The Tudor Society

  • 10 December – The ends of Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th December 1541, Thomas Culpeper, a gentleman of the privy chamber, and Francis Dereham, a member of the queen’s household, were executed at Tyburn.

    They had been found guilty of high treason for intending to do ill with Queen Catherine Howard, i..e intending to commit adultery with her, and had been sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Dereham suffered the full traitors’ death, while Culpeper was beheaded.

    Find out more about what happened from a primary source account in today’s talk.

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  • Christmas in Tudor Times book

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    3 Comments

    We’re in the process of laying out the latest in our Tudor Society series of e-books, a book on the Christmas traditions of medieval and Tudor people. We didn’t want you to have to wait until it’s completely laid out, so we’re releasing this PDF version of the content now for you. It brings together information shared in articles and talks, and we hope you will find it interesting and useful.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 9 December – Tudor underwear

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Video thumbnail for 9 December

    Teasel has been getting used to wearing nappies (diapers) and so has become rather interested in underwear, particularly the weird bits and bobs that humans wear. So, she thought she’d look into what her second favourite people (her first favourites are obviously the Ridgway family), the Tudors, wore as underwear.

    What was Tudor underwear? Find out from Teasel!

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  • 9 December -The King is a beast and worse than a beast!

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 9th December 1538, Sir Edward Neville, courtier, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and son of George Neville, 2nd Baron Bergavenny, was beheaded on Tower Hill.

    He had been condemned to death for treason, accused of conspiring against the king in the Exeter Conspiracy of 1538, along with members of the Pole family. He was also accused of saying “The King is a beast and worse than a beast”, which is not a wise thing to be overheard saying in Tudor England.

    Find out more about Neville’s life and downfall in today’s talk.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 8 December – Ivan the Terrible annoys Elizabeth I

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment
    Thumbnail for my 8th December video

    Teasel is putting in so much work researching Tudor history. She really is a Tudor history buff now. Amazing for a former street dog!

    Teasel came across some information regarding relations between Russia and England in the reign of Elizabeth I, and some correspondence between Elizabeth and Ivan IV, or Ivan the Terrible. She just had to share some of it with you today.

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  • 8 December – The birth of Mary, Queen of Scots

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 8th December 1542, Mary Stuart (Stewart), or Mary, Queen of Scots, was born at Linlithgow Palace in Scotland.

    Mary was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and his second wife, Marie de Guise, and she became Queen of Scotland when she was just six days old.

    Find out about the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, including her three marriages and abdication, her imprisonment and downfall in today’s talk.

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  • Tudor Christmas Wordsearch

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    The festive season is upon us, although we’ve yet to put up our Christmas tree, so we’re celebrating this fact with a Christmassy wordsearch today.

    Beware, the words can go in any direction!

    Have fun!

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 7 December – Cats

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    In today’s Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Teasel the rescue dog talks about a tradition today that goes back to Cardinal Wolsey’s time, in the reign of King Henry VIII, and which concerns cats.

    Hopefully, this video will please Maj the cat!

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  • 7 December – Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Today, 7th December, is the traditional date given for the birth of Henry Stuart (Stewart), Duke of Albany and Lord Darnley, in 1545.

    Lord Darnley was the son of Margaret Douglas and grandson of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, and her second husband, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, but he is more known as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

    Find out about Lord Darnley’s rather colourful life, his unhappy marriage, his role in a murder, AND his own sticky end, in today’s talk.

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  • Tudor History Challenge 6

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Tim here and I’ve taken over this challenge to ask Claire some Tudor history questions for a change. The questions were provided by the following historians: Sarah-Beth Watkins, Rioghnach O’Geraghty, Toni Mount & Catherine Brooks. Claire did well – but how well will you do???

    Note that the answers are below the questions, so no cheating! Let us know how you do in the comments below. Good luck!

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 6 December – Elizabeth I and the Bisley Boy Legend

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    Teasel the dog’s second favourite Tudor is Queen Elizabeth I. Teasel, who is a real trend-setter, appreciates Gloriana’s sense of style. She won’t have a bad thing said about her and so when she heard the Bisley Boy legend, she pronounced it complete poppycock, at least that’s what I think she meant.

