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The Tudor Society

March 24 – Judge and Speaker of the House of Commons Sir James Dyer

18 minutes ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 24th March 1582, , Sir James Dyer, judge, law reporter, Member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Commons, died at the age of 72. His other offices included King’s Sergeant-at-Law, Judge of the Common Pleas and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. He was buried at Great Staughton Church in Huntingdonshire, next to his wife.

Dyer was Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of King Edward VI and served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from January 1559 until his death.
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March 23 – Sir Henry Unton

23 hours ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 23rd March 1596, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, soldier, member of Parliament and diplomat, Sir Henry Unton, or Umpton, died after being taken ill with “a violent, burning fever”.

Unton had been taken ill after accompanying King Henry IV of France to the siege at La Fère. He was about thirty-eight years of age at his death.

Here are a few facts about this Tudor man…
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March 22 – Edward Seymour is in and Henry Howard is out

1 day ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 22nd March 1546, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, landed in Calais to relieve the out of favour Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, in his military duties as lieutenant general there.

Hertford had been officially appointed the previous day “as the King’s lieutenant in the parts beyond sea, and commander in chief of the army and armada now about to be sent thither; with authority to invade France at discretion, and to order all admirals, vice-admirals and shipmasters there.” The privy council also wrote to Surrey recalling him to England.

But what had happened? Why was Surrey being replaced with Hertford?
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March 21 – Puritan Sir John Leveson

3 days ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 21st March 1555, Kent landowner, Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and Puritan Sir John Leveson was born at Whornes Place in Cuxton, Kent.

His surname was pronounced “Looson”, and we know this because of letters, such as one by Robert Cecil regarding Sir Richard Leveson where he wrote it as “LUSON”. It obviously comes from Louis or Lewis’s son.

Sir John Leveson was the eldest son of landowner Thomas Leveson and his wife, Ursula Gresham. He was educated at Queen’s College, Oxford, and then Gray’s Inn in London.
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March 20 – Mary Bassett, translator and granddaughter of Sir Thomas More

3 days ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 20th March 1572, in Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, Mary Bassett (née Roper), translator and granddaughter of Sir Thomas More, died.

Mary’s education was praised by scholars Roger Ascham and Nicholas Harpsfield, and she presented Mary I with a copy of five books of Eusebius’s “Ecclesiastical History” which she had translated from Greek into English.

Mary, born in around 1523, was the daughter of Sir Thomas More’s beloved daughter, Margaret, or Meg, who married William Roper. More, being a humanist, had provided an excellent education for his daughter and Meg did the same with Mary, making sure that she learnt Greek and Latin.
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March 19 – Edmund Harman, Henry VIII’s barber

4 days ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 19^th March 1577, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Edmund Harman, former barber, of Henry VIII, died at Burford in Oxfordshire. He had retired there after Henry VIII’s death. Harman was buried at Taynton Church.

Harman, who was originally from Ipswich, had entered the king’s service by 1533 and served him until the king’s death in 1547. His main duty was the daily washing and trimming of the king’s beard and hair, but he also served Henry VIII as keeper of the wardrobe.
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March 18 – Soldier, secret agent and rebel Sir Christopher Blount

5 days ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On 18th March 1601, just six days before the day of Queen Elizabeth I, soldier, secret agent and rebel Sir Christopher Blount was executed on Tower Hill for high treason.

He was accused of treason following his involvement in the rebellion of his stepson, Elizabeth’s former favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.
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March 17 – William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, Black Will Herbert

6 days ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 17th March 1570, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, soldier, courtier and landowner, died at Hampton Court, aged sixty-three.

Here are some facts about this Tudor earl, who was known as Black Will Herbert and had a queen as a sister-in-law…
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The Sphere of Light – Secrets of the Boleyn Women

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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We've been contacted by Ann Henning Jocelyn, and although August seems a long time away, we wanted to highlight a play and talk which is coming up at the Festival Theatre in Hever Castle, Kent, UK.

The Sphere of Light play was originally performed in Cambridge but then Covid struck. Only now is the play on the move again, together with the novel of the same name. It has been endorsed by Dr Owen Emmerson, who will launch the novel at Hever on June 1st, following my lecture on the Boleyns, "The Boleyns in Context", as part of this year's Hever Theatre Festival.

