From the Lady in the Tower

This is reputedly a copy of Anne Boleyn's last letter to Henry VIII from her final days in the Tower of London which was found among the papers of Thomas Cromwell after his execution. It is currently stored by the British Library and I found it through this link.

First page

Second page

This is what the last letter said (quoting the link from above):

Sir, your Grace's displeasure, and my imprisonment are things so strange unto me, as what to write, or what to excuse, I am altogether ignorant; whereas you sent unto me (willing me to confess a truth, and so obtain your favour) by such a one, whom you know to be my ancient and professed enemy; I no sooner received the message by him, than I rightly conceived your meaning; and if, as you say, confessing truth indeed may procure my safety, I shall with all willingness and duty perform your command. But let not your Grace ever imagine that your poor wife will ever be brought to acknowledge a fault, where not so much as thought thereof proceeded. And to speak a truth, never Prince had wife more loyal in all duty, and in all true affection, than you have found in Anne Bullen, with which name and place could willingly have contented my self, as if God, and your Grace's pleasure had been so pleased. Neither did I at any time so far forge my self in my exaltation, or received Queenship, but that I always looked for such an alteration as now I find; for the ground of my preferment being on no surer foundation than your Grace's fancy, the least alteration, I knew, was fit and sufficient to draw that fancy to some other subject.

You have chosen me, from a low estate, to be your Queen and companion, far beyond my desert or desire. If then you found me worthy of such honour, good your Grace, let not any light fancy, or bad counsel of mine enemies, withdraw your Princely favour from me; neither let that stain, that unworthy stain of a disloyal heart towards your good Grace, ever cast so foul a blot on your most dutiful wife, and the infant Princess your daughter:
Try me, good King, but let me have a lawful trial, and let not my sworn enemies sit as my accusers and judges; yes, let me receive an open trial, for my truth shall fear no open shame; then shall you see, either mine Innocency cleared, your suspicion and conscience satisfied, the ignominy and slander of the world stopped, or my guilt openly declared. So that whatsoever God or you may determine of me, your Grace may be freed from an open censure; and mine offence being so lawfully proved, your Grace is at liberty, both before God and Man, not only to execute worthy punishment on me as an unlawful wife, but to follow your affection already settled on that party, for whose sake I am now as I am, whose name I could some good while since have pointed unto: Your Grace being not ignorant of my suspicion therein.

But if you have already determined of me, and that not only my death, but an infamous slander must bring you the enjoying of your desired happiness; then I desire of God, that he will pardon your great sin therein, and likewise mine enemies, the instruments thereof; that he will not call you to a strict account for your unprincely and cruel usage of me, at his general judgment seat, where both you and my self must shortly appear, and in whose judgment, I doubt not, (whatsover the world may think of me) mine innocence shall be openly known, and sufficiently cleared.
My last and only request shall be, that my self may only bear the burthen of your Grace's displeasure, and that it may not touch the innocent souls of those poor gentlemen, who (as I understand) are likewise in strait imprisonment for my sake. If ever I have found favour in your sight; if ever the name of Anne Bullen hath been pleasing to your ears, then let me obtain this request; and I will so leave to trouble your Grace any further, with mine earnest prayers to the Trinity to have your Grace in his good keeping, and to direct you in all your actions.

Your most Loyal and ever Faithful Wife, Anne Bullen
From my doleful prison in the Tower, this 6th of May.

Henry most likely destroyed the letter upon receiving it but Thomas Cromwell - who read it before delivering it to the King - must have thought it worth keeping.

The Elegy of Chidiock Tichborne

Chidiock Tichborne was one of the men chosen to assassinate Elizabeth I in the doomed Babington plot. On the eve of his execution, 19th September 1586, he wrote a final letter to his wife Agnes containing this poem.

My prime of youth is but a frost of cares,

My feast of joy is but a dish of pain,

My crop of corn is but a field of tares,

And all my good is but vain hope of gain;

The day is past and yet I saw no sun,

And now I live, and now my life is done.

My tale was heard and yet it was not told,

My fruit is fallen and yet my leaves are green,

My youth is spent and yet I am not old,

I saw the world and yet I was not seen;

My thread is cut and yet it is not spun,

And now I live, and now my life is done.

