3 November – Sir John Perrot, Henry VIII’s illegitimate son?

On this day in Tudor history, 3rd November 1592, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, privy councillor and former Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, died at the Tower of London. He'd been imprisoned there since March 1591.

Perrot is a fascinating Tudor man who survived being a Protestant and protecting 'heretics' in Mary I's reign, and who was saved six times from serious punishment by Queen Elizabeth I's intercession. Some people believe that this favour, and a few other factors, point to him being King Henry VIII's illegitimate son.

Find out more about Sir John Perrot, his life and the arguments for and against him being Henry VIII's son in today's talk.

I did a whole series of Claire Chat talks on the alleged illegitimate children of Henry VIII, in which I go into a bit more detail on Perrot:

• Was Sir John Perrot the king's son?
• Henry Fitzroy and Elizabeth Tailboys video
• Ethelreda Malte – An Illegitimate child of Henry VIII?
• Was Thomas Stukeley Henry VIII’s son?

Also on this day in history:

• 1568 – Death of Nicholas Carr, physician, classical scholar and Regius professor of Greek at Cambridge. He was laid to rest in St Michael's Church, Cambridge, and a monument was erected in his memory at St Giles's Church. His works included De Scriptorum Britannicorum Paucitate et Studiorum Impedimentis Oratio, Epistola de morte Buceri ad Johannem Checum, Eusebii Pamphili de vita Constantini and Demosthenis Graecorum Oratorum Principis Olynthiacae orationes tres, et Philippicae quatuor, e Greco in Latinum conversae.