On this day in Tudor history, 25th December 1587, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Brian Darcy died.

Darcy was a magistrate, Sheriff of Essex, witch-hunter and contributor to the 1582 “A true and just recorde of the information, examination and confession of all the witches, taken at S Oses [St Osyth]”.

“A True and Just Recorde” argued for harsher punishments for those found guilty of witchcraft, and Darcy was personally responsible for a number of deaths of people accused of witchcraft.

Find out more about Brian Darcy…

On this day in history, 24th December 1604, in the reign of King James I, Sir Thomas Cornwallis died at about the age of eighty-six.

Cornwallis had been active putting down rebellion in 1549 and during the succession crisis of July 1553 swapped sides at just the right time, recanting his proclamation for Jane as queen and proclaiming for Mary instead. Mary rewarded him by making him her Comptroller of the household of Mary I. He also served as a member of Parliament.

In Elizabeth I’s reign, his friendship with a man close to the queen may have helped him escape trouble.

Find out more about Sir Thomas Cornwallis…

On this day in Tudor history, 23rd December 1558, Elizabeth I moved from Somerset House to Whitehall Palace, which became her principal residence.

Elizabeth had become queen on 17th November 1558. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who had married at Whitehall in January 1533.

Find out more about Whitehall Palace, and also Somerset Place, the property Elizabeth left…

On this day in Tudor history, 19th December 1583, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, John Somerville was found dead in his cell at Newgate Prison.

The twenty-three-year-old Somerville had been found guilty of conspiring to assassinate the queen. His death was said to be suicide, due to his poor mental health, but some Catholics believed that he had been killed.

Did Somerville really intend to kill the queen? Was he mentally ill? Was he manipulated by others?

Find out more about John Somerville…

On this day in Tudor history, 18th December 1555, in the reign of Queen Mary I, John Philpott (also spelled Philpot) was executed.

The former Archdeacon of Winchester was burnt at the stake for heresy at Smithfield and died courageously.

Philpott had done a lot in his 40 years, including studying in Italy, upsetting Bishop Gardiner, and supporting fellow Protestants from his prison cell.

Let me tell you more about him…

On this day in Tudor history, 17th December 1538, King Henry VIII was excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Pope Paul III.

The papacy had threatened the English king with excommunication several times during the Great Matter, but the final straw was Henry VIII’s desecration of one of the holiest shrines in Europe.

How did Henry VIII go from being “Defender of the Faith” to being excommunicated? Find out…

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

The earl served in Henry VII’s reign as a soldier, a member of the king’s council, the Constable of Northampton Castle, and as a judge at the trial of Edward, Earl of Warwick in 1499.

His first wife was Anne Woodville, sister of Queen Elizabeth Woodville.

Grey 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…

On this day in Tudor history, 15th December 1560, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Thomas Parry died.

Parry served Elizabeth I as Comptroller of the Household and Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire.

The Spanish ambassador claimed that Parry died of “sheer grief”. He was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Parry had served Elizabeth for over 13 years and had been a loyal servant and friend to her. So why did he die of grief?

Find out more about Thomas Parry, his background, life, and why he was so upset in 1560…

On this day in Tudor history, 12th December 1595, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Roger Williams died from a fever with his patron, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, at his side. The Protestant Welsh soldier and author was buried at St Paul’s Cathedral.

As a soldier, Williams served in the Low Countries and France and in 1588 was second in command of the cavalry under the Earl of Essex at Tilbury Fort. William was also an author and wrote the 1590 “A Briefe Discourse of Warre”.

At one point, Williams had to go into hiding because he incurred Queen Elizabeth I’s wrath.

Find out all about Sir Roger Williams’ life, career and works…

On this day in Tudor history, 10th December 1591, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Edmund Gennings and Swithin Wells were executed on a scaffold set up outside Wells’ house at Holborn.

Gennings, a Roman Catholic priest, had been celebrating mass at Wells’ home when the famous Elizabethan priestfinder and torturer, Richard Topcliffe, found them. Topcliffe had Gennings thrown into the Little Ease.

Find out more about St Edmund Gennings and St Swithin Wells, and their sad ends…

On this day in Tudor history, 6th December 1573, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Hugh Paulet died at his home in Hinton St George in Somerset.

Paulet distinguished himself as a soldier in Henry VIII’s reign, and in Edward VI’s reign he served as Governor of Jersey. Although he was a Protestant, he served as Vice-President of the Welsh Marches in Mary I’s reign, and went on to have a successful career in Elizabeth I’s reign.

Paulet was an important man and a royal servant, but still managed to die a natural death at his home.

Find out more about Sir Hugh Paulet…

On this day in Tudor history, 5th December 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Anne de Vere (née Cecil) was born.

Anne was the daughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, and his second wife, Mildred Cooke.

Anne had a relatively short life, dying at just 31 years of age, but she was respected and liked by scholars, had five children, and had a sadly unhappy marriage with Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford.

Oxford did not treat his wife well and even refused to recognise their first daughter as his own, at one point. If only she had married poet Philip Sidney instead!

Find out more about the life of Anne de Vere, Countess of Oxford…

On this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1600, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Roger North, 2nd Baron North, died at his London home.

The sixty-nine-year-old peer and politician had been a good friend of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. North had accompanied Leicester on trips, he’d witnessed the earl’s secret marriage and had served with him in the Netherlands. It was even said that he’d converted Leicester to Puritanism.

Baron North was also close to Queen Elizabeth I, serving her as privy councillor and Treasurer of the Household.

Find out more about Roger North, 2nd Baron North…

On this day in Tudor history, 2nd December 1586, Queen Elizabeth I finally agreed to sentence Mary, Queen of Scots, to death.

The Houses of Lords and Commons had jointly petitioned the queen to issue a public proclamation of sentence against Mary, that sentence being death.

Mary, Queen of Scots, had been found guilty of high treason in October 1586, but Elizabeth I had stalled in doing anything about it. She did not want to commit regicide. Parliament, however, believed that if Mary was not dealt with, she would continue to plot against Elizabeth and would utterly “ruinate and overthrow the happy State and Common Weal of this most Noble Realm”.

Find out what Parliament said and what happened next…