I sought my death and found it in my womb,

I looked for life and saw it was a shade,

I trod the earth and knew it was my tomb,

And now I die, and now I was but made;

My glass is full, and now my glass is run,

And now I live, and now my life is done. 

A Poet's Mistake

The man with the peculiar name of Chidiock Tichborne was a poet and a closet-Catholic at the court of Elizabeth I when he gambled all on the wrong board. He had faith in the Babington Plot to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots and as such was a dead man walking when Elizabeth I's spymaster Walsingham discovered the plot - and Chidiock's partaking in it.

Chidiock was not able to flee the country when the discovery was made due to a leg injury which meant that he was basically awaiting his doom in London - and of course it came. On 14th August he was arrested and taken to Westminster Hall where he was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. What made it all even worse was that Chidiock himself had been chosen as one of six men who were to kill Elizabeth I - this quite ruled out any possibility of mercy.
The manner of execution was to be the standard procedure for Tudor traitors: hanging, drawing and quartering. Thus on 20th September 1586 Chidiock Tichborne was one of seven conspirators who were taken to St. Giles field where he suffered the long and painful death of an Elizabethan traitor at the age of 28 years old. However, he did manage to write a final letter to his wife containing a poem written on the last eve before his execution (I will upload a post about it in the Poetry section).

An execution of this sort was bloody enough on its own so the result of having seven men joining the same fate on just one day made Elizabeth I demand that the remaining condemned should be hanged until they were completely dead and in such a way avoid another terrible spectacle.

The Irish Net Tightens

Leonard Grey, Viscount Grane had been sent to Ireland by Henry VIII where he was to strike down "hostile clans" who opposed the English rule which he seemed to have done perfectly well. However, when Leonard Grey returned home to England in 1540 he was immediately redirected to the Tower of London as a prisoner charged with high treason. As it turned out Leonard was not the easiest person to work with which naturally brought him many enemies at court especially when he (while still in Ireland) completely stopped his correspondence with the council. During his five year absence these enemies - including a gentleman by the name of Ormond - had been working on his downfall and succeeded.

The charges Grey faced of high treason was founded on accusations that he had not indeed been working on stopping the uprisings but had formed close ties with many of the Irish clans as well as having directly aided them on their missions which included the destruction of churches and castles. According to the State Trials (1163-1820) bowed to pressure and thought it better to plead for the King's good graces and hope for the best. Apparently, Leonard had not learnt much of Henry VIII's character. The State Trials mentions that his "services did infinitely overbalance his faults" which is as close to saying "he was innocent" as possible. Consequently, Leonard Grey was beheaded on Tower Hill on 28th July 1541.

End of Edmund de la Pole

Edmund de la Pole did not have the safest upbringing thanks to his family. First, his brother John fought against Henry VII side by side with Richard III but changed allegiance when the battle was over and the victor was found - or so it seemed. John apparently had not given up all hopes of power and joined the short-lived rebellion of Simnel where he died in battle.

This now meant that the 15-year old Edmund de la Pole suddenly found himself the head of the York-family which - unfortunately for him - made him the greatest threat to Henry VII. For the time being Henry VII decided to leave Edmund with the Dukedom that his brother had possessed before he died as well as the title of Earl of Suffolk. In 1501 Edmund dared not stay any longer in England and fled to continental Europe - and then Edmund was stripped of his title as Duke. It seemed that Edmund himself had no intention of taking the throne by force either by an invasion or the threat of civil war. That it why Edmund de la Pole's road to the scaffold seems all the more remarkable and unfair.

Edmund (who was still abroad) went aboard a ship owned by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II which was heading for Spain. As it happens the weather does not always cooperate - something the Spanish Armada would later learn all too well - and the ship had to change course when a storm hit. This was disastrous news for Edmund because the destination was now the England he had fled - and Henry VII was waiting for him. Perhaps Edmund had managed to make friends with the Holy Roman Emperor because the Emperor refused to deliver Edmund to Henry unless he was assured that no harm whatsoever would become him. Henry VII promised so and to be fair he kept his promise. The problem was that Henry VII's health was declining and shortly afterwards he was dead. Sadly for Edmund de la Pole the new King Henry VIII was convinced that he had had no share in the promise and quickly arrested Edmund.

