Just a reminder about tomorrow’s informal live chat on the merry subject of death and burial in Tudor times! Sorry about the topic! Still, it will be interesting to talk about the rituals associated with death and to share resources and book recommendations. Please do come, if you are able to.
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On this day in Tudor history, 12th April 1533, Anne Boleyn made her very first public appearance as King Henry VIII’s official queen consort.
Anne made quite an entrance! Accompanied by sixty ladies and “loaded with jewels”, she processed to Easter Eve mass at Greenwich Palace, setting tongues wagging.
Hear an account of this event in today’s video.
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In this week’s Claire Chats, I talk about how Palm Sunday was commemorated in the medieval and Tudor periods, and how it is celebrated today where I live. I would love to hear how your community, church, or family mark this day, if they do.
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On this day in Tudor history, 11th April 1554, in the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary I, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, son of poet and diplomat Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, was beheaded on Tower Hill after being found guilty of high treason.
Wyatt had led a rebellion which sought to depose the queen and to replace her with her half-sister Elizabeth, but he refused to implicate Elizabeth in the plot. He went to his death asserting her innocence.
Find out more about what happened and hear his final speech in today’s video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 10th April 1512, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, eldest daughter of the late King Henry VII, and sister of King Henry VIII, gave birth to a boy who would become King James V of Scotland.
Find out more about James V, his life and reign, and his relationship with his uncle, King Henry VIII, in today’s video
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On this day in Tudor history, 9th April 1533, Catherine of Aragon, who’d been banished from the royal court, received a visit from a delegation of the king’s councillors. They were there to inform her that she was no longer queen.
Catherine was a tough cookie, though. Even when she was threatened by the king, she did not submit, she carried on calling herself queen right until the end – good for her!
Find out all about this visit, and their subsequent visit in July 1533, in today’s video.
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In today’s video, I talk about an act of rebellion in 1554, an act of defiance by someone opposed to Queen Mary I’s religious changes.
It was on this day in Tudor history, 8th April 1554, that a cat dressed as a Catholic priest and holding a piece of paper to represent the communion wafer, was hanged at the gallows in Cheapside.
Find out more about what happened, the meaning behind it, and Queen Mary I’s reaction to it, in my video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 7th April 1538, Elizabeth Boleyn, (née Howard), Countess of Wiltshire and Ormond, was laid to rest at St Mary’s Church, Lambeth.
In today’s video, I give details on Elizabeth’s burial and her resting place, which is now a Garden Museum, and her ledger stone. You can also see my photos of the former church.
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The topic of this week’s Sunday fun is not very nice I’m afraid – sorry! It’s a crossword puzzle on horrible deaths and executions that happened in the Tudor period.
Open and print out the crossword puzzle by clicking on the link below, or the image below, grab your favourite snack and drink, make yourself comfortable, and let’s get that brain working!
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Today is the anniversary of the death of Sir Francis Walsingham on 6th April 1590. Walsingham had an amazing career, serving Elizabeth I as a diplomat, secretary, adviser and spymaster.
Find out more about the man Elizabeth I called her “Moor” in today’s video.
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Sorry about the tongue-in-cheek title, but the cook of Bishop Fisher’s household really did get into hot water on this day in 1531 when he was boiled to death for high treason at Smithfield.
He was found guilty of high treason by an act of Parliament, but why? What happened and why did King Henry VIII take a personal interest in this case?
Find out all about Richard Roose and the case of poisoning in today’s video
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“The past is a foreign country”, so says the blurb for Ian Mortimer’s “Time Traveller’s Guide” series of books, and it’s so true. One of the things that people find it hard to understand, when looking at the lives of medieval and Tudor people, is the role of religion in their daily lives, just how central it was to everything.
In this week’s Claire Chats talk, I go into this and attempt to give you a little more insight into the lives of these people.
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On this day in history, 4th April 1572, William Strachey, writer and historian of Virginia, was born. When I was researching for my book On This Day in Tudor History, I noticed that William Shakespeare was said to have used Strachey's account of the 1609 shipwreck of the Sea Venture as a source for his play “The Tempest”. This made me want to know more about Strachey and the shipwreck, plus his account of it.
William Strachey was born in Saffron Walden, in Essex, on 4th April 1572, and was the son of William and Mary (née Cooke) Strachey. William was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, before he joined Gray's Inn in London. Strachey's biographer, Betty Wood, writes of how his interest in literature, brought him into contact with men like William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Thomas Campion. His sonnet "Upon Sejanus" was published in Ben Jonson's play "Sejanus His Fall" in 1605. Strachey was also a shareholder in the Children of the Revels, a troupe of boy-actors.
