The Tudor Society

YOUR SEARCH UNCOVERED 775 RESULTS

  • An outspoken reformer, Lady Margaret Douglas dies, and a man of “plyable” willow

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    In the first part of this week in Tudor history, I introduce an outspoken reformer whose works were burnt, I talk about the death of Henry VIII’s niece, Lady Margaret Douglas, and how it was surrounded by rumour, and I give an overview of the life and career of a Tudor administrator who claimed he survived in politics in such turbulent times because he “was made of the plyable willow, not of the stubborn oak”

    8th March 1569 – Death of evangelical reformer and Member of Parliament Richard Tracy at Stanway in Gloucestershire. Henry VIII and his council ordered the burning of his works in 1546….

    [Read More...]

  • Mad people can be executed, a miscarriage of justice, problematic prophecies and William Waste All

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    In this second part of This Week in Tudor History for week beginning 8th February, I talk about two parliamentary acts that allowed a king to execute his wife and to execute people showing signs of madness; a miscarriage of justice which led to a priest being executed in Elizabeth I’s reign; an Elizabethan astrologer who was ridiculed after his prophecies didn’t come true, and a man known as William Waste-all.

    11th February 1542 – King Henry VIII gave his assent “in absentia” to an act of attainder against his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, and her lady-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. A bill allowing people showing signs of lunacy was also passed, an awful thing, but the king was determined to take revenge.

    [Read More...]

  • February 2021 – Tudor Life – Sloth

    3 years ago Author: ADMIN Tim
    No comment yet

    We continue our series of magazine themes based on the deadly sins with this month’s edition on sloth.

    [Read More...]

  • Lucy Somerset, Baroness Neville (1524-1583)

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    Lucy Somerset was born in around 1524 to Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester, and his second wife, Elizabeth Browne, who is perhaps best known for her alleged role in Anne Boleyn’s downfall. Little is known of Lucy’s early life; however, as a noblewoman, it is assumed that she would have been accomplished in courtly manners. She was also involved with prominent courtiers, particularly the Brandon family through her aunt’s marriage to Sir Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. This made Lady Anne Brandon and her sister Lady Mary Brandon her first cousins and important connections, both with prominent royal relations and friendships.

    It is believed that Lucy was sent to the court of Henry VIII around 1540 aged 16, where she served his fifth consort, Katherine Howard, as a Maid of Honour during her marriage to Henry VIII. In 1542, when Katherine Howard was awaiting execution for treason, Lucy was supposedly mentioned in a letter by the imperial ambassador, Eustace Chapuys.

    [Read More...]

  • This week in Tudor History – 11 – 17 January – Part 1

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    3 Comments

    This week, I thought I’d split the week into two, so this video covers Tudor history events that took place on 11th, 12th and 13th January – the execution of a printer, the death of a baron, soldier and naval commander, the death of a godson of Henry VIII…

    Below, you’ll also find videos from previous years that cover these dates.

    [Read More...]

  • John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer (1520-1577)

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer, was born in around 1520 and was the only son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Latimer and his first wife, Dorothy de Vere. After his first wife’s death, the 3rd Baron married Elizabeth Musgrave; however, she also sadly died. In 1534, the 3rd Baron Latimer ¡married Katherine Parr, who was at that time Lady Borough, widow of Sir Edward Borough. This made John Neville the Younger the stepson of Katherine Parr.

    It is said that Katherine was a kind stepmother to John and his sister, Margaret, evidenced by the latter’s will dated 1545, which thanked Katherine for her education and the kindness and love she had received when younger.

    [Read More...]

  • 30 December – An outlaw scholar from Spain who died of the plague

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 30th December 1552, in the reign of King Edward VI, Spanish humanist scholar, translator, author and Protestant apologist, Francisco de Enzinas died at Strasbourg from the plague. He was buried there the next day. Humanist Francisco had changed his name to Francis Dryander after leaving Spain to study at Louvain.