In 1513 Henry VIII signed the order for Edmund de la Pole's execution - the man himself was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Edmund de la Pole was beheaded sometime around April 30th within the Tower of London.

The Arrest and Execution of Cromwell

Ever since the disastrous and short-lived marriage of Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves, Cromwell's place in the royal favour seemed wavering and Henry VIII did nothing to settle matters. After having given Cromwell the cold shoulder he made him Earl of Essex in April 1540. But Cromwell was far from safe despite his newest elevation.

On Saturday 10th June 1540 Thomas Cromwell was in the middle of a Council meeting when he was suddenly interrupted at around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Every single one of his most powerful enemies watched when the Royal Guards marched into the room; Cromwell of course immediately understood what was happening and reputedly threw down his hat on the table - a sign of anger or one last frustrated gesture? To make the scene even more humiliating for the soon-to-be prisoner was that the Dukes of Norfolk and Southampton personally removed his chains of office from his shoulders before the Captain of the Royal Guard took hold of him. While he was leaving the room the other Council members began accusing him of treason. Thus Cromwell was escorted through Westminster and down to an awaiting barge ready to take him to the Tower of London.

In the end there was to be no trial for the ever hard-working Thomas Cromwell nor any chance for him to plead his case. On 29th June an Act of Attainder with Cromwell's name was drawn up and just like that he was found guilty in heresy and treason. It is interesting that Cromwell was not blamed for the terrible marriage of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves (the marriage was not yet dissolved) nor how the King had chosen his policies. Instead Cromwell's main accusation was that of heresy, this accusation was the brainchild of the Catholic Duke of Norfolk and the embittered Catholic bishops that Cromwell had swiftly removed from their offices. Together, they managed to convince Henry VIII that Cromwell was not only spreading heretical messages himself but also openly supported heretics going as far as to even release them from prison and then taking care of their enemies. Also, Cromwell was condemned for corruption through the sale of licenses and pass-ports to people not approved of by the King. Lastly, Cromwell was accused of wishing to marry Lady Mary Tudor which would make him an immediate threat to the King's personal position because Cromwell would then have a claim on the throne through his wife.

While awaiting his fate within the Tower of London Cromwell wrote two letters to Henry VIII both fervently protesting his innocence. None was answered.
Then on 28th July 1540 Cromwell was taken from his cell to the Tower Green where he faced the scaffold. He was to be given a private execution but it can be safe to say that none of his previous enemies were there to watch the spectacle - they had all rushed off to watch the King marry Katherine Howard on the same day. It was his recently granted title that probably saved Cromwell from being either hanged, drawn and quartered or burned alive at the stake: as a nobleman he could be beheaded for treason. But no matter what Cromwell died an innocent man since no real evidence could be held against him besides what was openly planted by his enemies.

As Thomas Cromwell stood on the scaffold he apologised if he had ever displeased or defied God or the King. Interestingly enough he also mentioned that he would die in the Catholic faith - could this be an indication that he was threatened into saying so or perhaps even tortured? It has been suggested by Hall's Chronicle of Tudor England that the execution was made even more painful for Cromwell because his executioner failed to strike his head off with one blow but hacked away at his skull and shoulders until the head finally came off. Considering that inexperienced executioners was a very real part of Tudor England (as Mary, Queen of Scots would also come to now) this might actually be true. However, there is no evidence to support that Cromwell's enemies had made the executioner drunk before performing his duty. So, in the end this was how Thomas Cromwell met his fate. His head was boiled and placed on a spike on the London Bridge as was customary when dealing with traitors - as a last mockery his head was turned away from London city itself so that not even his now dead eyes could gaze upon the city.

Henry VIII would very soon afterwards come to regret this execution of what he called his "most faithful servant".

Cromwell's execution on "the Tudors"

A Disturbing Found

On 23 February 1554 Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk was executed by an axeman on the order of Mary I. In 1851 (almost 300 years after his death) workmen were working in the Holy Trinity church in London when they discovered something that must have made them skip a heartbeat. In a vault the severed head of Henry Grey lay perfectly intact thanks to the thick sawdust - rich on tannin and from oak - that had been in the casket where the beheaded Lord's head fell for so long ago.
It is thought that the grieving widow of Henry Grey who had also lost her daughter just eleven days earlier had taken the head and quickly hidden it before it could be put on a spike on the London Bridge.

