Sunday Short Takes

I had a really busy week and lots of interesting stories that should have had dedicated blog posts came along, but unfortunately I just didn’t have the time to write them up. So, you get a massive link dump today instead. 🙂

* Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in World – The electronic journal database JSTOR has opened up, for free access, content for which the copyright has expired.

* Oxford research ‘recreates’ Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace and A king’s ransom for Nonsuch Palace model – Neat reproduction of the lost palace

* Anne Boleyn gave birth to Princess Elizabeth on September 7th, 1533. Susan Walters Schmid provides an interpretation of Anne Boleyn’s life, who, even almost 500 years after her death, remains an intriguing figure. – Published on the History Today website on Elizabeth I’s birthday

* Mary Queen of Scots necklace on display – the necklace will be on display through October 31 at Annet House Museum in Linlithgow, Scotland

* Quadripartite Indenture – Indenture between Henry VII and the monks of Westminster Abbey from 1504 featured on the British Library’s Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog

* McMullen Museum hosts rare treasures of British history – A great chance to see some Tudor and other British history treasures on display in the US. More information from the museum

From the “I really should pick up a lottery ticket department”:

* Homes of the Week: Castle Lodge, Ludlow – Just outside the walls of Ludlow Castle

* Up for sale at

Picture of the Week #140

Queen Elizabeth’s Oak, Greenwich Park. Photo May 1998.

The oak was thought to have been planted in the 12th century and got the name “Queen Elizabeth’s Oak” due to a tradition linking it to her parents, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. This seemed an appropriate pick for the anniversary of Elizabeth’s birth at Greenwich Palace.

Sunday Short Takes

* Elsyng Palace history unearthed as tile found on site in Forty Hall, Enfield – Archaeologists have unearthed a piece of Enfield history on a dig at the former palace of Henry VIII.

* Helen Castor on Queens and Power – Five Books interview at The Browser

* A Tudor Bestiary – From the great How to be a Retronaut site

* From the Historic Royal Palaces learning blog – Podcast series now available to download!

* And from the HRP’s relaunched gift shop site: Henry USB – in case you’ve always wanted to have Henry VIII sticking out of the site of your computer. They have lots of other Tudor-related stuff, some of it REALLY nice, but this one in particular gave me a chuckle.

* It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these – WANT: Stable Cottage, Old Palace Yard, Richmond, Surrey – It’s a little smaller than some of the previous places that I’ve posted about, but in this case it’s all about location!

The Elizabethans by A.N. Wilson

I missed at least one (and I’m sure many more) book in the batch I posted about last weekend, but that turned out to be a good thing since The Daily Mail has been publishing articles based on the book this week (compete with sensationalist headlines!). This book is out this week in the UK and in October in the US (I’ve put the ordering links for both below, although the US one may not be useful at the moment).

* Virgin Queen? She was a right royal minx! The outrageous flirting, jealous rages and nightly visits to a courtier’s bedroom of Elizabeth I

* Pirate who plundered Elizabeth’s heart: How Walter Raleigh’s silver tongue and broody looks bewitched the Virgin Queen

* Elizabeth I and the men she loved: How the Queen gave an Essex toyboy her heart, then lopped off his head

Sunday Short Takes

Yes, they’re back! I think the relatively slow summer news time is past and things are starting to pick up again.

* Archive discovery reveals the identity of Yorkist footsoldier at the Battle of Bosworth – Historians searching through a medieval register at Norfolk Records Office last week revealed the will of Thomas Longe, made on August 16 1485, which they say gives them the first positive ID of an ordinary Yorkist soldier involved in the Battle of Bosworth.

* Simon Forman: The Astrologer’s Tables – Lauren Kassell reveals how the casebooks, diaries and diagrams of the late-16th-century astrologer Simon Forman provide a unique perspective on a period when the study of the stars began to embrace modern science.

* Tudor dress hook treasure – A Tudor silver gilt dress hook believed to be more than 400 years old was pronouned to be treasure at an inquest in Lynn.

* It’s Nostra-dumbass! Astrologer predicted Henry VIII would marry well and take care of the church – A medieval astrologer who predicted that Henry VIII would have a happy marriage and be a devoted servant to the Catholic church must have been gazing at anything other than the stars.
(Noted in the article – this is the same astrologer who said that Elizabeth of York would live to be 80. She died at age 37.)

* And finally, some YouTube videos of note! Claire of The Anne Boleyn Files has uploaded two new videos on Anne Boleyn’s Appearance and Anne Boleyn’s Prison and Execution Spot to her YouTube Channel. Also, the creator of AskMeHistoryStuff alerted me to several Tudor-related videos on her channel. Check them out!

