Hair of a Tudor

The hair in the locket to the left belongs to Mary Tudor, who was Queen of France for a short while. Born as a Tudor, Mary was the daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York - consequently making her the sister of Henry VIII and Arthur. The hair is the notorious Tudor-red that is said to have been a trademark of the Tudors - both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were famous for their copper-red hair.

The hair was taken from Mary's tomb in 1784 on September 6th when her tomb at St. Edmundsbury was opened for the first time ever since it was interred after Mary's death.

The Tudor Rose

The Tudor family used a so-called "Tudor Rose" as their badge and had done so ever since Henry VII became the first Tudor-king. Henry VII united the two families of Lancaster and York by marrying Elizabeth of York and uniting the two families' badges as well. He mixed the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York in one badge that would serve as the dynasty's badge till the end of Elizabeth I's reign.

The Tudor rose

Every badge had its own meaning and the united rose of the Tudors kept the symbolic meanings of each rose:

The red rose symbolises grace and beauty
The white rose symbolises love and faith

The rose itself was very symbolic and was often used to complement a badge or heraldry. Like the lion is first among the land animals, the rose is first among the flowers. When a rose is red in blossom it is generally a symbol of martyrdom.