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Category: Tudor History news and events

Sunday Short Takes

Mix of stuff this week!

* Sad news to start with: Robert Hardy, star of Harry Potter and All Creatures Great & Small, dies aged 91 – Although most of the articles I saw focused on his recent work in the Harry Potter films, Tudor history fans will probably also know him from his portrayal of Robert Dudley in the BBC Elizabeth R series.

* And speaking of Harry Potter: Merlin’s beard! Harry Potter’s childhood home in Godric’s Hollow is on the market – This is one of the most historically significant houses in the area, owned from the 14th to the 17th centuries by the de Veres, the richest family in the country after the monarch. – I really wanted to make it to Lavenham when I was in England in 2015 but I just couldn’t fit it in. Another for the “reasons to go again” list!

* Next up – more digging in Leicester!: Archaeologists are set to carry out a dig at Leicester’s Abbey Park – here’s why – The dig is concentrating on discovering more about medieval life at the abbey, but I’m secretly hoping they find the burial of Cardinal Wolsey, who died there while traveling to London. Abbey Park was another place that I had originally hoped to visit when I was in England two years ago but I ended up spending more time at the cathedral and Richard III visitor center than I originally planned so I skipped the Abbey Park to give more time for my visit that afternoon to the Bosworth Battlefield.

* Big announcement – The Tudor Summit 2017 is coming in just a few weeks! I wish I could participate this year but the timing didn’t work out. Hopefully my schedule will actually allow me to join in on in the future!

Join 16th century historians and bloggers at The Tudor Summit 2017 happening online on September 3 and 4!

The Tudor Summit is a two day online event bringing together Tudor history enthusiasts from all over the world to connect with each other, and listen to interviews and lectures from some of the leading Tudor History historians, bloggers, and podcasters. With lecture topics ranging from Tudor portraiture, fashion, and music; to Henry VIII’s wives, and the Princess Mary’s relationships with them, it will be a jam packed and engaging agenda!

The event will be broadcast live on September 3 and 4, starting at 4pm UK time, and registration is free to attend live!

For more information, please visit:
http://www.englandcast.com/the-2017-tudor-history-day-summit/

* The Society of Antiquaries put up a neat video about the volume of the Inventory of Henry VIII from their collections:

* And finally, enjoy a flyover of a digital reconstruction of Edinburgh from 1544

Edinburgh 1544 – Location Compilation from Smart History on Vimeo.

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for August 2017

Books

A nice variety of new books of interest are due out in August!

First up is Amy Licence’s latest work, The Lost Kings: Lancaster, York and Tudor, which is due out August 1 in the UK and in early 2018 in the US.

Next is the latest from On the Tudor Trail’s Natalie Grueninger, Discovering Tudor London: A Journey Back in Time which will be released August 7 in the UK and in December in the US.

Nathen Amin, author of Tudor Wales latest book is House of Beaufort: The Bastard Line that Captured the Crown. It will be released on August 15 in the UK and in early November in the US.

And finally, Tudor Fashion: Dress at Court by Eleri Lynn will be released on August 22 in the UK and will be out in the US on September 12 in the US.

Events

The Bosworth Medieval Festival 2017 is on August 19 and 20 and will feature, among many other things, a talk by Leanda de Lisle on “Tudor: The Family Story”.

Continuing Exhibitions and Displays

Blood Royal: Picturing the Tudor Monarchy opened on July 25 and runs through August 25 at The Society of Antiquaries of London. They now have a virtual version of the exhibition available online.

The Encounter – Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt opened at the National Portrait Gallery, London on July 12 and runs through October 22. Tickets can be booked at the gallery’s website linked above. More about the exhibition:

The creative encounter between individual artists and sitters is explored in this major exhibition featuring portrait drawings by some of the outstanding masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is Power & Portraiture: painting at the court of Elizabeth I opened on June 7 and will run through October 29, 2017 at From the website:

A special display exploring how Elizabeth I and her courtiers used portraits to fashion their public image and promote themselves in a glamorous, dangerous world.