Henry Grey had actually bought the Holy Trinity church in the 1540's after Henry VIII had dissolved the monasteries so it is very likely that he was buried within the walls of his own property. The Holy Trinity church was completely destroyed during the German blitz during World War II. However, the head was not lost in the ruins. In 1899 the Holy Trinity church had been merged with another church, St. Botolph's-without-Aldgate and the head was transferred to this other church. Now it is placed somewhere within this church but its' exact location is unknown.

Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk

Henry Grey's Ghost

Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and father to the doomed Lady Jane Grey has been seen at Astley Castle long after his death. Astley Castle was one of the Grey-family's private residences and it was here that Henry Grey fled to after the failed Wyatt's Rebellion. Here he hid in a tree until one of his servants gave his position away and he was dragged out and taken to the Tower. He was beheaded by Mary I in February 1554. Now his headless ghosts haunts the castle - holding its' head under one arm.

Astley Castle

Elizabeth I at Windsor Castle

Elizabeth I's ghost is one of the many ghosts reportedly found at Windsor Castle. The legendary Queen appears in the Royal Library where she has been seen by several members of the English Royal Family. Edward VII once told his mistress that he had seen a ghost looking remarkably much like the portraits of Elizabeth I. George III (his madness put aside) once said that he had had a conversation with a woman who had told him that she was "married to England" - and wearing black. Whenever Elizabeth I appears at Windsor she always wears a black gown with equally black lace. Even George VI (Elizabeth II's father) said that he saw her just before the outbreak of the Second World War - perhaps she was returning to protect her country once again?

Her high heels echoes from the wooden floors as she makes her way through the library into an inner room. One of these sightings were reported by the Grenadier Lieutenant Glynn who was reading in the library when he heard that sound of high heels clacking on the floor. When he looked about he saw the manifestation of Elizabeth I and when she disappeared into the inner chamber (where there is just one entrance) he followed. However, when he entered the inner chamber she disappeared completely.  Also, her ghost has been seen at the window of Dean's Cloister - strangely enough Anne Boleyn has been seen standing in the window of that same cloister!

A Grieving Mother & a Neglected Child

Elizabeth Holby was the wife of Sir Thomas Holby and a close friend of Elizabeth I. Her ghost is said to haunt Bisham Abbey in Buckinghamshire where the couple once lived.

The tale goes that Elizabeth Holby had great ambitions for her children but was in despair to find that her youngest son, William, was a slow learner. She would often beat him if his studies did not meet her demands and one day Elizabeth Holby apparently found them to be not just poorly executed but also not finished at all. This provoked a specially severe beating and afterwards poor William was locked into the Abbey's tower until he had finished his studies. Shortly afterwards Elizabeth Holby was called back to court (perhaps Elizabeth I missed her) and she went right away. However, she forget to tell anyone that she had locked William in the tower...
Two days later she returned and wondered why her youngest son was not there to greet her. Soon it dawned on her and she hurried up to the tower where she found William dead. Elizabeth never forgave herself and mourned this slow witted child for the rest of her life - and beyond that.

Ever since Elizabeth Holby's death some 400 years ago her ghost has been said to appear on the ground of Bisham Abbey. She is always wearing mourning clothes for her dead child. Many of these sightings has reported that she is washing blood off of her hands. Admiral Vansittart - who lived here just before the 20th century - once wrote that he had seen the lady herself. The Admiral was in the Great Hall where Elizabeth Holby's portrait hangs when he felt that prickling feeling that tells you that you are being watched. He quickly turned around and just saw her before she disappeared. He then turned to the portrait to make sure that it was actually her and found the frame to be now empty!

It is not just the grieving mother who haunts the Bisham Abbey. Giving other strange little reports it would seem that William has never quite left either. Sometimes a flickering candle can be seen in the tower's window when there is no one around. Footsteps and a quiet sobbing also comes from within the house. This has all been reported by guests who stayed at the house.