    The Bisley Boy legend often does the rounds on social media, and has been addressed in documentaries too. It makes out that Elizabeth I was, in fact, a man. It is complete rubbish.

    In today’s Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Teasel the rescue dog gets Claire to explain what the legend is about and then gets her to debunk it thoroughly.

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  • 6 December – The Feast of St Nicholas and the Boy Bishop

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Today, 6th December is the Feast of St Nicholas, or St Nicholas of Myra, the 4th century Bishop of Myra. In medieval and Tudor times, it was the traditional day for the election of a boy bishop would undertake all of the duties of a bishop from the 6th December until 28th December, Childermas (Holy Innocents’ Day).

    You can find out about the tradition of Boy Bishop, and how and why Henry VIII put an end to it, and how it’s been revived today, in today’s talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.

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  • Worcester Cathedral – Roving Reporter

    5 years ago Author: ADMIN Tim
    2 Comments

    This month our Roving Reporter visited the stunning Worcester Cathedral. This cathedral is very interesting to Tudor Society members as it contains the ornate tomb of Arthur, Prince of Wales.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 5 December – Henry VIII nearly drowns!

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Thumbnail of video about Henry VIII nearly drowning

    Teasel’s very favourite Tudor is King Henry VIII – only because he was a dog lover and she doesn’t know the bad stuff about him – and in today’s edition of Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Teasel shares an account from 1525 of an accident that Henry VIII suffered.

    This accident wasn’t a jousting accident, it happened while Henry VIII was out hawking, and he nearly drowned! You might remember it from Showtime’s “The Tudors” series. Anyway, Teasel tells us all about it.

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  • 5 December – Anne Cecil and her unhappy marriage

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th December 1556, Anne de Vere (née Cecil) was born, She was the daughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, and his second wife, Mildred Cooke.

    Anne only lived until she was 31 years old, but in her short life she managed to impress scholars, have five children, and have a rather eventful and unhappy marriage with Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who didn’t treat her at all well and even refused to recognise their first daughter as his own, at one point. If only she had married Philip Sidney instead!

    Find out more about the life of William Cecil’s daughter, Anne de Vere, Countess of Oxford, in today’s talk.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 4 December – Henry VIII’s dogs

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    Did you know that Henry VIII was a dog-lover? Yes, he wasn’t all bad!

    In today’s Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Teasel the ex-street-dog shares some information on two of Henry VIII’s very favourite dogs, Cut and Ball.

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  • 4 December – The beginning of the end for Thomas Cranmer

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 4th December 1555, in Rome, papal sentence was passed on Thomas Cranmer, resulting in Cranmer being deprived of his archbishopric. Permission was also granted for his fate to be decided by the secular authorities.

    In today’s “on this day in history”, I explain what led Cranmer to this day and also what happened next. Thomas Cranmer went on to recant his Protestant faith on several occasions, but was still executed by being burned at the stake. Why?

    Find out more in today’s talk.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 3 December

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    In today’s Teasel’s Tudor Trivia, Dr Teasel, as she’s now taken to referring to herself, shares some of her very favourite Tudor remedies for common ailments. These are all remedies taken from works of the Tudor period, but Dr Teasel is a bit of a charlatan really (shhhh! Don’t tell her I said that!) as she hasn’t actually tried them for herself.

    Please don’t try any of these at home!

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  • 3 December – Henry VIII pardons rebels

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1536, a proclamation was made to the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace offering them a pardon.

    Yes, Henry VIII was offering the rebels “free pardons” for their rebellion against him, his advisors and his religious measures.

    In today’s “on this day in Tudor history”, I give a reminder of what the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion was about and how, even though a free pardon was offered, prominent rebels ended up being executed.

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  • Live Transcript – Gayle Hulme – Mary, Queen of Scots

    5 years ago Author: ADMIN Tim
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    Here’s the transcript of the lively livechat that we had with Gayle Hulme over the weekend. All full members are welcome to join us at these events and you can either just watch or join in as you wish.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 2 December

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    Teasel the dog just loves King Henry VIII. He may have been a tyrant in many ways, but he does seem to have have been a dog-lover and that makes him ok to Teasel.