Two spectacular panel paintings by Nicholas Hilliard will be accompanied by loans from the Royal Collection and National Portrait Gallery. Visitors will learn about the scientific and scholarly detective work that has led to this important discovery and will be able to compare it with the famous

Sunday Short Takes

More entries for the “OMG I want to win the lottery and buy this place!” wishlist!

First up is Otley Hall in Suffolk, which was mostly built in the 16th century. You can see the listing at Savills here.

And next is Flemings Hall, also in Suffolk, which has parts dating back to the 14th century with 16th century additions. You can see the listing at Savills here.

In other news:

The Rex Factor podcast will soon be launching a Kickstarter for an animated show, which you can see a teaser trailer for here:

Rex Factor – The Animated Show Teaser Trailer from Tinmouse Animation Studio on Vimeo.

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for July 2017

Books

Elizabeth Norton’s The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History (US title) has been out for a while in the UK and will be out at the beginning of July in the US.

One book I missed a couple of months ago was Houses of Power: The Places that Shaped the Tudor World by Simon Thurley, which was released in the UK in April. I haven’t found any US publishing info yet, but I’ll add it if I do.

In new releases, Owen Tudor: Founding Father of the Tudor Dynasty by Terry Breverton will be out in mid-July in the UK and in October in the US.

Events

Queen of Bradgate celebrations at Bradgate Park – Bradgate Park, which holds the remains of the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey, will be honoring the Nine Days Queen from July 8 to July 16. An overview is available at the link above and at the official website for Bradgate Park.

Tudor Joust is returning to Hampton Court Palace on July 15 and 16. Events will be going on all day on both days and no extra ticketing is required (it is included in the palace admission).

New Exhibitions

Reformation – Shattered World, New Beginnings opened on June 26 (I missed this one last month!) and runs through December 15 at the Senate House Library at the University of London. A video introduction by Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb is embedded above and you can download a digital copy of the exhibition catalogue for free at the website (something I like to see more of for those of us who can’t make it to a lot of these events and don’t want to pay for the expensive shipping to the US!).

The Encounter – Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt opens at the National Portrait Gallery, London on July 12 and runs through October 22. Tickets can be booked at the gallery’s website linked above. More about the exhibition:

The creative encounter between individual artists and sitters is explored in this major exhibition featuring portrait drawings by some of the outstanding masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Blood Royal: Picturing the Tudor Monarchy opens on July 25 and runs through August 25 at The Society of Antiquaries of London. They don’t have a dedicated page for the exhibition yet, but I’ll update the link when they do.

Continuing Exhibitions and Displays

In conjunction with London Art Week, the Weiss Gallery will run a special exhibition Courting Favour: From Elizabeth I to James I from June 26 through July 14, 2017. You can see the catalogue here. A little more about the exhibition:

The centerpiece of the show will be a beautiful portrayal of the youthful Queen Elizabeth I, a bust-length version of the magnificent ‘Hampden’ fulllength, currently on loan to Tate Britain. Displayed either side of the Queen will be portraits of her two great favourites Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.

Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is Power & Portraiture: painting at the court of Elizabeth I opened on June 7 and will run through October 29, 2017 at From the website:

A special display exploring how Elizabeth I and her courtiers used portraits to fashion their public image and promote themselves in a glamorous, dangerous world.

Two spectacular panel paintings by Nicholas Hilliard will be accompanied by loans from the Royal Collection and National Portrait Gallery. Visitors will learn about the scientific and scholarly detective work that has led to this important discovery and will be able to compare it with the famous

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for June 2017

Books

Just one new release this month, Elizabeth of York and Her Six Daughters-in-Law: Fashioning Tudor Queenship, 1485-1547 by Retha Warnike, another volume of the Queenship and Power series. As you may guess from the cost, this is one of the ‘academically priced’ volumes. It will be out June 24 in the UK and in July in the US.