In 1602, he inherited his father's estate and lived off that until his money dwindled in 1605. In 1606, he obtained the position of secretary to Thomas Glover, the English ambassador to Constantinople, but he returned to England in 1607 after being dismissed. In 1609, he purchased two shares in the Virginia Company of London and in June 1609, he set sail for Virginia on the Sea Venture, which was captained by Christopher Newport. Unfortunately, a "terrible storme", i.e., a hurricane, caused the ship to run aground on an uninhabited island in the Bermudas, which Strachey described as "Devils illands" that were to be "feared and avoyded … above any other place in the world". Strachey and the ship's crew were stuck there for nearly a year. They were eventually able to construct two boats, Patience and Deliverance, which allowed them to continue their journey. Strachey wrote an account of the shipwreck and what Betty Wood describes as "the precarious state of the settlement at Jamestown" in a letter dated 15th July 1610, but it was suppressed by the Virginia Colony. It was eventually published in 1625 as "A true reportory of the wracke, and redemption of Sir Thomas Gates Knight; vpon, and from the Ilands of the Bermudas: his coming to Virginia, and the estate of that Colonie then, and after, vnder the gouernment of the Lord La Warre, Iuly 15. 1610" in Purchas his Pilgrimes, four-volume collection of travel narratives by Samuel Purchas.
Strachey served as secretary of the Virginia Company and was asked by the company to write an official account of the colony, which he did, on his return to London in 1611. However, his "The Historie of Travaile Into Virginia Britannia", was critical of the colony, like his earlier account, and so was not published in his lifetime.
Strachey also compiled a glossary of words used by the Powhatan people. You can read this at https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/22095/bae_bulletin_157_1955_46_189-202.pdf.
Strachey was married twice: to Frances Forster, and to a woman named Dorothy. He had two sons with Frances: William and Edmund.
Strachey died in June 1621 and was laid to rest in St Giles' Church, Camberwell in Surrey, UK.
Here are links to Strachey's accounts of Virginia so that you can read them for yourself:
Picture: The shipwreck in Act I, Scene 1, of The Tempest, in a 1797 engraving by Benjamin Smith after a painting by George Romney.
Thank you to Ella Baker for sending me this information on Easter events at the Mary Rose Museum...
Befriend the Tudor crew and Royalty at the Mary Rose
Dates: 6 – 22nd April 2019
Place: The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Following the revelations about the racial and cultural diversity of the crew of the Mary Rose seen on Channel Four’s documentary Skeletons of the Mary Rose: The New Evidence, the Mary Rose Museum has planned an Easter jam-packed with events to celebrate.
King Henry VIII himself will be gracing his favourite warship with his presence at various points in the holidays, bestowing guests with royal blessings or condemning them to death, depending on his will and whim. Visitors can join Henry VIII for a Royal Audience and listen to his first-hand account of the dramatic sinking of the Mary Rose.
There has also been rumour that the King’s sixth and last long-suffering wife, Katherine Parr, will pay a visit (perhaps for some respite from caring for her ailing and gouty husband). Sir Charles Brandon will also be stopping by to admire his brother-in-law’s ship.
The royals and visitors will also have a chance to admire The Many Faces of Tudor Britain, an exhibition that explores the latest scientific and genealogical findings into the crew of the Mary Rose, open until 31 December 2019.
Children can pick up one of the museum’s complimentary activity sheets and find out who the men of the Mary Rose were and what they did on-board the ship.
Dates and times of Henry VIII story telling:
(Performances at 1pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm)
Dates of Katherine Parr and Charles Brandon:
Tickets for The Mary Rose can be purchased from https://maryrose.org/, or from The Mary Rose Visitor Centre or museum reception.
Opening Hours:
November – March – 10am-5pm (last entry 4:15pm)
April – October – 10am – 5:30pm (last entry 4:45pm)
24-26th December – Closed
Today, I pay tribute to the amazing Mildred Cecil, Lady Burghley, on the anniversary of her death in 1589, by sharing some facts about her.
Mildred was not only the wife of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, she was an accomplished and influential woman in her own right. A truly fascinating Tudor personality.
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On this day in Tudor history, Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, was buried in a lavish funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Find out about her tomb, and her incredible lineage and links to royals, in today’s video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 2nd April 1552, King Edward VI recorded in his diary “I fell sick of the measles and the smallpox”.
What do we know about his illness and subsequent recovery? What was smallpox like and how was it treated? Did this bout of illness have any bearing on his future health?
Find out, in today’s “on this day” video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 1st April 1536, the imperial ambassador passed on information he’d received from two separate sources to his master, Emperor Charles V. The news was regarding Henry VIII and his behaviour towards one of his wife’s ladies-in-waiting, a certain Jane Seymour.
Find out exactly what happened, what Henry and Jane were up to, and how long this had been going on, in today’s video.
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Thanks to all those who came to our live chat event with Wendy Dunn, we discussed lots to do with writing Tudor historical fiction, and my highlight was the discussion on getting the best balance in historical phrasing for speech. Fascinating. For all Full Members who missed the chat, here is the transcript.
