Wolf Hall in 1539, William the Grubber, Cryptic Last Words and Book Launch Party! (you're invited)

In the summer of 1539, a robust man wearing expensive clothing and a velvet cap with a feather dismounted his horse and surveyed the sprawling mansion in front of him. Henry VIII had arrived at Wolf Hall in Wiltshire, the home of the Seymour family, to be hosted and entertained. Edward and Anne Seymour, the house’s residents, were well aware of the challenges of hosting a royal visit, having to lodge and feed Henry’s ever-growing trail of ambassadors, servants and courtiers, as well as the king himself. They had been Henry’s in-laws, Edward the brother of Queen Jane Seymour, who had died after childbirth in 1537.

Servants would have been busy preparing for the visit at Wolf Hall long before the king left London. We even know some of their names, thanks to a surviving book of accounts. Sir James was a priest in the family’s private chapel, while Vince was Keeper of the Home Park. ‘William the Grubber’ helped keep the gardens in shape, while a woman named Awdry was the family’s laundress, earning £1 per year. Sadly, Wolf Hall no longer survives today, but it was amazing to trace not only the Seymours but also some of their staff and servants, along with their individual roles in a distinguished and busy family home. You can read more about Henry’s visit in 1539 here.

Speaking of the Seymours, Power Couples of the Tudor Era is now out in bookshops, on Amazon and at the Pen and Sword website. I talk about Anne and Edward in detail, along with the power they wielded and how they worked as a cohesive and formidable force in the mid-sixteenth century. Their story also tells us a lot about Tudor attitudes to women and wives, too. There are eight other couples where I try to bust myths, right untruths and argue that many of the era’s events were actually down to the work of couples rather than individuals.

Over on the blog I’ve also been looking at the life of Elizabeth (‘Bessie’) Blount, the mother of Henry’s illegitimate prince, born in 1519 during his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. I also stopped off at a historic pub in Hampshire, examined the effigy and tomb of Richard Beauchamp in St Mary’s Church, Warwick, and read a book about the 1970s reconstruction of a sixth century voyage to America in a leather boat. There was another post about John Flamsteed, Royal Astronomer to Charles II, a stunning list of jewels in an inventory made for Princess Mary, the future Mary I, and the tale of Mary Edmonson, a woman accused of murder in Georgian Britain. Finally, I had a look at claims surrounding Charles I’s cryptic last words, uttered before his execution in 1649.

In more news, if you’d like to come along to my book launch for Power Couples of the Tudor Era I’d love to see you there. Here are all the details. There will be Tudor-themed mocktails and cocktails developed by the team at the Angel Bar in Caversham (Reading), some nibbles, book signings and two of my lovely friends modelling historically accurate reconstructions of Tudor gowns. They’re made by Lisa from After Elizabeth, a historic dressmaker and dresser of film, TV and the costumed guides at Hampton Court Palace! To book your book (!) order your copy from Alex at FourBears Books who will get it reserved for you to be signed on the day. He has Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses books available too. I’d love to see you. The Angel Bar is a 15-min walk from Reading Railway Station or there’s limited parking in Caversham town centre behind the bar or in nearby carparks. If you’re coming let me know and I’ll save you a treat :)

Tomorrow paid subscribers will receive a newsletter about a truly forgotten character of history that I’ve found in the sources this month, so look out for that if you’re all paid up. Remember on a paid plan you receive some of the more obscure and time-consuming research I’ve done, and can also access all previous issues of this newsletter, including the bonus ones. If you’re not a paid subscriber and want to be, sign up below…

I’ll see you in July. In the meantime keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and over on TikTok if you’re there. Thanks for following. x