Bisham Abbey

Blue & Fur

As worn by Jonathan Rhys Meyer in "the Tudors" season 4 episode 4 when Henry VIII visits the North for the first time since the Pilgrimage of Grace. His striped doublet is both blue wool and purple satin. His breeches are of the same purple colour as the doublet but with terns instead. Above the doublet is Henry's signature fashion mark: a dark fur vest. And to top it all off a large golden chain changing between topazes and pearls.
Just at the tip of the neck a very small dark ruff peeps out which is probably a part of his shirt underneath (it can also be seen at the edge of the sleeves). Though it cannot be seen on this picture he is also wearing tall, black leather boots.

Anne's Green Damask

Joss Stone wears this on "the Tudors" (season 4 episode 3) when she is with Elizabeth at Hever Castle and they are surprised by Henry VIII. The sleeves and the bodice mainly consists of dark green velvet while the petticoat and the cut-throughs are of an olive green damask. The neckline has been decorated with pearls only interrupted to show of more of the precious damask. At the centre of the bodice a very large square brooch with a topaz at the centre has been pinned to the stiff bodice. Besides the topaz there are four small pearls at each corner and a drop pearl hanging from the brooch.

Henry & Jane's Pendant

This might not be a piece of jewellery in itself but it is the sketch of a pendant by Holbein. It consists of the initials of Henry VIII (H) and Jane Seymour (I) - at the time there was no difference between a "J" and an "I". There are four gemstones set on the golden based pendant: two might be carnelians, one an emerald and one an onyx. Hanging from the pendant are three large pearls. From the drawing it seems that the pendant was supposed to be worn hanging from a ribbon rather than a metal chain.

Wyatt's Rebellion

Sir Thomas Wyatt was the "Wyatt" in question who began the rebellion alongside the Duke of Suffolk and Carew. It began in 1554 when the news of Mary I's intention to marry Philip of Spain had spread to the wide part of the population - and it was not a popular match. It was not so much the Spanish King who was the problem but rather the religious oppression he would bring with him; the English had just gotten used to a more liberal church and desperately wanted to prevent the Spanish Inquisition from sweeping through England.

The overall plan was to overthrow Mary and replace her with her half-sister Elizabeth who was then to marry Edward Courtenay whom Mary had already rejected as a husband (a bit slighted..?). In order for this plan to succeed the rebels would have to stage the rebellion at three key places: Kent, the Midlands and the West Country. Meanwhile a French fleet - who was fearing that a Spanish husband with Habsburg blood would pose to much of a threat - would take up the main part of the English Channel so that continental aid could not reach Mary. As with all rebellions all this was to take place without the Parliament's knowledge.

But then it went wrong. First of all the Parliament already knew that something was happening thanks to Simon Renard who was the Imperial Ambassador who contacted Stephen Gardiner. This would normally be reason enough to "cancel" a rebellion but the disaster was not over yet. It would seem that Wyatt had grossly misplaced his key locations for the rebellions. The West Country's population was mainly Catholic and as such would never have seen it as a problem that their Catholic Queen married a Catholic King. The loyalty that Mary had been promised at her coronation was still clear in the memories of the people of the Midlands who did not want to commit treason against their Queen. Consequently, the Duke of Suffolk found himself with only 140 men and in a very dangerous position.
Meanwhile, Stephen Gardiner had taken Edward Courtenay into interrogation. Because of his noble descent Courtenay would normally not be tortured but the protocols mentions that the interrogation was "robust" - perhaps an indicator that Gardiner disregarded Courtenay's privileges. Either way Courtenay soon began talking and told them everything he knew off.

It was only Thomas Wyatt himself who had had any sort of success with raising an army of 4000 men and now lead them towards London. The Duke of Norfolk was sent on behalf of Mary's government but the Duke had never expected 500 of his men to suddenly change their allegiance and join Wyatt! Wyatt failed to take advantage of this when he decided to wait before entering London - this meant that the city had plenty of time to secure itself. Ludgate was the gate that Wyatt had intended to cross to get to the heart of the city but it had been raised and he had to take his rebels through the narrow gates nearby. And this is where it all ended. Narrow streets are any soldier's nightmare because they leave you open to ambushes. This is was happened to Wyatt's troops and it would be the end of the rebellion.

