The Tudor Society

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 12 May

    Portraits of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and Martin Luther

    On this day in Tudor history, Cardinal Wolsey presided over a book burning; four men were tried for sleeping with and plotting with Queen Anne Boleyn; Baron Hussey was charged with treason; and a friar refused to recant his allegiance to Rome…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 11 May

    Carthusian monks

    On this day in Tudor history, 11th May, Henry VIII flung accusations at the clergy; the Grand Jury of Kent met in the fall of Anne Boleyn; two Carthusian monks were hanged in chains; and royal physician Dr Thomas Wendy died…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 2 May

    A photo of Lochleven Castle and a portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots

    On this day in Tudor history, 2nd May, Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother, Lord Rochford, were arrested; Anabaptist Joan Bocher was burnt in Edward VI’s reign; and Mary, Queen of Scots escaped from Lochleven Castle…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 22 April

    A photo of Henry Clifford's tomb and a portrait of Isabella I

    On this day in Tudor history, 22nd April, Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland, magnate and Warden of the West Marches, died, and Francis Beaumont, Justice of the Common Pleas, died from gaol fever. It’s also the anniversary of the birth of Isabella I of Castile…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 27 March

    Portraits of Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon

    On this day in Tudor history, a treaty arranged the marriage of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon; a young apprentice was burnt to death for reading the Bible; and George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, was buried…

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  • #OTD in Tudor history – 27 February

    An engraving of Catholic martyr Roger Filcock and a statue of St Anne Line

    On this day in Tudor history, 27th February, English forces were defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Ancrum Moor, diarist and clergyman Richard Madox died at sea, and two priests and the woman who harboured them were executed…

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  • September 20 – Sir William Paston (c. 1479-1554)

    A silhouette of a man's side profile

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th September 1554, in the reign of Queen Mary I, courtier and landowner Sir William Paston died at Paston in Norfolk. He was buried there.

    Paston served Henry VIII as a sheriff and commissioner, and served on the jury trying the Earl of Surrey even though Surrey’s father, the Duke of Norfolk, was his former patron.

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  • September 19 – The death of Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk

    A sketch of Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk, by Hans Holbein the Younger

    On this day in Tudor history, 19th September 1580, Katherine Bertie (née Willoughby) died after a long illness. She was buried in Spilsby church, Lincolnshire.

    Katherine was known for her Protestant faith and her patronage of Protestant scholars and clergymen, and also for her marriage to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.

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  • July 28 – The execution of Walter Hungerford, Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury

    A silhouette of a man's side profile

    On this day in Tudor history, 28th July 1540, after the execution of Thomas Cromwell, Walter Hungerford, Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury and a client of Cromwell, was beheaded on Tower Hill.

    He was the only man in the Tudor period to be executed for “treason of buggery”.

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  • July 26 – George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury

    Effigy of George Talbot on the Talbot monument in the Shrewsbury Chapel, Sheffield Cathedral. His first wife Anne is on his right side and his second, Elizabeth, on his left.

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th July 1538, in the reign of King Henry VIII, George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and 4th Earl of Waterford, died at South Wingfield Manor, Derbyshire. He was buried at St Peter’s Church, Sheffield.

    Here are a few facts about him…

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  • Monday Martyr – The mysterious fall of Blessed Adrian Fortescue

    A painting of Fortescue located at the Collegio di San Paolo in Rabat, Malta

    This week’s Monday martyr is a courtier whose fall is shrouded in mystery.

    Sir Adrian Fortescue was beheaded at Tower Hill on 9th or 10th July 1539.*

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  • June 20 – Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland dies of a gunshot wound

    Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (c.1532-1585) by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, a posthumous three-quarter length portrait

    On this day in Tudor history, the night of 20th/21st June 1585, Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland, died at the Tower of London.

    Northumberland was found dead in bed with a gunshot wound and on 23rd June an inquest in the Star Chamber ruled that he had committed suicide. However, it was rumoured by Catholics that he had been murdered by Sir Christopher Hatton on the orders of Elizabeth I’s government. They claimed that he had been shot in the chest three times, which was not consistent with suicide.

    Northumberland had been imprisoned in the Tower in January 1584 for his Catholic beliefs and his involvement in plots to do with Mary, Queen of Scots. He was laid to rest in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower.

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  • May 12 – Baron Hussey, is charged with treason

    On this day in Tudor England, 12th May 1537, John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford, Chief Butler of England, was charged with treason.

