Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth I and daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was christened on Wednesday 10th September 1533 at the Church of Observant Friars in Greenwich. She was just three days old, having been born on 7th September.
Her godparents were Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Centerbury; Agnes Howard (nee Tylney), Dowager Duchess of Norfolk; Margaret Grey (nee Wotton), Marchioness of Dorset; and Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter.
Click here to read a primary source account of Elizabeth’s christening.
Also on this day in history…
- 1515 – Thomas Wolsey was made Cardinal.
- 1547 – The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, part of the War of the Rough Wooing between England and Scotland. It took place near Musselburgh, in Scotland, on the banks of the River Esk. The English forces, led by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, defeated the Scots, killing thousands.
- 1549 – Death of Sir Anthony Denny, Henry VIII’s great friend and groom of the stool, at Cheshunt. He was buried in St Mary’s Church, Cheshunt.
- 1557 – Execution of Joyce Lewis (née Curson and other married name Appleby, Lady Appleby), Protestant martyr, at Lichfield. She was burned at the stake for her Protestant beliefs.
A very elaborate baptism, Elizabeth was being given the full treatment in recognition of her status as Henrys heir and legitimate daughter, in his and Anne new world. Reading the source, the majority of those taking a starring role, the Duchess of Norfolk, the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, Marcheness of Dorset, were biting their tounges and towing the line as they disapproved of this marriage. They have no choice of course, they may be loyal to Henry, but they have reasons not to support Anne, connection to Katherine and the old order, personal stuff with Anne, but they were too afraid to risk Henry’s anger further and swallowed their pride in accepting the situation. With Cromwell breathing down their necks and Henry flexing his muscles you either put up and shut up or risked life in the Tower. It must have been enormously satisfying to see the old nobility and the normally outspoken Suffolk bowing and honouring Anne’s daughter.