Events

The last of the Power and Performance at Hampton Court Palace events is coming on June 8: Encounters with the Tudors: behind-the-scenes. Ticket information is at the link.

On June 30 is The real Wolfhall – A celebration of its revival and Royal Tudor history at the actual Wolfhall manor house. Click here for more information on the event and how to purchase tickets.

Exhibitions and Displays

Opening on June 7 and running through October 29, 2017 at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is Power & Portraiture: painting at the court of Elizabeth I. From the website:

A special display exploring how Elizabeth I and her courtiers used portraits to fashion their public image and promote themselves in a glamorous, dangerous world.

Two spectacular panel paintings by Nicholas Hilliard will be accompanied by loans from the Royal Collection and National Portrait Gallery. Visitors will learn about the scientific and scholarly detective work that has led to this important discovery and will be able to compare it with the famous

Sunday Short Takes

Yes, finally, another long-overdue news round-up! I thought that I would be able to stay on top of things a lot better after the four major things at work were done, but of course everything that got put off during that time had to be dealt with after. But now I’m in the middle of a two-week stay-at-home vacation to start making a dent in the comp time and vacation hours I have to use before the end of August and I have finally recovered some of my energy.

On to the news!

* ‘Incredibly rare’ William Caxton print discovered – Pages printed more than 500 years ago by William Caxton, who brought printing to England, have been discovered by the University of Reading.

* Did Thomas Seymour sexually abuse the teenage Princess Elizabeth? – In a new series for Channel Five, Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Jones examine the allegation that the teenage Princess Elizabeth was sexually abused by her stepfather, Thomas Seymour. Here, Suzannah Lipscomb considers the evidence

Upcoming Books and Events for May 2017

How can it already be time for the May round-up?!?

Books

Everyday Life in Tudor London: Life in the City of Thomas Cromwell, William Shakespeare & Anne Boleyn by Stephen Porter was released last fall in the UK and on Kindle, but the US hardcover is out on May 1.

Next up is Colouring History: The Tudors by author Natalie Grueninger of On the Tudor Trail and artist Kathryn Holeman is out May 1 in the UK and will be out later this year in the US.

And finally, Tudor Monarchs: Lives in Letters by Andrea Clarke is out on May 11 in the UK and later this summer in the US.

Events

Tudor Queens Day at Gainsborough Old Hall to be held on May 13, 2017 – join authors Alison Weir and Nicola Tallis and local historian Marilyn Roberts for talks on the wives of Henry VIII and Lady Jane Grey. (This is another that I’m posting a month early in case tickets sell out!) PDF flyer with more information, including how to get tickets

This has a listing of a number of events between March and June – Power and Performance at Hampton Court Palace – Join author and historian Lauren Johnson as she hosts an impressive line-up of speakers to explore ideas of power and performance in the lively Tudor court. The next talk is May 10 on “Sacred music and the Reformation”, followed by “Playing the fool” on May 23 by Suzannah Lipscomb. Ticket information is at the link.

Coming up at the end of June is The real Wolfhall – A celebration of its revival and Royal Tudor history at the actual Wolfhall manor house. Click here for more information on the event and how to purchase tickets.

Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for April 2017

Books

A few books that have already been out for a while in the UK will be released in April in the US:

Amy Licence’s Catherine of Aragon: An Intimate Life of Henry VIII’s True Wife is now out in the US after a release last fall in the UK.

Gareth Russell’s Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII was released in January in the UK and will be out on April 4 in the US with the slightly different title Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII

Anne Boleyn in London by Lissa Chapman has been out since October in the UK and will be out later this month in the US.

And a couple of new books are out the month – it looks like the Scottish branch (i.e. descendants of Margaret Tudor) are getting some more attention these days:

Margaret Tudor’s daughter from her second marriage is the subject of So High a Blood: The Life of Margaret, Countess of Lennox by Morgan Ring is out in both the UK and US on April 6:

And Margaret Tudor’s great-granddaughter, Arbella Stuart is featured in Jill Armitage’s Arbella Stuart: The Uncrowned Queen which will be out April 15 in the UK. I don’t see a US release date yet, but I’ll update when if I get more info.