Later in the year, it will be followed by a full production of the play on August 4th and 5th, 2023.

More information and bookings can be made with the Hever Festival Theatre, https://heverfestival.co.uk/, along with an action packed schedule of talks and events.
March 16 – John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 16th March 1533, in the reign of King Henry VIII, soldier, translator and diplomat, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, died at Calais, while serving as Deputy of Calais.

Berners was succeeded as deputy by the king’s uncle, Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle.
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March 15 – Bishop John Hooper is deprived of his bishopric

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On 15th March 1554, in the reign of Queen Mary I, John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester, was deprived of his bishopric while imprisoned in Fleet Prison. He had been charged with owing over five hundred pounds in unpaid first fruits, a charge he denied.

Let me tell you a bit more about this man, who ended up being a Marian martyr…
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March 14 – Arthur Bulkeley, Bishop of Bangor, chaplain to Charles Brandon and Thomas Cromwell

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 14th March 1553, in the reign of King Edward VI, Arthur Bulkeley, Bishop of Bangor, died at his home in Bangor. He was buried in the cathedral quire.

Bulkeley, who was originally from Beaumaris in Anglesey, had been bishop since 1541. He’d previously served as chaplain to Charles Brandon and Thomas Cromwell.
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March 13 – Actor Richard Burbage

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 13th March 1619, actor and star of Shakespeare’s Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the King’s Men, Richard Burbage, died aged fifty.

Burbage performed with William Shakespeare and is named in Shakespeare’s will of 1616 as a “fellow”, meaning a close friend or colleague.

Let me give you a few facts about this Elizabethan actor…
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March 12 – Roman Catholic martyr Christopher Bales

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 12th March 1564, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Roman Catholic priest and martyr Christopher Bales was baptised in Coniscliffe, in County Durham, in the north of England.

Bales ended up being executed by hanging on 4th March 1590.

Let me tell you a bit more about Bales and how he came to this sad end…

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March 11 – Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici becomes Pope Leo X

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 11th March 1513, Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici was proclaimed Pope Leo X after being elected on 9th March. He was crowned pope on 19th March and held the office until his death by pneumonia on 1st December 1521. He was one of the leading Renaissance popes.

Giovanni was the second son of Lorenzo de’ Medici, or Lorenzo the Magnificent, a member of the prominent political banking and political Medici family, and ruler of the Republic of Florence.
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March 10 – William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester

1 week ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 10th March 1572, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, nobleman and administrator William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester, died at his home Basing House in Hampshire. He was said to be 97 years of age at his death. He was laid to rest in the parish church at Basing on 28th April.

Paulet’s offices under Henry VIII included Lord Treasurer, Great Master of the Household and Lord Great Chamberlain, and he also served the king’s children, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, in their reigns.
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A giant mural featuring Elizabeth I

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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When you spend time looking at this mural, it contains a huge amount of detail, both in the people but also of Tudor history. It is truly an amazing artwork.
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March 9 – The death of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, on the evening of 9th March 1578, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, sixty-two-year-old Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, died.

Margaret had been recorded as suffering from a colic but the fact that she had dined with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, two days before, led to rumours that she had been poisoned. However, there was no evidence to support the rumour. Margaret was buried at Westminster Abbey on 3rd April 1578.

Margaret Douglas was the daughter of Margaret Tudor, dowager queen of Scotland, by her second husband, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, making her the granddaughter of King Henry VII and the niece of King Henry VIII. Margaret was also the mother-in-law of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose second husband was Margaret’s son, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and the grandmother of James VI of Scotland/James I of England, and the ill-fated Lady Arbella or Arabella Stuart.
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March 8 – Richard Tracy, an outspoken reformer

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 8 March 1569, evangelical reformer and Member of Parliament Richard Tracy died at his manor in Stanway, Gloucestershire.

Tracy was the cousin of Protestant martyr James Bainham and his works included the 1543 pamphlet on justification by faith: “Profe and Declaration of thys Proposition: Fayth only iustifieth”, which was dedicated to Henry VIII; the 1544 “‘A Supplycation to our most Soueraigne Lorde, Kynge Henry the Eyght” and “A Bryef and short Declaracyon made wherebye euery Chrysten Man may knowe what is a Sacrament”. In Elizabeth I’s reign, he served as a Commissioner of the Peace and Sheriff in Gloucestershire.
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March 7 – Germaine Gardiner and John Larke are executed

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 7th March 1544, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Germaine (or German) Gardiner and priest John Larke were executed for denying the royal supremacy.
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March 6 – Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley is accused of abusing his authority

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 6th March 1547, in the reign of King Edward VI, former Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, lost the Great Seal of his Lord Chancellorship and was confined to his home at Ely Place for abusing his authority.

