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Claire | May 11, 2014
On 11th May 1536, the Grand Jury of Kent met at Deptford in front of Sir John Baldwin (Chief Justice of the Common Pleas), Sir Walter Luke and five other Justices to rule on the alleged crimes of Queen Anne Boleyn, Sir Henry Norris, Sir William Brereton, Sir Francis Weston, George Boleyn (Lord Rochford) and […]
Claire | May 5, 2014
On 5th May 1536, Sir Thomas Wyatt, the Elder, the renowned court poet, and Sir Richard Page, a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, were arrested and imprsoned in the Tower of London. There were now 8 prisoners in the Tower of London in the coup against the Boleyns: Anne Boleyn, George Boleyn, Mark Smeaton, Sir […]
Claire | May 3, 2014
After hearing the news of Queen Anne Boleyn’s arrest, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer wrote a letter to Henry VIII. In it, he was very diplomatic; he expressed his shock at the news of his patroness anf friend, but also expressed his full support of the King: “Have come to Lambeth, according to Mr. Secretary’s letters, to […]
Claire | April 29, 2014
On 29th April 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn had two encounters which would be twisted and used as evidence against her. The first involved musician Mark Smeaton. According to Mrs Stonor, one of the ladies chosen to attend Anne Boleyn during her imprisonment in the Tower, Anne said of Smeaton: “I never spake with him since, […]
Claire | April 28, 2014
Something was definitely brewing at King Henry VIII’s court in late April 1536. Two commissions of oyer and terminer had been set up, writs for Parliament had been issued and now the King’s council was meeting on a daily basis.1 Meanwhile, according to Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, Sir Nicholas Carew was advising and coaching […]
Claire | April 27, 2014
On 27th April 1536, writs were issued summoning Parliament, and a letter was sent to Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, asking him to attend Parliament: “Summons to the archbishop of Canterbury to attend the Parliament which is to meet at Westminster, 8 June; and to warn the prior and chapter of his cathedral and […]
Claire | April 27, 2014
On 27th April 1536, John Stokesley, Bishop of London, was consulted for advice regarding the King wanting to abandon Anne Boleyn. Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, was told the news by Geoffrey Pole and passed it on to Charles V: “The brother of lord Montague told me yesterday at dinner that the day before the […]
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, […]
