Category: William Brereton
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May 17 – The ends of George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton

| May 17, 2022

May 17 – The ends of George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton

While King Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was being declared null and void by Archbishop Cranmer at Lambeth, executions were taking place on Tower Hill. On this day in 1536, 17th May, George Boleyn, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were executed for high treason after being found guilty […]

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: Day-7

| May 12, 2020

The Fall of Anne Boleyn: Day-7

On this day in history, 12th May 1536, just twelve days after the first arrest in the fall of Anne Boleyn, four men were taken to Westminster Hall and tried for treason. Their names were Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton. All four men were found guilty. Let me explain […]

12 May 1536 – 4 men are tried for high treason – The Fall of Anne Boleyn

| May 12, 2019

12 May 1536 – 4 men are tried for high treason – The Fall of Anne Boleyn

On this day in 1536, 12th May, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were tried for high treason at Westminster Hall. Spoiler alert – they were all found guilty and condemned to death. I explain more in today’s video. I’m doing these “Fall of Anne Boleyn” videos daily until 19th […]

4 May 1536 – Two more men in the Tower of London and one man receives a message of comfort

| May 4, 2018

4 May 1536 – Two more men in the Tower of London and one man receives a message of comfort

By 4th May 1536, there were four new prisoners in the Tower of London implicated in the same plot against the king: Queen Anne Boleyn; her brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford; Sir Henry Norris, Henry VIII’s groom of the stool; and Mark Smeaton, a court musician. On 4th May, two more were added to their […]

17 May 1536 – Who were the men who were executed in May 1536?

| May 17, 2017

17 May 1536 – Who were the men who were executed in May 1536?

In the “bloody days”, as Thomas Wyatt called them, of May 1536, not only was a queen executed, but also five courtiers. If we believe that Queen Anne Boleyn was innocent of all charges then these five men were innocent too and deserve to be remembered just as we remember Anne. Five families were rocked […]

17 May 1536 – Pray for the souls of those be dead and gone

| May 17, 2017

17 May 1536 – Pray for the souls of those be dead and gone

On this day in history, Wednesday 17th May 1536, five courtiers were beheaded on Tower Hill. Their names: Mark Smeaton, William Brereton, Sir Francis Weston, Sir Henry Norris and George Boleyn, Lord Rochford. Their crime: high treason; they had been found guilty of having sexual relations with Queen Anne Boleyn and of plotting with her […]

12 May 1536 – A trial and a hostile jury

| May 12, 2017

12 May 1536 – A trial and a hostile jury

On this day in history, 12th May 1536, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were taken by barge from the Tower of London to Westminster and tried in Westminster Hall for high treason. The four men were tried by a special commission of oyer and terminer and any hopes of […]

4 May 1536 – 2 more arrests and a letter of comfort

| May 4, 2017

4 May 1536 – 2 more arrests and a letter of comfort

4th May 1536 saw two more courtiers becoming prisoners at the Tower of London: Sir Francis Weston, a gentleman of Henry VIII’s privy chamber and a favourite of the king, and William Brereton, a prominent man in Cheshire and North Wales. There were now six people in the Tower as part of Thomas Cromwell’s investigation […]

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