Upcoming lectures, classes, exhibitions and books

I’m way overdue for a round-up of upcoming lectures, events, books, etc. I’ll try to do these periodically to catch stuff a few weeks before they come out – so in late September I’ll catch the rest of the October things and maybe stuff coming in early November, and so forth. I have finally put together a spreadsheet where I can keep track of all these things! I know there will be some I miss, but I’ll do my best. 🙂

A couple of upcoming National Portrait Gallery talks of interest: September 1 – Alison Weir “Images of Tudor Queens” and October 6 – John Cooper “The Queen’s Agent” (about Francis Walsingham, Secretary to Elizabeth I)

This fall’s Adult Learning events at Hampton Court Palace from Historic Royal Palaces focuses on Elizabeth I. See the website for full details.

And Thereby Hangs a Tale – A new exhibition exploring the mysteries surrounding Anne and William’s marriage. From September 15, 2011 to January 29, 2012 at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon

Mary I finally joins the Yale English Monarchs Series this month in the UK and next month in the US. More information from Yale University Press and Amazon US and UK affiliate links below:

Picture of the Week #137

Axe and block in the Tower of London. Photo May 2003.

The block seen here is made of oak and weighs 56.75 kg (125 lbs) and probably dates from the 18th century. The axe is thought to be one of the four noted in the Tower inventory from the 17th century, but may date from the 16th century.

Blanche Parry and Elizabeth I 2012 calendar

In celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Ruth Richardson, author of Mistress Blanche: Queen Elizabeth I’s Confidante, has put together a limited edition calendar featuring images related to Elizabeth I and Blanche Parry. Proceeds from the calendar will benefit Becton Church in Hertfordshire, which has ties to Blanche and her family.

This calendar commemorates the Diamond Jubilee of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, 2012. Through the generosity of the Queen it includes the gorgeous portrait of Princess Elizabeth, c.1546, in her red and gold dress. The Marquess of Salisbury generously allowed the Rainbow portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, the portrait of Lord Burghley (Blanche’s cousin) and a photograph of Hatfield Old Palace to be used. The other pictures show: Blanche Parry’s St. Margaret’s Church (Westminster) tomb, her Bacton monument, Queen Elizabeth I’s Presence Chamber, the frontispiece of the 1588 Welsh Bible, Llangorse Lake + 1584 map, the site of Newcourt + drawing of the house, Bacton Church and Dore Abbey. We are most grateful to all the picture owners. Each picture has an explanatory paragraph describing the picture’s relevance. The front and back covers of the calendar, plus details of all the pictures, can be seen on www.blancheparry.com

More information and instructions on how to order are available at http://www.blancheparry.com/calendar_release.shtml

Picture of the Week #135

Gold medal from 1545 with image of Henry VIII. Photo May 1998.

This is one of a number of Tudor coins and medals on display in the British Museum (as of 2003 – the last time I was there). The text around the edge is Latin that translates to: “Henry VIII, King of England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, and under Christ the supreme head on earth of the Church of England and Ireland.”. The same text is written in Hebrew and Greek on the other side.

Apologies for blog downtime

Just wanted to post a short note apologizing if anyone has had trouble accessing the blog today. I was messing around with some stuff “under the hood” and it made the WordPress database hiccup a little. Everything seems to be working okay now, but let me know if there are any problems. There is a small chance it will do it again while I’m playing around with stuff, but if there is any downtime it shouldn’t be for more than half an hour.

Thanks for your patience!

BBC History Magazine Tudor issue, podcasts and audiobook

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that BBC History Magazine had a Tudor history special issue coming, and it’s now out in the UK. (I’ve found it usually takes a few weeks to a month to show up on newstands and in bookstores in the US – if anyone has already seen it in the States please post in the comments!)

In addition to the issue, BBC History Magazine launched their first audiobook, a guide to the Tudor Kings and Queens.

More information:

The audiobook features interviews with five leading historians of the period, with each expert discussing the life and times of one of the Tudor monarchs.

* Dr Steven Gunn of Oxford University starts us off with Henry VII

* Professor George Bernard of Southampton University introduces us to Henry VIII

* Reading University

Sunday Short Takes

Just a few short links today since I have several things that I want to dedicate their own posts to in the next few days…

* In honor of the final Harry Potter movie, a Tudor recipe for Buttered Beere from Historical Foods

* Rare portraits of England’s early monarchs in London display – More from the Making Art in Tudor Britain research project of the National Portrait Gallery

* All the King