Events

Tudor Queens Day at Gainsborough Old Hall to be held on May 13, 2017 – join authors Alison Weir and Nicola Tallis and local historian Marilyn Roberts for talks on the wives of Henry VIII and Lady Jane Grey. (This is another that I’m posting a month early in case tickets sell out!) PDF flyer with more information, including how to get tickets

This has a listing of a number of events between March and June – Power and Performance at Hampton Court Palace – Join author and historian Lauren Johnson as she hosts an impressive line-up of speakers to explore ideas of power and performance in the lively Tudor court. The next talk is April 25 on “Plays of persuasion”. Ticket information is at the link.

Exhibitions

500 Years of Treasures from Oxford opened at the Washington DC’s Folger Shakespeare Library in February and will run through the end of April.

Sunday Short Takes

More buildings to save your pence for!

* Thornbury Castle, Honeymoon Spot of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, On Sale for $10.3 million – Although since this one is also a hotel, I think I would settle for just staying there instead of buying the whole thing. I know several readers of this site have been there, but it’s still on my ‘to do’ list!

* Barsham Manor House on rightmove – This property in Norfolk intrigues me. Henry VIII apparently stayed there several times and it’s in an area that some of my ancestors are from!

* Knole House has

Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for March 2017

Books

Giles Tremlett’s Isabella of Castile: Europe’s First Great Queen, which was released in February in the UK, will be out on March 7 in the US:

Events

Nicola Tallis, author of Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey will talk about her book at the Bradford on Avon Library on March 9, 2017. Click here for more details

And this has a listing of a number of events between March and June – Power and Performance at Hampton Court Palace – Join author and historian Lauren Johnson as she hosts an impressive line-up of speakers to explore ideas of power and performance in the lively Tudor court. The first talk is March 28 on “Anne Boleyn: musician and composer”. Ticket information is at the link.

Exhibitions

Katharine, England

Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for February 2017

Books

A book slipped past me in January, as I suspected! (surprised there weren’t more…)

First up is The Turbulent Crown: The Story of the Tudor Queens by Roland Hui (and if I may be so presumptuous, a long-time friend of the site!) was released earlier in January in both the UK and US:

And the other new release Giles Tremlett’s Isabella of Castile: Europe’s First Great Queen which is out February 9 in the UK and March 7 in the US. I guess this technically isn’t “Tudor history”, but of course Isabella was Catherine of Aragon’s mother so I say it counts. 🙂

Events

This is actually in March, but I wanted to get it out early:

Nicola Tallis, author of Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey will talk about her book at the Bradford on Avon Library on March 9, 2017. Click here for more details

And this has a listing of a number of events between March and June:

Power and Performance at Hampton Court Palace – Join author and historian Lauren Johnson as she hosts an impressive line-up of speakers to explore ideas of power and performance in the lively Tudor court. The first talk is March 28 on “Anne Boleyn: musician and composer”. Ticket information is at the link.

Exhibitions

Katharine, England

Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for January 2017

Happy 2017! Not a whole lot of things to start the year, but once again, I’m sure I’m missing a lot of stuff!

Books

First of the Tudors by Joanna Hickson was released in December in the UK and will be out at the end of January in paperback in the US (it’s already available as a Kindle book in the US).

And in new releases this month, Gareth Russell’s Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII will be out on January 12 in the UK and will be out in April in the US (wit the slightly different title of Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII).

Events

Peterborough Cathedral’s annual Katherine of Aragon Festival for 2017 will be held from Thursday January 26th through Sunday January 29th.

Sunday Short Takes – Saturday edition

I wanted to get this final round-up of 2016 actually *in* 2016, hence the Saturday post. A lot of stories piled up in the final weeks of 2016 that I never got around to posting, so this is going to be a long one!

