29 August – St John the Baptist and Geoffrey Pole

Today, 29th August, is the Feast of the beheading of St John the Baptist. Lovely!

In this video, I share the story behind this Tudor holy day, a story which is often depicted in illuminations in manuscripts and psalters.

You can see photos of illuminations at https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2014/08/dont-lose-your-head-its-just-st-john-the-baptists-day.html and a medieval wall painting at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22274117@N08/9578703780

Here's my video on Midsummer and St John the Baptist:

Also on this day in Tudor history, 29th August 1538, Geoffrey Pole, son of Sir Richard Pole and Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was arrested.

He was already on thin ice, having been a staunch supporter of Queen Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary, but he now was suspected, like other members of his family, of being in communication with his brother, Cardinal Reginald Pole, a man who had upset King Henry VIII.

Unlike other members of his family, including Margaret Pole, Geoffrey managed to survive this trouble - how? Why? What happened?

Find out in this video...