    Dryander fit a lot into his thirty-four years of life. He escaped from prison and was an outlaw, he translated the Bible, he taught Greek in England, he was supported by Archbishop Cranmer and the Duchess of Suffolk, and published several works.

    Find out more about the accomplished Francis Dryander in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 20 December – Edward Arden, “victim of a grave iniquity” or conspirator?

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th December 1583, the day after his son-in-law, John Somerville, had been found dead in his cell, Warwickshire gentleman Edward Arden was hanged, drawn and quartered at Smithfield.

    Arden, who was related to William Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, and married to a member of the Throckmorton family, had been found guilty of treason, after being implicated in Somerville’s plot to kill the queen.

    But was Arden actually guilty? Why didn’t others involved end up being executed too?

    Find out more about Edward Arden and what happened in 1583, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 16 December – A Grey man with Woodville links

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 16th (or possibly the 18th) December 1503, George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, died at Ampthill, Bedfordshire.

    Grey served as a soldier under Henry VII, was on the king’s council, and served him as Constable of Northampton Castle and as a judge at the trial of Edward, Earl of Warwick in 1499.
    He was also married to a sister of Elizabeth Woodville.

    Grey also managed to retain royal favour on Henry VII’s accession even though he’d been rewarded by Richard III.

    Find out more about George Grey in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 14 December – Mary, Queen of Scots is queen!

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th December 1542, six-day-old Mary, daughter of King James V and his second wife, Marie de Guise, became Queen of Scotland – Mary, Queen of Scots.

    King James V, who had ruled since 1513, was just 30 at his death.

    Find out what happened to James V, and how Mary became queen at such a young age, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 13 December – A lawyer thrown into prison for refusing to do a favour

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 13th December 1558, civil lawyer and dean of Chester William Clyffe died.

    Clyffe was one of the authors of the 1537 “Bishops’ Book”, and he was consulted by convocation during Henry VIII’s Great Matter. He was thrown into prison for a time for refusing to do a favour for one of the king’s servants – oh dear!

    Find out more about William Clyffe’s life and career in today’s “on this day” talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 11 December – A lavish reception for Anne of Cleves

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th December 1539, Anne of Cleves and her retinue were received at Gravelines, just a few miles outside of Calais, by Lord Lisle, Deputy of Calais.

    Anne of Cleves was on her way to England to marry King Henry VIII, but her journey had been rather slow and she was about to be delayed even more.

    The reception was rather lavish, with everyone dressed up to the nines. Enjoy a contemporary description from a Tudor chronicler in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 8 December – Anne Boleyn’s Master of the Horse

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th December 1538, courtier and Master of the Horse to Queens Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, Sir William Coffin, died at Standon in Hertfordshire.

    It is thought that he died of the plague because his wife Margaret wrote to Thomas Cromwell saying that Coffin had “died of the great sickness, full of God’s marks all over his body”.

    Who was Sir William Coffin and what did the Master of the Horse do?

    Find out in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 6 December – An important man who managed to die a natural death

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th December 1573, soldier and administrator, Sir Hugh Paulet, died at his home in Hinton St George in Somerset.

    He distinguished himself as a soldier in Henry VIII’s reign, served as Governor of Jersey in Edward VI’s reign, was a Protestant but survived Mary I’s reign and served as Vice-President of the Welsh marches, and had a successful career in Elizabeth I’s reign. He was an important man and a servant of the Crown, but still managed to die a natural death at his home.

    Find out more about Sir Hugh Paulet, his life and career, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 4 December – Murder made to look like suicide!

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th December 1514, merchant tailor and leading member of the Lollard community in London, Richard Hunne died while imprisoned in the Lollard’s Tower at St Paul’s.

    Hunne, who had been arrested for heresy in October 1514, was discovered hanging from the ceiling of his cell. The Bishop of London and his chancellor claimed that Hunne had used his own silk girdle to commit suicide, but a coroner’s inquest ruled that the hanging was faked and that Hunne was murdered.

