As long-term readers of this blog know, each year I volunteer at the county’s annual library sale. There, I unpack books and arrange them on tables. Until this year, the perk was first pick from over 450,000 books, but the country library gods got rid of that privilege this year, so we have to shop […]
Susan’s Very Busy Day Read More »
Of Henry VIII’s three nieces—Margaret, Countess of Lennox, Frances, Duchess of Suffolk, and Eleanor, Countess of Cumberland, the last was the shortest-lived and probably the least known. Eleanor was the younger daughter of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and his wife Mary, known as the French Queen because of her previous marriage to Louis XII.
Henry VIII’s Other Niece: Eleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland Read More »
On January 18, 1486, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York at Westminster Abbey. The wedding was conducted by Thomas Bouchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had crowned three kings–Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry VII–and who had also crowned two queen consorts, Elizabeth Woodville and Anne Neville. Little is known about the ceremony, but the union
The Wedding that Beget a Dynasty Read More »
Today I went to the library and dragged home the first volume of The Inventory of King Henry VIII. Transcribed by Philip Ward and edited by David Starkey, this is the inventory of Henry’s goods that was made after his death. It’s a very thick, heavy, and expensive book, and it’s fascinating! One thing that
Henry VIII: The King Who Had Six Wives and Four Eyes Read More »
As you’re doing your holiday shopping, I thought you’d enjoy seeing this list of New Year’s presents given to Henry VIII on January 1, 1532. A word about dating is necessary here: the new year officially began on March 25, but the custom of giving New Year’s presents on January 1 was still observed. Christmas
On October 30, 1485, Henry VII was crowned the first Tudor king of England. I’m on a non-writing-related deadline at the moment, so this will be a brief post, but I thought you might enjoy reading about some of the expenses for his coronation, taken from English Coronation Records by the splendidly named Leopold George
Some Coronation Expenses for Henry VII Read More »
On August 16, 1553, John Burcher, a cloth merchant living in Strasburgh, wrote to Heinrich Bullinger of the recent events in England, which of course included the recent death of Edward VI, the brief reign of Jane Grey, and the triumph of Mary I. Burcher wrote: That monster of a man, the duke of Northumberland, has been
From Hearsay to History: The Fate of Edward VI’s Body Read More »
