The Jewels and Personal Possessions of Anne of Cleves

I often feel as though Anne of Cleves is a neglected queen by many of today’s historians. She only held the position for a few months, while Henry quickly divorced her and married her young lady in waiting, Catherine Howard. She is considered one of the wiser, though, of many of his six brides. She accepted the terms of her divorce which came with social recognition, becoming known as the ‘King’s Sister’, as well as some wealth, making her one of the richest women of the Tudor period. On quite a few of our days out I’ve seen buildings that claim to have been owned by the former queen, from the Anne of Cleves pub I used to eat dinner at in the early 2000s in Melton Mowbray, to Hever Castle in Kent, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.

Anne died in 1557, and her will gives us an intimate look at some of the former queen’s most treasured possessions. For someone who is often a forgotten figure I felt it was worth looking at some of these in more detail, like a cheeky look into Anne of Cleves’ jewellery box.