King Elizabeth – part 1

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn but while they were still married, Henry’s eye caught the fancy of another woman, Jane Seymour, which left him in a bit of a pickle. Could the king get another divorce so soon after divorcing Catherine of Aragon a mere three years […]

Prophecy against Henry VIII – Part 3

Friar Peto The second prophecy, which came to pass, was one extended by Friar William Peto, head of the Franciscan Observants and who was one of Catherine of Aragon’s and her daughter, Mary’s confessors. During an Easter sermon at the Franciscan chapel in Greenwich on 31 March 1532, instead of preaching about the death and […]

Prophecies against Henry VIII – Part 2

Elizabeth Barton Sister Barton did not know when to leave well enough alone and in 1532, she vocally started opposing the King’s plans to annul his marriage to Catherine. Whether she truly believed she was relaying the Virgin Marys opinion or whether it was her own opinion, or that of Bocking, her statements concerning Henrys […]

Prophecies against Henry VIII – Part 1

Elizabeth Barton Elizabeth Barton was a Renaissance Nun whose outlandish prophecies against King Henry would eventually lead to her execution. But was she an ecstatic as the Church claimed? Or merely a pretender? In 1525, a 19-year-old Elizabeth Barton was working as a servant girl when she became ill and started falling in and out […]

Codpieces – Renaissance vanity or necessity – Part 2

Best known for having 6 wives in his desperate attempt to have a male heir and for executing a fair amount of people, wives, friends as well as rivals. Another claim to fame was that he possessed the largest collection of tapestries depicting historic, religious and mythical figures, all of whom he identified with; and […]

Codpieces – Renaissance vanity or necessity – Part 1

Codpieces briefly reared their head during the renaissance period and reached their peak in 1550’s. Every man who donned a pair of leggings wore a codpiece, regardless of age, sexual orientation or religious persuasion. For some reason, fashionistas of the 1500’s thought that a man running around in a pair of leggings with a short […]

Jane Boleyn – Condemner of Queens – Part 3

After the tragic beheading of Anne and George, Jane moved to the countryside but was soon recalled back to the Kings court and made Lady of the Bedchamber to Jane Seymour who had become the third wife of King Henry. Unfortunately, Jane Seymour died a couple of days after giving birth to a son, named […]

Jane Boleyn – Condemner of Queens – Part 2

But where was Jane Boleyn during all this? Stuck in a loveless, childless marriage to the intelligent, good looking George, who was a palace courtier during the early reign of King Henry VIII and a firm favourite of the King due to his quick wit and intelligence. George Boleyn was regularly mentioned in the palace […]

Jane Boleyn – Condemner of Queens – Part 1

Jane Parker, who was a distant cousin of King Henry VIII, came from a wealthy, well-connected, politically active and respected family and through an arranged marriage, became the wife of George Boleyn. George was best friends with the sexually insatiable King Henry who would one day actively pursue a pretty young girl called Anne, who […]

Sin Eaters & other macabre events – Part 2

So with the multitude of people dying, Sin Eaters could pick and choose whose funeral feast they wish to partake in and understandably they probably selected the more affluent for a better quality bread and grog However, with all the imbibing going on at the cemetery and unless the grieving family wanted an inebriated Sin […]