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Back by popular demand, after his wonderful talks on King Henry VII, is Nathen Amin! Nathen is author of Tudor Wales, York Pubs, and the bestseller The House of Beaufort, and is currently working on his fourth book, Henry VII and Pretenders to the Tudor Crown.Nathen’s talk is on the Beaufort family and we do hope you enjoy it. Nathen will be joining is in the Tudor Society chatroom on Sunday 28th April to answer your questions on the Beauforts, his books and research.
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On this day in Tudor history, 31st March 1532, Henry VIII was left fuming after Friar William Peto likened him to King Ahab and preached against his quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Friar Peto also made a prophecy that some believe was fulfilled after the king’s death in 1547.
I explain exactly what happened on this day 1532 to make Henry VIII so furious, what Peto said and what happened next.
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Test your knowledge of prominent Tudor women with this week’s Sunday quiz. Grab your favourite snack and beverage, make yourself comfortable, and let’s begin. Good luck!
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On this day in Tudor history, Queen Mary I wrote her will. She did it because she believed that she was just about to give birth, and, obviously, childbirth was a risky processes.
Find out more about Mary’s will and what happened with this “pregnancy” in today’s “on this day” video.
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On this day in Tudor history, 29th March 1551, Mary Dudley married Henry Sidney. Happy anniversary to Mary and Henry!
Both Mary and Henry served Queen Elizabeth I loyally and for many years, and, unfortunately, Mary suffered a great deal after she nursed the queen through smallpox in 1562.
Find out more about Mary Dudley and Henry Sidney in today’s video.
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In this week’s Claire Chats video talk, Claire looks at Elizabeth I’s death on 24th March 1603, the various theories regarding her cause of death and what the primary sources said about her symptoms.
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As you will already know, historical novelist Wendy J Dunn is our March expert speaker. Wendy’s talk is on “The Journey of Writing Historical Fiction” and you can catch her talk at https://www.tudorsociety.com/writing-historical-novels-expert-talk-wendy-j-dunn/ if you haven’t had chance to view it yet.Wendy will be joining us in the chatroom tomorrow, Friday 29th March, to answer your questions on writing historical fiction. One lucky participant will win one of Wendy’s novels. I know there are lots of you who are working on novels, or who want to do so in the future, so now’s your chance to “grill” a novelist. Wendy is also a playwright and poet, and she teaches writing, so a real expert to help us.
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Today is the anniversary of the death of John Skip, Bishop of Hereford, on 28th March 1552.
In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I talk about Skip’s time serving Queen Anne Boleyn as chaplain and almoner, and a controversial sermon he preached just a month before Anne’s fall.
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What a wonderful magazine we have for members this month. Packed with stunning photos, top class articles and much more under the topic “Remembering the Dead”.
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The gardens of Acton Court, a lovely Tudor house that had a wing built for Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's visit on their royal progress of 1535, will be open to the public for three National Garden Scheme Days in June, and the house and grounds will be open for three Heritage Open Days in September.
Sunday 2 June
Sunday 9 June
Sunday 16 June
11am - 5pm
Adult: £5 Pay at the Door
Children: Free
Visitors will have the opportunity of seeing a wide variety of early English, wild and traditional roses in Acton Court’s walled South Court.
Light refreshments will be available.
Special events on these days:
2 June - The Tudor Garden - A Rose walk with Historic Gardener Mike Brown - 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3pm, Tickets £12 (Includes £5 NGS Entry to the Garden).
9 June - Nature and Wildlife - The Hawk and Owl Trust will be on site with their birds, the Acton Court Bee Man, Dan Gillians, will have an exhibit of his bees, Organic Blooms will have a stall concentrating on flowers and plants that encourage wildlife, and Broadcaster Chris Sperring MBE will be conducting Nature Walks in the grounds at 12:00 and 2:30pm. All events included in £5 ticket.
16 June - The White Rose and the Red: A Tudor concert, Music from the Age of Richard III and the early Tudors performed by The York Waits with Deborah Catterall, singer. 3pm, tickets £20 (including £5 NGS entry to the garden).
Friday 13 September
Saturday 14 September
Sunday 15 September
Blue Badge Guided Tours of House and Grounds
Light refreshments will be available.
Tour times:
Friday 13 and Saturday 14 September: 11am, 11:30am, 12pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, 3pm
Sunday 15 September: 11am and 12pm
Tickets will be available from June
Admission is free but reserve a place online
Sunday 15 September: The Odhecaton 1501 - A Musical Revolution, concert, 3pm, Tickets £20 | £18 concessions
For more information and for bookings, go to http://www.actoncourt.com/events
In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I share the story of William Hunter, a nineteen-year-old apprentice whose trouble started when he was caught reading the Bible to himself in church.
William ended up being burned at the stake for heresy on 26th or 27th March 1555 in his hometown of Brentwood Essex.
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