29 January 1536 – A miscarriage and a burial

On 29th January 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, miscarried “a male child which she had not borne 3½ months”.¹

As well as being a huge blow for both Anne and the king, this miscarriage was to have devastating consequences for Anne, her brother, some of their friends and Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth. While the miscarriage alone did not bring about Anne Boleyn’s fall in May 1536, the safe delivery of a son would have kept Anne safe and protected her marriage and her status as queen. You can read more about my thoughts on this in my article Anne Boleyn “miscarried of her saviour”

It is often claimed that Anne Boleyn miscarried a deformed foetus, a monster, and that this was a factor in her downfall. However, this claim is not backed up by the contemporary sources – click here to read my article examining the primary source accounts of Anne’s miscarriage.

Anne Boleyn miscarried her baby on the day of Catherine of Aragon’s funeral at Peterborough Abbey, now Peterborough Cathedral. Catherine, who had been Henry VIII’s first wife, was buried as the Dowager Princess of Wales, as the widow of Arthur, Prince of Wales, due to the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII.

On 21st January, Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, wrote of what he’d heard regarding arrangements for Catherine’s burial:

“Great preparations are being made for the burial of the good Queen, and according to a message received from Master Cromwell the funeral is to be conducted with such a pomp and magnificence that those present will scarcely believe their eyes. It is to take place on the 1st of February; the chief mourner to be the King’s own niece, that is to say, the daughter of the duke of Suffolk [Frances Brandon]; next to her will go the Duchess, her mother; then the wife of the duke of Norfolk [Elizabeth Stafford], and several other ladies in great numbers.”²

On 17th February, he wrote again with details of the funeral, which he did not attend:

“On that very day the good queen of England’s burial took place, which was attended by four bishops and as many abbots, besides the ladies mentioned in my preceding despatches. No other person of rank or name was present except the comptroller of the Royal household. The place where she lies in the cathedral church [of Peterborough] is a good way from the high altar, and in a less honourable position than that of several bishops buried in the same church. Had she not been a dowager Princess, as they have held her both in life and death, but simply a baroness, they could not have chosen a less distinguished place of rest for her, as the people who understand this sort of thing tell me. Such have been the wonderful display and incredible magnificence which these people gave me to understand would be lavished in honour and memory of one whose great virtues and royal relationship certainly entitled her to uncommon honours!! Perhaps one of these days they will repair their fault, and erect a suitable monument or institute some pious foundation to her memory in some suitable spot or other.”³

Chapuys would be pleased to know that her grave is now marked “Katharine Queen of England” and that Peterborough Cathedral hold a “Katharine of Aragon Festival” every year to commemorate this Tudor queen. Here is the programme for this year’s festival:

• Thursday 28th January – 5.30pm, Sung Eucharist in commemoration of Katharine of Aragon, with music from the Tudor period, sung by Peterborough Cathedral Choir.
• Friday 29th January – 8.30am, Mass at Peterborough Cathedral.
• Friday 29th January – 10.15am, Civic dignitaries and schoolchildren proceed from Peterborough Museum to the Cathedral, accompanied by the period musicians of Hautbois. 10.30am, Service of Commemoration at Peterborough Cathedral, during which wreaths will be laid on Katherine’s tomb. The service is followed by a Tudor history day for schools, in the Cathedral.
• Friday 29th January – 2.00pm, Guided tour of Peterborough Cathedral.
• Friday 29th January – 6.00pm, A Tudor-style Pottage and Ale Supper in the Becket Chapel, within the Cathedral Precincts.
• Friday 29th January – 7.30pm, Festival Lecture: Dr Jonathan Foyle on “The Forgotten Origins of the Tudor Rose”.
• Saturday 30th January – 10.00am–5.00pm: At Home with the Tudors at Peterborough Museum.
• Saturday 30th January – 2pm Guided Tour of the Cathedral.
• Saturday 30th January – 5.30pm, Choral Evensong at Peterborough Cathedral.
• Sunday 31st January – 10.00am–5.00pm, At home with the Tudors at Peterborough Museum.
• Sunday 31st January – 2.00pm, Tudor Peterborough Walk starting at Peterborough Museum.
• Sunday 31st January – 3.30pm, Choral Evensong at Peterborough Cathedral.

See http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/home/katharine-2016.aspx

You can read more about Catherine’s funeral in my article from last year – click here – and you can read more about her death in my article 7 January 1536 – Catherine of Aragon dies at Kimbolton Castle.

Notes and Sources

Image of Catherine of Aragon’s tomb © Copyright Derek Voller and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence, Geograph.org.uk

1. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 10, January-June 1536, 282.
2. Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 5 Part 2, 1536-1538, 9.
3. Ibid., 21.