    But why was Richard Hunne murdered? And why had this merchant tailor been arrested in the first place? Was it just for heresy, or was there more to it?

    Find out all about Hunne, his arrest, the charges against him, his death and what happened next, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 3 December – Roger North, a man close to Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1600, sixty-nine-year-old peer and politician Roger North, 2nd Baron North, died at his London home.

    North was a good friend of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, accompanying him on trips, witnessing his secret marriage and serving with him in the Netherlands. It was even said that he’d converted Leicester to Puritanism! North also served Elizabeth I as Privy Councillor and Treasurer of the Household and was close to the queen.

    Find out more about Leicester’s good friend Roger North, his life and career, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 1 December – A Catholic priest is tortured then executed

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st December 1581, twenty-five-year-old Roman Catholic priest Alexander Briant was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, along with Ralph Sherwin and Edmund Campion.

    Briant had been imprisoned, starved, racked and tortured in other awful ways, but he claimed that he felt no pain due to God’s help. He refused to give his interrogators the information he wanted, and he was tried for treason and suffered a full traitor’s death.

    In today’s talk, I share Alexander Briant’s story, what led to his arrest, his account of what happened when he was tortured and his fellow prisoner’s account of what was done to him.

    [Read More...]

  • 29 November – A courtier who served in four monarchs’ reigns and died a natural death!

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th November 1528, nobleman and courtier, Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, was born.

    Montagu began his court career with the help of his father in Henry VIII’s reign. served as a privy councillor in Mary I’s reign, and died a natural death as a wealthy man in Elizabeth I’s reign. He even survived being implicated in a rebellion!

    Who was Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, and just how did he manage to not only have an excellent court career, but leave a fortune to his grandson, when he was a Catholic in Elizabeth I’s reign?

    [Read More...]

  • 28 November – A drowned agent carrying gold for Mary, Queen of Scots

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th November 1565, member of Parliament and political agent Francis Yaxley set sail for Scotland from Antwerp. Sadly, Yaxley’s ship was wrecked in a storm and he never reached Scotland, and neither did the gold he was carrying to Mary, Queen of Scots.

    But why was he carrying gold and who was it from? What happened to the gold? Find out all about Yaxley, how he came to be travelling from Antwerp to Scotland, and what happened to him and the gold, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 27 November – Former monk burnt at stake for importing books

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th November 1531, former Benedictine monk and reformist, Richard Bayfield, was burnt at the stake at Smithfield for heresy after Sir Thomas More had caught him importing heretical books into England.

    It wasn’t Bayfield’s first brush with the authorities. He’d been in trouble for heresy previously so was now deemed a “relapsed heretic”. This time, penance wasn’t enough, he was condemned to death.

    Find out more about Richard Bayfield, how he went from being a monk to a reformer, and how he ended up at the stake as a Protestant martyr. I also share John Foxe’s account of Bayfield’s burning.

    [Read More...]

  • 26 November – The first men executed under Elizabeth I’s new law

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th November 1585, Catholic priest Hugh Taylor and his friend Marmaduke Bowes were hanged at York.

    They were the first men executed under Elizabeth I’s 1585 statute which made it treason to be a Jesuit or seminary priest in England or to harbour such a priest.

    These two Catholics were beatified in 1987 by Pope John Paul II as two of the 85 Martyrs of England, Scotland and Wales.

    Find out more about these men and what this 1585 legislation was all about in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 25 November – A vicious man who saved an archbishop

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 25th November 1545, lawyer, member of Parliament, diplomat and ecclesiastical administrator, Sir Thomas Legh (Leigh), died.

    Legh was a faithful servant to King Henry VIII, but his work during the dissolution of the monasteries led to complaints against him and even rebellion.

    He was a vicious man, known for his harsh treatment of monks, but he also played a key role in protecting Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1543 when his enemies tried to bring him down.

    Let me give you a few facts about this Tudor man, Sir Thomas Legh…

    [Read More...]