    Hussey, who was born 1465/6 had been appointed Chief Butler of England in 1521 and also served as a Member of Parliament, sheriff of Lincolnshire and steward to the Bishop of Lincoln. He served Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary, as her chamberlain and his second wife, Anne, was one of Mary’s ladies. Anne actually ended up in the Tower of London for a short time after referring to Mary as “Princess” rather than “Lady” after Mary had become illegitimate by Act of Parliament.

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  • 29 April – William Dacre, 3rd Baron Gilsland, a lucky man

    On this day in Tudor history, 29th April 1500, William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre of Gilsland and 7th Baron Greystoke was born.

    Here are some facts about this Tudor baron:

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  • April 14 – Sir Anthony Kingston, Constable of the Tower of London

    A silhouette of a man's side profile

    On this day in Tudor history, 14th April 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, former Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Anthony Kingston died at Cirencester.

    Kingston was on his way to London to London to answer charges of treason when he died.

    He’d been sent to the Tower for 2 weeks in December 1555 for “contemptuous behaviour and great disorder” in Parliament, but this time was more serious. He was accused of conspiring to rob the Exchequer for money to support Henry Dudley’s plot for an invasion of English exiles from France to topple Mary I and replace her with Elizabeth.

    He was lucky to die a natural death, his fellow conspirators were executed.

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  • April 11 – John Lumley, Baron Lumley

    On this day in history, 11th April 1609, in the reign of King James I, conspirator, patron and collector, John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, died at his London home.

    Lumley made a garden in honour of Elizabeth I, as an apology to her, and is known to have possessed a full-length portrait of Anne Boleyn.

    Here are a few more facts about this Tudor baron…

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  • March 30 – Sir Ralph Sadler

    Portrait of an unknown man some believe to be Ralph Sadler by Hans Holbein the Younger

    A portrait of an unknown man thought to be Sir Ralph Sadler by Hans Holbein the YoungerOn this day in Tudor history, 30th March 1587, in the reign of Elizabeth I, Sir Ralph Sadler died. He was in his 80th year.

    Sadler was a diplomat and administrator who worked as Thomas Cromwell's secretary before being noticed by Henry VIII.

    At his death, he was one of the richest men in England.

    Here are a few more facts about him…

    • Ralph Sadler was born in 1507 and was the eldest son of administrator Henry Sadler of Warwickshire and Hackney. Henry Sadler worked as steward to Sir Edward Belknap until 1521. Belknap was one of Henry VIII’s privy councillors. He then served Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset.
    • By 1521, when he was about 14, Ralph Sadler had entered the service of Thomas Cromwell, who ensured that he was taught Latin, Greek, French and Law.

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  • March 6 – Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley is accused of abusing his authority

    Miniature of Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, by Hans Holbein the Younger

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th March 1547, in the reign of King Edward VI, former Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, lost the Great Seal of his Lord Chancellorship and was confined to his home at Ely Place for abusing his authority.

    Wriothesley was found guilty of issuing a commission without the knowledge or permission of the other executors of Henry VIII’s will, but it was probably more to do with his opposition to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, becoming Lord Protector.

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  • March 1 – Sir Thomas Tresham, Grand Prior

    Photo of Rushton Hall and the coat of arms of the Knights Hospitaller - a white cross on a red background

    On this day in Tudor history, 1st March 1559, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Catholic politician and landowner, Sir Thomas Tresham, died at Rushton in Northamptonshire. He was buried at St Peter’s Church, Rushton.

    Tresham was a leading politician in the reigns of Henry VIII and Mary I, and he’s an interesting Tudor chap.

    Let me tell you a bit more about him…

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  • February 10 – Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland

    Arms of Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland

    On this day in Tudor history, 10th February 1564, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland, died at Kelvedon in Essex.

    Neville was born in around 1524/1525 and was the eldest son of Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland, and his wife, Catherine Stafford. His maternal grandfather was Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham.

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  • January 21 – The death of Eustace Chapuys, imperial ambassador

    On this day in Tudor history, 21st January 1556, imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys died in Louvain, the place he had retired to in 1549. He was laid to rest in the chapel of Louvain College, the college he had founded.

    Chapuys is one of my favourite sources for the reign of Henry VIII because his dispatches to the emperor and his fellow ambassadors are so detailed.

