Claire | April 24, 2014
On 24th April 1536, Henry VIII approved the setting up of two commissions of oyer and terminer by Sir Thomas Audley, his Lord Chancellor and Thomas Cromwell’s right hand man. ‘Oyer and terminer’ comes from the French ‘to hear and to determine’ and denotes a legal commission formed to investigate and prosecute serious criminal offences, […]
Claire | April 23, 2014
St George’s day, 23 April 1536, brought the first outward sign that the Boleyns were losing their influence. George was expected to receive the Order of the Garter, the pinnacle honour of the realm, and his sister strongly supported him. George had been nominated the previous year and had received a reasonable amount of support, […]
Claire | April 13, 2014
Yesterday I wrote about Anne Boleyn attending Easter Eve mass as Queen and now we fast-forward three years and find her taking part in Easter celebrations just over a month before her execution. On the 13th April 1536, Maundy Thursday, Anne Boleyn did her duty as Queen, distributing Maundy money (alms) and washing the feet […]
Claire | June 2, 2013
On Friday 2nd June 1536, Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, made her first public appearance at Greenwich. Sir John Russell recorded this in a letter to Lord Lisle: “On Friday last [2nd June] the Queen sat abroad as Queen, and was served by her own servants, who were sworn that same day. The King […]
Claire | April 18, 2013
On this day in 1536, Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, was tricked into acknowledging Anne Boleyn as Queen.Chapuys supported Catherine of Aragon and always referred to her as “Queen” and Anne Boleyn as either “the lady” or “the concubine”. He had managed to avoid acknowledging Anne’s status for three years but Henry VIII and Anne […]
Claire | April 29, 2012
For those of you who don’t know, I’m posting a daily event on the timeline over at www.thefallofanneboleyn.com in my countdown to the execution of Anne Boleyn 1536. Please do check it on a daily basis and follow the chain of events that led to the executions of an innocent woman and five innocent men. […]
Claire | May 11, 2011
Just as the Grand Jury of Middlesex met at Westminster yesterday, the Grand Jury of Kent met today in front of Chief Justice John Baldwin and six of his colleagues at Deptford. They met to rule on the alleged crimes committed by Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry Norris, William Brereton, Sir Francis Weston, George Boleyn (Lord […]
Claire | May 9, 2011
News on the Tudor Court grapevine is that the sheriffs of London were instructed to assemble a grand jury of “discreet and sufficient persons”1 to make a decision on alleged offences committed at Whitehall and Hampton Court Palace. Apparently, they have managed to organise a jury of 48 men who will go before the Chief […]
