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Claire | May 19, 2012
At dawn on 19th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn celebrated the Mass for the last time, receiving the Sacrament from her almoner, John Skip. She then ate breakfast and waited to hear Sir William Kingston’s footsteps outside her door. At 8am, the Constable appeared, informing Anne that the hour of her death was near and
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Claire | April 21, 2012
At 11pm on Saturday 21st April 1509, Henry VII died. He had known that he was dying for some time and had retired to Richmond at the end of February to spend his last days there. There is an excellent chapter, “The Art of Dying”, in Thomas Penn’s “Winter King”, in which he describes how
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Claire | April 20, 2012
On this day in history, 20th April 1534, Elizabeth Barton, an English Catholic nun known as the “Holy Maid of Kent” or the “Nun of Kent”, was hanged at Tyburn with her spiritual adviser, Father Edward Bocking, her parish priest, Richard Risby, warden of the Observant Friary at Canterbury, and Hugh Rich, warden of the
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Claire | April 9, 2012
On the 9th April 1533, a delegation of the King’s councillors, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, visited Catherine of Aragon and informed her that Henry VIII was now married to Anne Boleyn. After they left, Catherine’s chamberlain, Sir William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy, had to tell her that she had been demoted from Queen
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Claire | April 1, 2012
On this day in history, 2nd April 1536, Anne Boleyn’s almoner, John Skip, preached a rather controversial sermon in front of the King. Skip’s theme was “Quis ex vobis arguet me de peccato?” or “Which of you can convict me of sin?”. Skip spoke “defending the clergy from their defamers and from the immoderate zeal
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Claire | March 30, 2012
On this day in history, Passion Sunday 30th March 1533, Thomas Cranmer, Archdeacon of Taunton, was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury in St Stephen’s College, Westminster Palace. Cranmer’s first duty as Archbishop was to preside over the convocation meeting to to discuss the validity of the Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, his brother’s
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Claire | March 23, 2012
This day in history, 23rd March 1534, was an important day for King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn because it was on this day that Parliament passed the Act of Succession. You can read the full Act of Succession in the book “Documents Illustrative of the History of the English Church”, which is available
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Claire | March 20, 2012
Today marks the anniversary of the execution of Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Sudeley and Lord High Admiral. He was beheaded on Tower Hill after being found guilty of thirty-three counts of treason. On hearing of his execution, the Lady Elizabeth (future Elizabeth I), allegedly lamented “This day, died a man with much wit, and very
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