    But who was Eustace Chapuys? Let me tell you a bit more about him…

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  • 3 December – The death of Roger North, a man close to Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I, and Henry VIII pardons rebels

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1600, sixty-nine-year-old peer and politician Roger North, 2nd Baron North, died at his London home.

    North was a good friend of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, accompanying him on trips, witnessing his secret marriage and serving with him in the Netherlands. It was even said that he’d converted Leicester to Puritanism! North also served Elizabeth I as Privy Councillor and Treasurer of the Household and was close to the queen.

    Find out more about Leicester’s good friend Roger North, his life and career, in this talk…

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  • 20 October – Mary Arundell’s death and Pontefract Castle’s surrender to rebels

    On this day in Tudor history, 20th October 1557, or possibly 21st, courtier Mary Arundell died at Bath Place in London.

    Mary is an interesting Tudor lady. Not only did she serve at least two of Henry VIII’s wives, but she was a countess twice over, having been married to both the Earls of Sussex and Arundel. She has also been confused with two other Tudor ladies, and we don’t know whether the portrait you see in the thumbnail is really her.

    Find out more about Mary Arundell’s life, court career and those of her husbands, in today’s talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.

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  • 15 May – Henry VIII’s problems in the bedroom become public

    On this day in Tudor history, 15th May 1536, Henry VIII’s second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, and her brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, were tried one after the other in the King’s Hall of the Tower of London.

    It was during George’s trial that problems the king was experiencing with his wife became public, something which must have been rather embarrassing for the king.

    Find out what happened on that day in 1536…

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  • 15 April – Blows and evil words from Elizabeth I

    On this day in Tudor history, courtier Sir John Scudamore was laid to rest. His wife served Queen Elizabeth I and appears to have suffered in doing so.

    Find out what happened to Mary Scudamore in this #TudorHistoryShorts video:

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  • John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer (1520-1577)

    John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer, was born in around 1520 and was the only son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Latimer and his first wife, Dorothy de Vere. After his first wife’s death, the 3rd Baron married Elizabeth Musgrave; however, she also sadly died. In 1534, the 3rd Baron Latimer ¡married Katherine Parr, who was at that time Lady Borough, widow of Sir Edward Borough. This made John Neville the Younger the stepson of Katherine Parr.

    It is said that Katherine was a kind stepmother to John and his sister, Margaret, evidenced by the latter’s will dated 1545, which thanked Katherine for her education and the kindness and love she had received when younger.

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  • 26 December – The interesting life of Rose Lok

    Thumbnail for 26th December video

    On this day in Tudor history, 26th December 1526, Protestant Rose Lok was born.

    Rose lived well into her 80s and had an interesting life, being a Protestant exile, a businesswoman, and being the daughter of a man who supplied Anne Boleyn with religious books. She also had a ship named after her!

    Find out all about Rose Lok in today’s talk.

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  • 8 December – Anne Boleyn’s Master of the Horse

    On this day in Tudor history, 8th December 1538, courtier and Master of the Horse to Queens Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, Sir William Coffin, died at Standon in Hertfordshire.

    It is thought that he died of the plague because his wife Margaret wrote to Thomas Cromwell saying that Coffin had “died of the great sickness, full of God’s marks all over his body”.

    Who was Sir William Coffin and what did the Master of the Horse do?

    Find out in today’s talk.

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  • 6 December – An important man who managed to die a natural death

    On this day in Tudor history, 6th December 1573, soldier and administrator, Sir Hugh Paulet, died at his home in Hinton St George in Somerset.

    He distinguished himself as a soldier in Henry VIII’s reign, served as Governor of Jersey in Edward VI’s reign, was a Protestant but survived Mary I’s reign and served as Vice-President of the Welsh marches, and had a successful career in Elizabeth I’s reign. He was an important man and a servant of the Crown, but still managed to die a natural death at his home.

    Find out more about Sir Hugh Paulet, his life and career, in today’s talk.

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  • 3 December – Roger North, a man close to Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I

    On this day in Tudor history, 3rd December 1600, sixty-nine-year-old peer and politician Roger North, 2nd Baron North, died at his London home.

    North was a good friend of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, accompanying him on trips, witnessing his secret marriage and serving with him in the Netherlands. It was even said that he’d converted Leicester to Puritanism! North also served Elizabeth I as Privy Councillor and Treasurer of the Household and was close to the queen.

    Find out more about Leicester’s good friend Roger North, his life and career, in today’s talk.

    [Read More...]