    Teasel has been engrossed in Henry VIII’s inventory, carefully supervised, and has found out so much about the king and his belongings. Today’s advent treat is about what Henry VIII used to help him read.

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  • 2 December – Henry Howard is arrested

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd December 1546, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, poet, courtier, soldier and the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, was arrested after Richard Southwell, his former friend, gave evidence against him.

    King Henry VIII had just weeks to live and was increasingly paranoid, so Southwell’s ‘evidence’ was just what Surrey’s enemies needed to bring the earl down.

    Find out more about the Earl of Surrey’s downfall, and how his father managed to keep his head, in today’s talk.

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  • 1 December – Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham found guilty

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st December 1541, Thomas Culpeper, a member of King Henry VIII’s privy chamber, and Francis Dereham, a secretary to Queen Catherine Howard, were tried for high treason at Guildhall, London. Both men had been linked romantically with the queen.

    They were both found guilty of treason and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

    But what about Catherine Howard and her lady, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, who had also been arrested. What was happening with them? Find out more about them, and the trial of Dereham and Culpeper, in today’s talk.

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  • Teasel’s Tudor Trivia – 1 December

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    3 Comments
    YouTube thumbnail showing Teasel the dog and a mastiff

    Each year, I like to do some Tudor-themed Advent treats and this year, Teasel, our newly rescued canine friend, is helping me out. Each day, she’ll be bringing us a piece of Tudor trivial. I do hope you enjoy these little Tudor tidbits.

    Here’s Day 1!

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  • The Plays of William Shakespeare Crossword Puzzle

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    As it was the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway this week, I thought we’d celebrate their union with a crossword puzzle on Shakespeare’s plays. How much do you know about the Bard’s works? Test yourself with this fun puzzle.

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  • 1 December 1581 – The martyrdom of St Alexander Briant

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    1 Comment

    Today marks the feast day of St Alexander Briant, the Roman Catholic priest who was hanged, drawn and quartered on 1st December 1581 at Tyburn.

    Briant studied at Hart Hall and Balliol College, Oxford, where his tutors included Richard Holtby and Robert Persons, who later became Jesuits. Their influence led to him abandoning his studies and joining the seminary at Douai. On 29th March 1578, he was ordained as a priest and in August 1579, he was sent on a mission to England.

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  • 1483: The Year of Three Kings – Matthew Lewis – Expert Talk

    5 years ago Author: ADMIN Tim
    3 Comments

    This month we have the wonderful Matthew Lewis telling us about a very eventful year – Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III. This is an exceptional talk and we know you’ll enjoy it.

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  • 30 November – Henry VIII gets told off by Catherine of Aragon AND Anne Boleyn

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
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    On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1529, the feast of St Andrew, Henry VIII was reproached by the two women in his life: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the woman he wanted to marry, Anne Boleyn.

    Catherine of Aragon was not impressed by the way her husband was treating her, and Anne Boleyn didn’t like the fact that the king was letting Catherine get the upper hand. They both told the king exactly what they thought. It was not a good day for King Henry VIII.

    Find out exactly what happened with Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn on this day in 1529, in today’s talk.

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  • 29 November – Cardinal Wolsey cheats the executioner

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    2 Comments

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th November 1530, at around 8 o’clock in the morning, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s former Lord Chancellor, died at the Abbey of St Mary de Pratis, Leicester.

    Cardinal Wolsey, who was in his fifties, cheated the executioner by dying a natural death while on his way to London to answer charges of treason. He surely would have been tried and executed had he reached the capital.

    Find out about Cardinal Wolsey’s death, and who ended up being buried in the sarcophagus he’d had commissioned, in today’s talk.

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  • Tudor Cosmetics

    5 years ago Author: Claire Ridgway
    3 Comments
    Lettice Knollys

    A couple of weeks ago, I talked about skincare in the medieval and Tudor periods, the beauty ideal of the time and what ingredients were used in skincare regimens. Today, I’m following on from that talk by looking at the cosmetics of the time.

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