What happened next?
Mary had been convinced that severe punishments would only help to estrange herself from her people so the punishments were surprisingly mild - for a Tudor, that is. It was about 90 people who were executed including Thomas Wyatt and the Duke of Suffolk. Others were simply let go. Prior to his execution Wyatt had been tortured in order to implicate Princess Elizabeth but he never caved in and as such no evidence could be found.
But there were two other nobles who could no longer count themselves save any more. Lady Jane Grey and her husband Guildford Dudley were both beheaded because it was considered too dangerous to have Lady Jane Grey as a figure whom people could support instead of Mary. So, despite having played no part in the rebellion Lady Jane Grey had to put her head on the block. The Wyatt Rebellion might have been put down but the displeasure of Mary's marriage was still widely felt by the population which would later add to Mary's rising unpopularity.

Thomas Wyatt

Claimed to be Wyatt's list of arms

Depiction of Wyatt's execution

Greenwich Palace

Built in 1477 Greenwich Palace is also known as the Palace of Placentia - a name given by Henry VIII which means "the Palace of Pleasure". It was first the property of Henry V who gave this little present to his brother, the Duke of Gloucester. In 1499 Henry VII was on the throne and had the palace expanded using no less than 600,000 red bricks - all produced in England of course. A favourite of the Tudors it was also known to be the most modern palace of its' time so of course the royal Tudors spent a lot of time here. By the time the Tudors inhabited the palace it was located quite a bit outside of London and close to the Thames because it was easier to travel by water than by the roads which were often muddy.

Henry VII added three large courtyards around 1500 and also had a hunting park of 200 acres. Henry VIII also added a tiltyard measuring 650 x 250 feet! Also, two octagonal towers overlooked the tiltyard making it perfect for great displays.

It was the birthplace of no less than four Tudors: Henry VIII, Edmund Tudor, Elizabeth I and Mary I. Henry VIII was baptised in the church of St. Alfege and Elizabeth I was baptised in the church of the Observant Friars which was just close by. But there is also a more sinister story concerning the Tudors and Greenwich. Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon as well as Anne of Cleves in the chapel. It was here that Anne Boleyn was staying when she was arrested and taken by barge to the Tower of London. Later on Anne Boleyn's death warrant was signed by Henry VIII here.

Henry VIII loved this palace nonetheless - apparently he never thought of the terror his previous wives had felt there - and made it his favourite residence until Whitehall and Hampton Court Palace became all the rage. But while he stayed there Henry had the place expanded again to accommodate his need of entertainment: a jousting area, a cock pit, tennis courts, kennels for his hunting dogs and stables. But that was not all. A new banqueting hall, forges and armoury was also added.

Ironically enough it was at the jousting grounds of Greenwich that Henry VIII had his jousting accident that left him unconscious for two hours - he would never joust again. Elizabeth I spent most of her summers at Greenwich and it is allegedly where Walter Raleigh is said to have put his cape over a puddle for the Queen. When Mary Tudor had married Charles Brandon - without her brother's permission - the palace was were the marriage was solemnized and made public.

The sad thing is that Charles II had the Tudor parts torn down to built his own sumptuous palace.

Greenwich during the Tudors

Model of the palace during the Tudors

The Tudors and their Trees

It may seem odd but there actually are a few connections between the Tudors and different trees. Let's take a look at how they are connected...

This tree is known as "the Queen Elizabeth Oak" and is located in Northiam, Sussex. Elizabeth I stayed here on her way to Rye in 1573 and decided to eat her meal in the shade of the oak. When she was done she left her shoes behind. These green damask shoes - with a heel of 2,5 inch - still exits and are exhibited at Brickwall House. The little plaque next to the tree informs visitors of the oak's royal past.

And it was under an oak tree that Elizabeth first heard the news that she was now Queen of England. The actual tree is long gone but Queen Elizabeth II herself planted a new tree on the exact spot of the old one to honour the memory of her namesake. The new (and old) oak tree was placed at Hatfield House where Elizabeth had been under house arrest. The to-be Queen was either eating an apple or reading when courtiers suddenly rushed to her side and bowed down to her. She then dropped gracefully to her knees herself - having risen at the sight of the courtiers - and made her famous quotation in Latin: "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes."

