Claire | May 1, 2022
This day in 1536 was the day of the annual May Day joust. All seemed normal and happy, and nobody watching could have known that the leaders of the challengers and defenders would soon be imprisoned. Find out what happened at the joust at Greenwich, and what happened when the king left abruptly with his […]
Claire | May 1, 2013
The May Day joust of 1st May 1536 should have been like every other May Day joust. It should have been a day of celebration, of fun and joy. Instead, it was to be the first outward sign that something was wrong in Tudor Paradise. Anne Boleyn sat watching the May Day jousting at Greenwich […]
Claire | May 1, 2012
What should have been a fun day, a celebration, turned into a nightmare for Henry Norris, Henry VIII’s Groom of the Stool and good friend. The day started well, with Norris leading the defenders and George Boleyn the challengers, but then Norris’s horse refused to run. Fortunately, this did not ruin the joust because the […]
Claire | May 1, 2011
Although the King and Queen’s Progress to Dover, to inspect the new harbour and fortifications there, has been cancelled, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that the traditional May Day joust was going ahead. With everything that is going on at court at the moment, it was thought that it would […]
Claire | May 1, 2010
(or Henry Norris with the dead men’s shoes at the May Day Joust!) The May Day joust of the 1st May 1536 should have been like every other May Day joust, it should have been a day of celebration, of fun and joy, instead it was to be the first outward sign that something was […]
