The Tudor Society
  • May 16 – Sir Thomas More resigns

    On this day in Tudor history, 16th May 1532, Sir Thomas More resigned as King Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor.

    More, who had been a real father figure to Henry VIII, had held the office since 25th October 1529, following the fall of his predecessor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. However, More opposed Henry VIII’s quest for an annulment of his first marriage, and the idea of the king being the supreme head of the church. The final straw for More, was the king’s attack on the clergy, on 11th May 1532, when he suggested they were traitors because of their oath to Rome, and the subsequent submission of the clergy to the king’s demands.

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  • May 15 – Henry VIII’s lack of sexual prowess is talked about in court!

    Richard Burton as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th May 1536, the trials of Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, took place at the Tower of London.

    Unsurprisingly, they were both found guilty of committing incest and plotting to kill the king, and sentenced to death – see video below. But there was some humiliation for the king when George was handed a note about his sister talking to his wife, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, about the king’s lack of sexual prowess.

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  • Monday Martyr – Hugh Faringdon (Cook), Abbot of Reading

    A plaque showing Hugh Faringdon

    This week’s Monday Martyr is Blessed Hugh Faringdon, born Hugh Cook, Abbot of Reading, who was hanged at the gate of his abbey on 14th November 1539 for treason, for allegedly upholding the supremacy of the pope. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 13th May 1895.

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  • May 14 – The Creeping Parliament

    Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox, painted by an unknown artist

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th May 1571, Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox and regent to the young King James VI of Scotland, held the “Creeping Parliament” in Edinburgh.

    It was called the Creeping parliament because members had to crawl on their hands and knees into the Canongate to avoid being shot by the supporters of the abdicated Mary, Queen of Scots, who held Edinburgh Castle.

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  • May 13 – A queen’s household is broken up

    The National Portrait Gallery portrait of Anne Boleyn

    On this day in Tudor history, 13th May 1536, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn’s royal household was broken up and her staff discharged.

    The king’s second wife, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time, hadn’t even been tried yet. However, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton, Sir Henry Norris and Mark Smeaton had been found guilty of high treason, for sleeping with her and conspiring to kill the king with her, so she had no chance of being found innocent.

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  • Hever Tudor Book Launch and Talk

    Members of the Tudor Society and Tudor fans are cordially invited to Hever Castle on 1 June 2023 at 19.30, when Ann Henning Jocelyn will be giving a talk on The Boleyns in Context, covering her research into the Boleyn family. Two early portraits of Anne and Mary Boleyn still in her family will be shown at this event.

    The occasion will also see the launch of Ann's book The Sphere of Light/Secrets of the Boleyn Women by Hever curator, Dr Owen Emmerson.

    Tickets @ £18.50 from www.heverfestival.co.uk will include a copy of the book.


    In The Sphere of Light, the unknown nephew of Mary and Anne explores the well-kept secrets of the Boleyn women, including that of his own existence, historically obliterated but substantiated by a tombstone found in an old Irish castle. Unfolding like a detective story, his findings bring a brand new slant to the gruesome fate that befell his family, dispelling age-old myths of megalomania, sexual obsession, ruthless ambition and plain madness.

    “Captivating, sumptuous in detail and thrillingly plotted. A triumph.” Dr Owen Emmerson
    “Engaging and deeply moving, bringing convincing new insights into the Boleyn story.” Dr D. Duffy

    The play The Sphere of Light will be shown as part of the Hever Castle Theatre Festival on August 4th and 5th this year.

  • From the Archives – The Witches of Elizabethan and Stuart Essex

    This week’s treat from the Tudor Society archives is a fascinating talk from historian Kate Cole on the witches of Elizabethan and Stuart Essex.

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  • May 12 – Baron Hussey, is charged with treason

    On this day in Tudor England, 12th May 1537, John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford, Chief Butler of England, was charged with treason.

    Hussey, who was born 1465/6 had been appointed Chief Butler of England in 1521 and also served as a Member of Parliament, sheriff of Lincolnshire and steward to the Bishop of Lincoln. He served Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary, as her chamberlain and his second wife, Anne, was one of Mary’s ladies. Anne actually ended up in the Tower of London for a short time after referring to Mary as “Princess” rather than “Lady” after Mary had become illegitimate by Act of Parliament.

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  • May 11 – King Henry VIII accuses the English clergy of treason

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th May 1532, Henry VIII suggested that the English clergy were traitors.

    Chronicler Edward Hall records that Henry VIII sent for the Speaker of the House of Commons and 12 members of the House of Commons, “havyng with hym eight Lordes”, and while holding a copy of the bishops’ oath to Rome

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  • May 10 – Archbishop Cranmer opens a special court into Henry VIII’s great matter

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th May 1533, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, opened a special court at Dunstable Priory in Bedfordshire.