  • 23 November – A plot to poison Elizabeth I’s saddle and Essex’s chair

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 23rd November 1598, scrivener and sailor Edward Squire was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn for treason after being accused of plotting with Jesuits in Seville to poison Elizabeth I’s saddle and the Earl of Essex’s chair.

    Squire, who ended up in Seville after being captured by Spaniards while on a voyage with Sir Francis Drake, confessed under torture, but claimed his innocence at his trial and execution.

    But what exactly happened, and how and why did a Protestant scrivener and sailor end up accused of treason?

    Find out all about Edward Squire and the alleged plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and her favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 19 November – Lord John Grey and how he escaped the axeman

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 19th November 1564, Lord John Grey, youngest son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, died.

    He’s not the Lord John Grey of the wonderful Outlander series, but he is just as interesting.

    In Mary I’s reign, he was involved in a rebellion with his brothers, Lord Thomas Grey and Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, but unlike them was not executed.

    How did Lord John Grey escape execution? And why did he get into trouble again in Elizabeth I’s reign.

    Find out all about this Tudor lord in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 18 November – A bishop ends his days in confinement

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 18th November 1559, Ralph Baynes (Baines), Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, died.

    Baynes had been actively involved in the persecutions of Protestants in Mary I’s reign, examining many well-known martyrs and featuring in John Foxe’s “Book of Martyrs”, but ended his days imprisoned in the home of Edmund Grindal, Bishop of London – why?

    Find out more about Ralph Baynes, his life and career, and how he came to be deprived of his bishopric and die the way he did, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 17 November – Elizabeth I’s accession

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 17th November 1558, twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became Queen Elizabeth I following the death of her half-sister, Queen Mary I.

    In today’s talk, I look at an alternative account of Elizabeth I’s words on her accession, one recorded by her godson, Sir John Harington. Hear Elizabeth I’s wonderful speech, which she used to motivate her supporters and to reassure those who’d served Mary I.

    I also look at Elizabeth’s words “This is the Lord’s doing…”, and note the importance of the previous line in the Psalm.

    [Read More...]

  • 15 November – A Princess of York

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th November 1527, a woman who called herself ““the excellent Princess Katherine, Countess of Devon, daughter, sister and aunt of kings”, died at Tiverton Castle in Devon.

    Katherine of York, Countess of Devon, daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, was just forty-nine when she died and had taken a vow of chastity after her husband’s death.

    In today’s talk, I give an overview of Henry VIII’s aunt’s life and explain why she took her vow of chastity. Find out all about her.

    [Read More...]

  • 14 November – Bad Signs for Culpeper and Lady Rochford

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th November 1541, an inventory was taken of “the goods and chattels, lands and fees of” Thomas Culpeper, a groom of King Henry VIII’s privy chamber and a man who had been having secret meetings with Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife.

    An inventory had also been taken of the possessions of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, wife of the late George Boleyn, a woman who had allegedly helped the queen meet with Culpeper.

    But what was going on in November 1541 and what was listed in these inventories?

    [Read More...]

  • 13 November – Murder by handgun in London

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    No comment yet

    On this day in Tudor history, 13th November 1536, mercer and member of Parliament Robert Packington (Pakington, Pakyngton) was shot to death by an unknown assailant while he was on his way to mass at St Thomas of Acre Chapel. He was shot with a wheellock pistol.

    Robert Packington has gone down in history as the first person in England to be killed by a handgun, but who killed him and why?

    Find out about Packington, his murder, and the theories regarding who ordered his murder, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]

  • 11 November – A stressed George Boleyn, Lord Rochford

    3 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th November 1534, Philippe de Chabot, Seigneur De Brion and Admiral of France, landed on English soil. The purpose of the diplomatic mission he was leading was to renew Anglo-French relations.

    George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, brother of Queen Anne Boleyn, had been put in charge of meeting the admiral and escorting him on his journey from the south coast to London, but it was no easy task. The admiral did not make things easy at all, and George was rather stressed about the situation.

    Find out what happened, and how and why the ambassador’s visit was bad news all round for the Boleyns, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]