Claire | April 30, 2022
On this day in Tudor history, 30th April 1536, court musician Mark Smeaton was arrested and taken to the home of Henry VIII’s right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell. What happened to him there over the next 24 hours is not known, but he ended up confessing to sleeping with Queen Anne Boleyn on three occasions. On […]
Claire | April 24, 2021
On this day in 1536, Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII, set up two commissions of oyer and terminer, one for the county of Middlesex and one for the county of Kent. What were these commissions and what did they have to do with the fall of Anne Boleyn, if anything? Find […]
Claire | April 24, 2019
As promised, here is the first video in my “The Fall of Anne Boleyn” video series for the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society YouTube channel. I’ll be doing these every day, up to an including 19th May. On this day in 1536, Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII, set up two […]
Claire | April 24, 2018
On this day in history, 24th April 1536, Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, set up two commissions of oyer and terminer, one for the county of Middlesex and the other for Kent. These commissions were used to investigate and prosecute serious crimes, including treason. On 10th May 1536, the Grand Jury of […]
Claire | April 24, 2017
On this day in history, 24th April 1536, two commissions of oyer and terminer were set up by Sir Thomas Audley, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, for the counties of Middlesex and Kent. “What on earth were commissions of oyer and terminer?” You may ask. Well, the term came from the French for “to hear and […]
Claire | April 24, 2016
.On 24th April 1536, six days before the first arrest in the fall of Anne Boleyn, two commissions of oyer and terminer were set up by Sir Thomas Audley, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, for the counties of Middlesex and Kent. ‘Oyer and terminer’ comes from the French ‘to hear and to determine’ and denotes a […]
Claire | April 24, 2015
On 24th April 1536, two commissions of oyer and terminer were set up by Sir Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor. ‘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, such as treason, committed in a particular county. These particular commissions […]
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, […]