* Pembroke Castle study uncovers possible Henry VII birthplace

* Through foreign eyes: the forgotten ambassadors to the Tudor court

* V&A acquires earliest picture of Henry VIII

Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for December 2016

Books

A couple of books that have already been released in the UK are out in the US this month:

Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey by Nicola Tallis will be out December 6 in the US.

And Suzannah Lipscomb’s The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII that came out last year in the UK is finally getting a US release on December 20th.

One new release this month – First of the Tudors a novel about Jasper Tudor by Joanna Hickson is out December 1 in the UK and out early next year in the US (for the paperback release, it looks like you might be able to get the Kindle edition sooner).

And just in time for the holidays – a great gift idea for you or the Tudor-history lover in your life (or just a celebration of saying a big “Adios!!” to 2016) – The Tudor Planner!

Designed by Heather Teysko of the Renaissance English History Podcast, the planner features:

Each monthly page has a quote from a famous Tudor personality, and a This Month in Tudor History highlight. Plus a listening recommendation for an English Renaissance album for that month (because my particular passion is 16th century music). All of the recommendations are in a public Spotify playlist with the link so you can easily listen whenever you like. The weekly pages have events that happened that month in Tudor history.

Click here or the picture above for more information on how to order your own copy!

Continuing Exhibitions

Windsor Castle will host Shakespeare in the Royal Library from February 13 through January 1, 2017 and includes works of Shakespeare collected by the royal family, accounts of performances at Windsor Castle, and art by members of the royal family inspired by Shakespeare’s plays.

Shakespeare Documented – Celebrating 400 years of William Shakespeare with an online exhibition documenting Shakespeare in his own time. The partners in this exhibition include The Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford, The British Library, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and The National Archives. The exhibition will continue to expand throughout the year.

Sunday Short Takes

How about a round-up of some now-very-outdated-news? 🙂

I’ve skipped the “Marlowe as Shakespeare Co-author” news stories since you couldn’t swing a dead poet without hitting those, so here are a few other things from the past month and a half (UGH) that might have slipped past people that I thought were interesting.

* Human bones mystery uncovered at Anglesey church – The bones were discovered during a project to clean and restore a rare alabaster stone tomb at St Gredifael’s Church near Menai Bridge. The tomb at Penmynydd is of Goronwy Tudur and his wife Myfanwy – part of Tudor family dynasty. – I visited the tomb myself back in 2000 so I was pleased to see that the it continues to be cared for. This was also the church where the stained glass window honoring the Tudor dynasty was smashed by vandals and then later restored.

* More than

Upcoming Books, Exhibitions, and Events for November 2016

Books

A few books that have already been released in the UK will be out in the US this month –

First up is The Tudors in 100 Objects by John Matusiak which was released August 1 in the UK and will be out in hardback in the US at the beginning of November:

And Sarah Gristwood’s Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth Century Europe which was released last month in the UK and at the end of this month in the US.

And in new books this month, Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey by Nicola Tallis is out November 3 in the UK and will be out December 6 in the US.

Events

The second of this fall’s BBC History Magazine’s History Weekends is in York from November 18th to 20th.

Continuing Exhibitions

Ending soon – Will & Jane opened on August 6 and will run through November 6 and is the final of three exhibitions at the Folger Shakespeare Library, in addition to other events, during their year-long Wonder of Will celebrations.

Windsor Castle will host Shakespeare in the Royal Library from February 13 through January 1, 2017 and includes works of Shakespeare collected by the royal family, accounts of performances at Windsor Castle, and art by members of the royal family inspired by Shakespeare’s plays.

Shakespeare Documented – Celebrating 400 years of William Shakespeare with an online exhibition documenting Shakespeare in his own time. The partners in this exhibition include The Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford, The British Library, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and The National Archives. The exhibition will continue to expand throughout the year.