    The court’s job was to rule on the validity of Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

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  • May 9 – James V and Marie de Guise marry by proxy

    On this day in Tudor history, 9th May 1538, King James V of Scotland married Marie de Guise, or Mary of Guise, by proxy.

    James V was the son of King James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of King Henry VII, and Marie was the daughter of Claude, Duke of Guise, and Antoinette of Bourbon. They’d both been married before. Marie had been married to Louis II of Orléans, Duke of Longueville, who died after less than 3 years of marriage, and James had been widowed just months after his marriage to Madeleine of France.

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  • May 8 – English troops muster

    Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th May 1539, in the reign of King Henry VIII, English troops mustered between Whitechapel and Mile End and then marched through the City and Westminster to St James’s, where the king reviewed them.

    This muster was in response to the war panic caused by Francis I and Charles V signing the Peace of Toledo.

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  • Monday Martyr – The Dryburn Martyrs

    This week's Monday Martyr is actually a group of martyrs, the Dryburn Martyrs.

    Roman Catholic priests Richard Hill, Richard Holiday, John Hogg and Edmund Duke were hanged, drawn and quartered on 27th May 1590, in Elizabeth I’s reign, at Dryburn in County Durham.

    Hill, Hogg and Holiday came from Yorkshire and Duke was from Kent, but they had all studied for the priesthood at the English College at Reims. Duke arrived in Reims in March 1583, Holiday in September 1584, Hill in May 1587 and Hogg in October 1587. They were ordained as priests in September 1589, Duke at Rome and the others at Laon.

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  • May 7 – An English assault on Leith

    On this day in Tudor history, 7th May 1560, in the reign of Elizabeth I, English troops charged the wall of Leith at the siege of Leith.

    In 1548, during the War of the Rough Wooing, which had broken out over Scotland’s refusal to marry Mary Queen of Scots off to Edward VI, Scotland had invited French troops to protect the port of Leith. They set up a garrison and were still there 12 years later. Protestant reformers turned to England to help them remove these French Catholics.

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  • May 6 – Edmund Beaufort is executed

    For today’s “on this day” event, I’m taking you back to the Wars of the Roses. It’s a relevant event because it was a factor in Henry Tudor (Henry VII) becoming the main Lancastrian claimant.

    On this day in history, 6th May 1471, Edmund Beaufort, styled 3rd Duke of Somerset, was executed in Tewkesbury marketplace following his army’s defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury. He was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey

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  • May 5 – Sir Henry Sidney

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th May 1586, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, fifty-six-year-old Sir Henry Sidney died. His body was buried in the Sidney Chapel at Penshurst and his heart in Ludlow, where he lived as President of the Council in the Marches of Wales.

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  • From the archives – Help finding Tudor Primary Sources

    There’s nothing like researching Tudor primary sources for yourself and a lot have been transcribed and digitised, making it possible to access them from the comfort of your own home.

    Here on the Tudor Society, we have lists of primary sources for each monarch as well as different topics, such as Tudor Life.

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  • An update on the bench with links to Catherine of Aragon

    Thank you to John Roberts for this update - click here for John's original article.

    Tudor Society followers from four years ago may remember this historic bench and its many references to Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon.

    Many notable historians of ancient furniture, including Jonathan Foyle, have determined that the bench displays woodworked artistry from between the 16th-19th centuries, so the question now remains, why were talented craftsmen adding on to a work of art rather than creating one?

    The penny dropped early one morning this week with the theory that it's not the BENCH that is the main study here but the HEADBOARD!

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  • May 4 – Bess of Hardwick

    Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury, by Rowland Lockey, 1592

    On this day in history, 4th May 1608, the funeral of Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, took place at All Hallows, Derby.

    Bess of Hardwick as she is commonly known, was the daughter of John Hardwick and Elizabeth Leake.
    She married four times and each marriage saw her rise in status and wealth. Her husbands were heir to an estate Robert Barley or Barlowe, Treasurer of the King’s Chamber Sir William Cavendish, Captain of the Guard and Chief Butler of England Sir William St Loe, and George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.

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  • May 3 – Cecily Neville, mother of two kings

    Part of an illustration from the 15th century Neville Book of Hours showing Cecily

    On this day in history, 3rd May 1415, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, was born on 3rd May 1415 at Raby Castle. Cecily is known as the matriarch of the House of York because her children included King Edward IV and King Richard III.

    Here are some facts about Cecily Neville, also known as the Rose of Raby and Proud Cis.

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  • May 2 – Queen Anne Boleyn is arrested

    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, received a message informing her that members of the king’s council required her presence in the council chamber of Greenwich Palace. There, Anne was told that she was being accused of having sexual relations with musician Mark Smeaton, groom of the stool Henry Norris and an unnamed man. She was also told that Smeaton and Norris had confessed.

    Anne denied the charges but the council ordered her arrest. Later that afternoon, after the tide had turned, she was rowed to the Tower of London. She was imprisoned in the queen’s apartments of the royal palace.