Another little tidbit is about Elizabeth's doomed mother Anne Boleyn. Her ghost is said to appear at her childhood home Hever Castle in Kent where she roams around a large oak (perhaps a family favourite?). As it happens this was one of the trees under which Henry VIII courted Anne before their tragic marriage. Legend has it that the couple even danced around the tree. Despite this link to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII the tree is also known as "the Queen Elizabeth Oak" (the names have been ground for confusion)

Vengeance is Mine

Brandy Purdy's "Vengeance is Mine - A Novel of Anne Boleyn, Katharine Howard and Lady Rochford - the woman who helped destroy them both" is about how Jane Parker (Boleyn) played a vital role in the downfall of the two Queens. The book is written from the point of view of Lady Rochford herself from her position as a prisoner in the Tower where she is haunted by the memory of the husband and sister-in-law she sent to their deaths.

Romantic Henry

This red velvet purse was given by Henry VIII to "Anne Bullyne". The purse is in the shape of a flask but its exact purpose is unknown. Its centre has been stiffened with horsehair.

Silver braiding adorns the edge of the purse and it is opened by a drawstring pouch. Perhaps it was used for coins?

Fashion is Status

Fashion has always been a mean to show off your status and the Tudor times were no different. The rules were many, complicated and oh yeah, enforced by law. Remember the Earl of Surrey who got beheaded for wearing his ancestors badge because Henry VIII thought it was provocative?
The Sumptuary Laws divides people into categories according to who could wear what. Remember that the King and Queen (as well as their children) could wear everything so they are not listed among the remaining titles. Those who are not listed were simply not allowed to wear whatever garment or fabric it might concern.
Take a look at these rules and step into the "Versailles"-ish Tudor fashion rules.

Earls

• Cloth of gold and silver including gold/silver silk, satin and sables:

Exception: viscounts and barons are permitted to use these fabrics on their doublets and their coats - as long as the coat is sleeveless!

Dukes, Marquesses, Earls and their children as well as Barons and knights

• Wool made in a foreign country
• Crimson, scarlet and blue velvet

This one actually has a logical reason to it. In order to make sure that the English farmers would not loose money (causing inflation) it was forbidden to buy wool that was not English - or at least except if you are noble or royal. So actually this can be seen more as a strange way to keep employment in England than a restriction.

Sons of Barons, knights and men of a certain income

• Velvet for a gown, coat or entire ensemble
• Leopard's fur
• Embroidery
• "Pricking" of gold and silver - and never in silk
• Taffeta, satin, damask and silk on the outer outfit 

Any man who makes a profit of at least a 100 pounds a year:

• Furs from outside any of the crowns' lands
• Velvet

The son (as long as it is an heir) or daughter of a knight, that son's wife and a man worth more than 200 pounds in goods

• Silk in hoses, hats, girdle, bonnet, nightcaps, scabbards and shoes

And these were just the rules for the upper part of society! But since the other part is also the greatest there is no need to leave them out:

It was prohibited for any serving man (except those of noble birth) to wear fur. Nor were they allowed to use more than 2½ yards of fabric for their coats. The serving females were not allowed to use more than 3 yards of fabric on a long gown.

Finally servants, common labourers, shepherds and farmers worth less than 10 pounds a year are not allowed to wear cloth worth more than 2 shilling. And if you did so anyway? Three days in the stocks! 

My Other Blogs

As you might have guessed I am a history nerd and of course I have more than one blog on history. These are my other blogs and I hope you will visit them and tell me what you think :)

This Is Versailles Madame:
Everything on the French court at Versailles and the people living there before the revolution - from Louis XIV to Louis XVI.

Link: www.thisisversaillesmadame.blogspot.com

The Kingdom of Denmark:
The world's oldest kingdom has a very rich and dramatic story with many colourful personalities - as a Dane I can only recommend it.

Link: www.thekingdomofdenmark.blogspot.com

Historical Myths and Rumours:
There are surprisingly many things about historical events and people that we believe to be true but actually is not - and the other way around.

Link: www.historicalmythsandrumours.blogspot.com



Feel free to ask me questions or comment on any of my blogs, it is always nice to meet someone with the same interest as me