The most sacred moment of the coronation ceremony is the anointing with holy oil. When the archbishop of Canterbury touches the oil to the hands, …
MARY I AND THE CORRUPTED HOLY OIL
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UNREALISED CORONATIONS: JANE, ANNE, CATHERINE, & CATHERINE
This week I will, of course, be writing a lot about historical coronations. To kick the week off, though, I will start by discussing some …
Book Review: ‘Henry VIII: A History of His Most Important Places and Events’ by Andrew Beattie
In ‘Henry VIII: A History of His Most Important Places and Events,’ Andrew Beattie unravels the history behind the castles, palaces, and manors owned by …
PRINCE EDWARD’S LETTER ABOUT MARY’S DANCING
On the 12th May, 1546, a young Prince Edward wrote a letter to his stepmother, Catherine Parr, that sheds an interesting light on Edward’s early …
THE PASSING OF KING HENRY VII
On the 21st April, 1509, Henry VII died. His death was kept a secret for two days whilst arrangements were quietly made; his health had …
WILL SOMER
Will Somer is renowned as Henry VIII’s fool. He entered royal service at some point prior to July 1535, and his final public appearance was …
THOMAS CROMWELL AND THE PARISH REGISTRY
Historians and genealogists owe a huge debt of gratitude to Thomas Cromwell. It is thanks to him that we have an extremely valuable source of …
HENRY VIII’S TREATMENT OF MARY – FEBRUARY 1536
I have written previously about the plot to help Mary flee England in 1535 and 1536. Following Katherine of Aragon’s death, there was an increased …
THE SPANISH CHESTNUT ROOF: HENRY VIII’S GIFT TO KATHERINE OF ARAGON
St Peter ad Vincula is a fascinating site, most notably for the burials of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. There is one feature that was …
THE FALCON AND THE POMEGRANATE
In 2003, a small but remarkable piece of embroidery was put on display for the first time in an exhibition at the Museum of Garden …
