ruled as king in all but name since February 1547, leading his nephew King Edward VI’s government.
He pushed bold reforms (the Act of Uniformity and the Book of Common Prayer), but rebellion, rivalry, and ambition brought him down. On 8 October 1549, the Privy Council branded Somerset a traitor. By the 11th, he had surrendered. Within days, he was in the Tower; his protectorate abolished.
Find out more, and how this wasn’t actually the end of Somerset…
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On this day in Tudor history, 7th October 1589, William Hawkins, died.
He’s not as famous as his brother, Sir John Hawkins, but let me tell you more about this merchant, sea captain and three-time mayor of Plymouth…
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n my latest historian/author interview for my youtube channel, I’m joined by historian Elizabeth Norton to talk about her new book Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy. We cover how she chose her rulers, the thorny language of “queen” vs “female king”, why so many societies accepted women only in crises, and the single pattern she kept seeing across five millennia.
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In my latest interview on YouTube, I chat with historical novelist Wendy Johnson about her debut novel, “The Traitor’s Son”, her involvement in the “Looking for Richard” project, and her thoughts on the infamous Richard III.
We explore:
What being close to the 2012 discovery in Leicester changed for her as a writer and Ricardian
Why start with boyhood, and what newcomers should unlearn about Richard
Fact vs fiction: where the record ends and imagination begins
Favourite sources for Edward, George, and Richard
Places that shaped the story: Ludlow, Middleham, London
Teasers for Books 2 & 3 in the trilogy
Plus: Wendy’s top Ricardian must-visit sites, the scene she’d film first, and one non-fiction pick to read next.
King Henry VIII broke from Rome, dissolved the monasteries, and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church in England, so he was a Protestant, wasn’t he?
Not quite.
In this video, we explore:
Why Henry VIII broke with the Pope, and it wasn’t about theology
His 1521 book defending the Catholic sacraments against Martin Luther
The Act of Supremacy and what it really meant
The Six Articles and the continued persecution of Protestants
What changed under Henry—and what stayed Catholic
The king’s final days and the beliefs he clung to on his deathbed
On this day in Tudor history, 7th September 1533, at Greenwich Palace, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, gave birth to a daughter who would grow up to be Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess, a queen who would rule England for over 44 years.
Find out more about her birth, the reactions and celebrations…
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In April 1532, courtier Sir William Pennington was murdered in the Westminster sanctuary.
His killers? They walked away with a manslaughter verdict, a £1,000 pardon, and glittering careers.
That’s Tudor justice for you!
In this video, I explore:
The argument and fight, from Westminster Hall to the sanctuary precinct
How sanctuary should have worked,and how it was bent
The official indictment vs. Carlo Capello’s explosive diplomatic report
Cromwell’s intervention and the price of a royal pardon
Holbein’s 1537 portrait: the scar carried from the fight
What this case tells us about power, patronage, and Tudor justice
On this day in Tudor history, 4th September 1550, Sir Thomas Paston, a gentleman of the privy chamber under Henry VIII and Edward VI, died.
He was, of course, a member of the Pastons of Norfolk, a family famed for the Paston Letters, a treasure trove of family correspondence from the 1400s into the 1500s, which give us a vivid, everyday view of gentry life at the time.
Find out more about Sir Thomas Paston in my video, as I trace his journey from younger son to royal insider…
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On this day in Tudor history, 3rd September 1553, Edward Courtenay was created Earl of Devon by Queen Mary I.
He hadn’t long been released from the Tower of London, having spent 15 years there, losing his father, the Marquess of Exeter to the executioner’s block.
In this video, I trace the extraordinary (and rather sad) life of Edward Courtenay.
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On 2nd or 3rd September 1507, Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York, died at Cawood Castle in Yorkshire.
Savage wasn’t just a man of the church, he was one of King Henry VII’s most trusted servants, a skilled diplomat, and a powerful royal official in the north of England.
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On this day in Tudor history, 1st September 1599, translator, bookseller, and Puritan, Dorcas Martin (née Eccleston) was laid to rest at All Hallows, Tottenham.
Dorcas was the wife of Sir Richard Martin, twice Lord Mayor of London, and although she lived much of her life in her husband’s shadow, she carved out a place of her own in Elizabethan London, even having her translations of prayers and psalms appearing in “The Monument of Matrones” (1582), the very first anthology of women’s writing published in England…
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When we think of Elizabethan adventurers, names like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh usually come to mind. But on 29th August 1583, another Tudor mariner met a tragic fate.
His name was Maurice Browne and he went down with his ship, the Delight.
Browne wasn’t just an adventurer, he was a well-connected courtier who worked for Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I’s famous spymaster. But his ambition and spirit of exploration led him to join Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s doomed voyage to North America…
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On this day in Tudor history, 28th August 1588, a young Franciscan friar named Thomas Felton was hanged near Brentford, Middlesex.
His crime?
Being a Catholic seminary priest and refusing to acknowledge Queen Elizabeth I as head of the Church.
Felton was just twenty-one years old when he went to the gallows for his faith…
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On this day in history, 27th August 1610, in the reign of King James I, a woman of learning, piety and conviction, a quite remarkable woman, was laid to rest at St Michael’s Church, St Albans. She was Lady Anne Bacon (née Cooke).
Anne was the daughter of scholar and humanist Sir Anthony Cooke; the wife of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal; and mother of spy Anthony Bacon, and Francis Bacon, one of the greatest thinkers of the age. But she should be remember in her own right for her education, translations and scholarship.
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On this day in Tudor history, 26th August 1570, Bishop Thomas Thirlby died while under house arrest at Lambeth Palace.
He’d see all six of the Tudor monarchs on the throne and as well as being the very first Bishop of Westminster and Bishop of Ely, he’d carried out diplomatic missions, served as a privy councillor and nearly been made Lord Chancellor. But sadly, his faith led to his fall under Elizabeth I.
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On this day in Tudor history, 25th August 1526, Mildred Cecil, Lady Burghley, was born into the influential Cooke family of Gidea Hall, Essex.
Mildred was the daughter of scholar, humanist and royal tutor, Sir Anthony Cooke, but is best known as the wife of Elizabeth I’s chief advisor, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. However, Mildred was a powerhouse in her own right, a remarkable woman, and one of the most learned women of her age.
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In my latest interview for my youtube channel, I’m talking to historian and author Sophie Bacchus-Waterman about her debut book, “Elizabeth Boleyn: The Life of the Queen’s Mother”.
It’s a ground-breaking biography.
Why? Because it’s the first biography of Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire, who’s known to us as Anne Boleyn’s mother and who’s always been, before now, a rather shadowy figure. But she’s more than that Sophie uncovers Elizabeth’s real story: her career at court, her influence, and her role in the Boleyn family…
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On this day in history, 22nd August 1485, the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, was killed when his Yorkist forces met those of Lancastrian Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
Henry claimed the throne as Henry VII and went on to marry Richard’s niece, Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, thus uniting the royal houses of York and Lancaster. It was the start of a new dynasty of the throne of England: the Tudors.
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