    George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, Anne’s brother, was arrested on the same day and also taken to the Tower.

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  • May 1 – May Day

    Happy May Day!

    Yes, today, 1st May is May Day in the UK.

    May Day was seen as the first day of summer and had its roots in ancient celebrations of fertility. It was celebrated with special processions, plays and pantomimes, pageants, Morris dancing and the crowning of a May Queen. There would also be a Maypole, a tall wooden pole that was painted or decorated with crests, greenery and flowers. Later in history, this Maypole was hung with ribbons and people would dance around it, weaving the ribbons in different patterns.

    People would also “bring in the May”, i.e. collect flowers and branches to make garlands and wreaths.

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  • Monday Martyr – James Bainham

    This week's Monday Martyr is James Bainham, who, on 30th April 1532, in the reign of King Henry VIII, was burned at Smithfield.

    Bainham, who hailed from Westbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, was the youngest son of Sir Alexander Bainham and his wife, Elizabeth Langley (née Tracy), became a lawyer after entering London's Inns of Court. Bainham's maternal uncle had been a reformer and perhaps he influenced his nephew. According to John Foxe, Bainham was "an earnest reader of Scriptures, [and] a great maintainer of the godly".

    Bainham went on to marry the widow of reformer Simon Fish, a man who had been charged with heresy and was awaiting trial when he died of plague in 1531. Fish was the author of the religious pamphlet The Supplication of Beggars, which Anne Boleyn was said to have shared with Henry VIII. The pamphlet was an attack on the Catholic Church. Fish claimed that the Catholic clergy usurped the power of the state and stated that they were treasonous and corrupt. Fish also attacked the sale of indulgences and the doctrine of purgatory. Bainham came to the notice of Sir Thomas More, Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, due to his links with Fish, and More had him brought to him for questioning. Bainham stood firm in his evangelical faith so More ordered his imprisonment in the Tower of London, where he was also allegedly tortured.

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  • April 30 – Sir John Puckering

    Sir John Puckering, holding the Lord Keeper's Purse embroidered with the royal arms of Queen Elizabeth I.

    On this day in Tudor history, 30th April 1596, Elizabethan lawyer, administrator and Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir John Puckering, died from apoplexy, a stroke, at the age of fifty-two. He was buried at Westminster Abbey in St Paul’s Chapel.

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  • 29 April – William Dacre, 3rd Baron Gilsland, a lucky man

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th April 1500, William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre of Gilsland and 7th Baron Greystoke was born.

    Here are some facts about this Tudor baron:

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  • April 28 – A priest is burnt in Scotland

    A woodcut of the burning of Walter MylneOn this day in history, 28th April 1558, eighty-two year old priest and Protestant Walter Mylne was burnt for heresy outside Deans Court at St Andrews in Scotland.

    Mylne had served as a priest for over 40 years and fled into exile in the 1530s after being accused of heresy for refusing to say the mass. There, he embraced Protestantism fully, got married and had children.

    He returned to Scotland in 1556 and was arrested on 20th April 1558. At his trial, he denounced the Catholic Church for its errors and was found guilty of heresy.

    The people of St Andrews were so appalled at the planned burning of this elderly man that they refused to provide materials for the burning, and Mylne had to be escorted to the stake by armed guard.

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  • From the Archives – What did Tudor people sound like?

    I’m often asked “what did Tudor people sound like?” so I thought I’d share some resources on this very topic from the Tudor Society archives.

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  • April 27 – Can Henry VIII abandon Anne Boleyn?

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th April 1536, John Stokesley, Bishop of London, was approached to see if Henry VIII could “abandon” his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

    Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, recorded that Stokesley replied that he would only give his opinion to the king himself, and that before doing so he needed to be clear what the king wanted. He certainly didn’t want to endanger himself by offending the king or the queen.

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  • 26 April – Catherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn, marries Francis Knollys

    A portrait of Catherine Carey by Steven van der Meulen, 1562, and a portrait of her husband, Francis Knollys.

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th April 1540, in the reign of King Henry VIII, sixteen year-old Catherine Carey married Francis Knollys.

    Catherine was the daughter of William Carey and Mary Boleyn, and the niece of Queen Anne Boleyn. Although some believe that she was Henry VIII’s daughter, there is no evidence for this.

    Catherine served as a maid of honour to Anne of Cleves, and went into exile with her family in Mary I’s reign.

    Catherine was appointed to her cousin Elizabeth I’s bedchamber in 1559. She served there until her death in 1569.

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  • April 25 – St Mark’s Day

    A painting of St Mark the Evangelist with his lion

    The 25th April is the feast of St Mark the Evangelist who was killed when he dragged by a horse until his head parted from his body.

    In medieval and Tudor times, St Mark’s Day was the traditional day for praying for fertile land and a good harvest. People would process across fields carrying the cross, banners and bells to bless the crops and drive away evil spirits. It derived from the Roman pagan tradition of asking the gods for a good harvest.

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