Wriothesley was found guilty of issuing a commission without the knowledge or permission of the other executors of Henry VIII’s will, but it was probably more to do with his opposition to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, becoming Lord Protector.
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March 5 – Mathematician William Oughtred

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 5th March 1575, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, mathematician William Oughtred was baptised at Eton College, where his father, Benjamin, was registrar and writing master.

Oughtred is responsible for developing a straight slide-rule, a gauging rod and various sundials. He also introduced the “×” symbol for multiplication and the abbreviations “sin” and “cos” for the sine and cosine functions.

Let me tell you a bit more about him…
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March 4 – The birth of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, son of Mary Boleyn

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 4th March 1526, in the reign of King Henry VIII, courtier and administrator, Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, was born.

Hunsdon was the only son of Mary Boleyn and her first husband, William Carey, esquire of the body to Henry VIII. There is controversy over his paternity due to Mary Boleyn having a sexual relationship with Henry VIII at some point…
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March 3 – Margaret Tudor marries for a third time

2 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 3rd March 1528, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and widow of King James IV of Scotland, married for a third time.

Thirty-eight-year-old Margaret’s third husband was Henry Stewart, who was about 33. Stewart was the son of Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale, and he’d served Margaret’s son, James V, as master carver and master of the artillery. It is thought that he and Margaret got to know each other in 1524.
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March 2 – Anne of Denmark’s death

3 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in history, 2nd March 1619, in the reign of King James I, forty-four-year-old Anne of Denmark, died of dropsy and consumption.

Her death may have taken place in the Stuart period, but she was King James's consort from 1589, when he was King James VI of Scotland.

Anne was the second daughter of the late King Frederick II of Denmark, and his wife, Queen Sophia, and sister King Christian IV of Denmark. She married James in a proxy wedding in Denmark in August 1589 – you'll find my video on that below - and then in another ceremony, with James present, in Norway in that November. Following their marriage, Anne suffered a number of miscarriages and gave birth to seven live children. Unfortunately, only three of them survived childhood: Henry, Prince of Wales; Elizabeth, and Charles, the future Charles I. Although Henry, Prince of Wales, survived childhood, he died suddenly aged 18.

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March 1 – Sir Thomas Tresham, Grand Prior

3 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 1st March 1559, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Catholic politician and landowner, Sir Thomas Tresham, died at Rushton in Northamptonshire. He was buried at St Peter’s Church, Rushton.

Tresham was a leading politician in the reigns of Henry VIII and Mary I, and he’s an interesting Tudor chap.

Let me tell you a bit more about him…
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Interview with Toni Mount, author of The Colour of Bone, a medieval murder mystery

3 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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Thank you to author and historian Toni Mount for stopping by the Tudor Society on the book/blog tour for her new book, “The Colour of Bone”, the eleventh novel in the Seb Foxley medieval murder mystery series.

Toni has answered some interview questions…
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February 28 – The death of theologian and Protestant reformer Martin Bucer

3 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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During the night of 28th February/1st March 1551, theologian and Protestant reformer Martin Bucer died in Cambridge. He was fifty-nine years old.

Let me tell tell you a bit more about this reformer, who ended up being posthumously burned as a heretic in Mary I’s reign!
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Poverty and Tudor Poor Laws in York

3 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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Support for the needy in England through Tudor poor laws was based upon a carrot-and-stick approach. Specific policies were designed to provide relief for the poor, while others were designed to penalise. Tony Morgan writes about some of the approaches used in the Tudor period.
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February 27 – Chaplain Richard Madox dies on a troubled voyage

3 weeks ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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On this day in Tudor history, 27th February 1583, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, thirty-six-year-old diarist and Church of England clergyman, Richard Madox, died near Espirito Santo harbour, near Vitória, Brazil.

Madox served as chaplain and secretary to Captain Edward Fenton on his 1582 voyage to the Moluccas and China.
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