A Woodville Meets a Boleyn

One of the fascinating things about doing historical research is seeing how people’s paths cross. The William Boleyn who was appointed to a commission with Anthony Woodville in November 1482 was the grandfather of none other than Anne Boleyn:

Nov. 12. Commission to the king’s kinsman Anthony, earl Ryvers, Henry Heydon, Westminster. William Boleyn, Richard Suthwell, John Fyncham, Henry Spylman and James Hoberd, certain dissentions having arisen between William Lumnour on the one part and Thomas Brygge of Manyngton, co. Norfolk, ‘gentilman,’ and Margaret his wife on the other, to summon the parties and other persons and examine them and put their examinations in writing and to enquire by inquest into certain felonies, murders, trespasses and offences committed by the said Thomas and Margaret Brygge late the wife of William Lumnour and to certify thereon to the king and council in the quinzaine of Midsummer next.

[Patent Rolls, 1476-1485]

It’s probably safe to say that if this commission actually had a chance to meet, its members would have never predicted that Anthony would be dead in less than eight months and that William’s as-yet-unborn granddaughter would end up as queen of England!

4 thoughts on “A Woodville Meets a Boleyn”

  1. The Boleyns made their pile in London before establishing themselves as Norfolk gentry. Of course their real break through was the marriage of Thomas Boleyn to Elizabeth Howard (Jocky’s granddaughter) which would probably not have happened but for the Howards going out of favour for a while after Bosworth.

  2. Just stumbled across this blog doing research for my M.St degree – it’s great! Thanks for putting all this on the net, I shall keep reading.

    By the way, are you familiar with Cynthia Harnett? She’s not well known, but well worth reading.

  3. Susan Higginbotham

    Brian, good point!

    Thanks, Anonymous! I haven’t read anything by Cynthia Harnett. Any suggestions?

  4. (Ah, sorry, I’m Lucy) She’s technically a children’s author, but not ‘childish’. None of her books is well known, but try ‘The Wool Pack’ or ‘A Load of Unicorn’. The second is about Caxton and early printing, and it’s so detailed that I was able to nod sagely in one of my postgraduate palaeography courses because I was already familiar with some of the details on printing! She’s also written one about the Eleanor Cobham plot.

    But it may not be your thing …

    Btw, this is a really cheeky question since I should do my own research, but do you happen to know if we have a Book of Hours or similar that belonged to anyone in the Joan Stafford/ Thomas de Holand/Margaret de Holand/ John Beaufort group? All I’m getting is Royal 2A.18 (‘the Beaufort/Beauchamp hours’)

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