Six Wives of Henry VIII
Page 72
Henry's decision to go through with the marriage is recorded in the State Papers. Hall describes the marriage ceremony and the events immediately afterwards. Henry's inability to consummate the marriage is attested to in the State Papers. For Anne's secretary, seeProceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council.Anne's presence at the jousts is recorded by Hall, who also tells of the return of the foreign nobles to Cleves and Anne's reception in London. For Lord Edmund Howard's letter, see the Lisle Letters. Cromwell's fall is chronicled by Marillac and Hall. The May jousts are referred to in Hall and Stow'sLondon.Anne's banishment to Richmond is mentioned by Hall and Marillac.
Henry's affair with Katherine Howard is detailed by Marillac and Foxe. For her date of birth, see Marillac's dispatches, the Spanish Chronicle, andA Tudor Tragedyby Lacey Baldwin-Smith. The petition for the examination of the validity of the King's marriage to Anne of Cleves is inthe Journals of Parliament for the Reign of Henry VIII(publishedc.1742), and the decision to refer the matter to the clergy is recorded in the State Papers. The debate in the Lords is described inthe Journals of Parliament,as is the annulment of the marriage; for this, see also Hall and Foxe. The reaction of the Duke of Cleves is recorded by Lord Herbert, and his doubts over Henry's treatment of Anne are mentioned in the State Papers. Anne's request to see Elizabeth is referred to by Leti. Anne's contentment is vouched for hy--Marillac. The execution of Cromwell is described by Hall.
Henry VIII's marriage to Katherine Howard is mentioned by Hall and Foxe. Hall also describes the executions of Fetherston, Powell and Abell. Henry's armour in the Tower measures 54" around the girth. Anne of Cleves's merriment and Henry's visit to her are described by Marillac. Katherine's first appearance as Queen is recorded by Hall; her new clothes and caprices are referred to in the Spanish Chronicle. For a description of the Lady Mary, see Marillac's dispatches and the Venetian Calendar. Katherine Howard's household is detailed in the State Papers. The priest's slander is reported in Acts of the Privy Council. Henry's amorous behaviour is attested to by Marillac. Richard Jonas's The Birth of Mankind (1540), a treatise on birth and midwifery, is dedicated to Katherine Howard. The private life of Henry and Katherine is recorded by Marillac, who also gives details of Anne of Cleves's visits to court. Henry's gifts to Katherine are referred to in L & P.
Henry and Katherine's separation in the spring of 1541 is deduced from information in Acts of the Privy Council; Marillac describes the King's depression and illness. The release of Wyatt is mentioned in the Spanish Calendar and the State Papers (note that Chapuys was now back in England). Rumours of a reconciliation between Henry and Anne of Cleves are reported in L & P. Margaret Pole's execution is described by Chapuys. Dereham's appointment as Katherine's secretary, and his row with Mr John are reported in L & P, as are details of the progress of autumn 1541. Marillac mentions Prince Edward's illness. For the testimonies of Lascelles and Hall, see the State Papers. Henry and Katherine's return to Hampton Court is mentioned by Hall, and the thanksgiving service for the King's marriage is referred to in the Acts of the Privy Council. Hall tells of Cranmer's letter to Henry. Henry's initiation of an enquiry into the conduct of the Queen is recorded in Acts of the Privy Council, and the investigations arising from this are recorded in the Spanish Calendar, the Acts of the Privy Council, the State Papers, and L & P.
15
Hall, the Acts of the Privy Council, and the State Papers describe Katherine's banishment to Syon and her life there. The discharge of her household is related in Wriothesley's Chronicle. For the Council being informed of the proceedings against the Queen, and the debates over the action to be taken, see the State Papers and Proceedings of the Privy Council. The interrogations and testimonies of the suspects and witnesses are recorded in the State Papers,L & P,and Hall's Chronicle. Pollino mentions Culpeper's beauty.L& Prefers to Katherine being deprived of the trappings of queenship and degraded. The arraignment of her lovers is described in Marillac's dispatches,L & Pand the State Papers. Marillac and Chapuys both testify to Henry's grief. His refusal to commute Dereham's sentence is recorded in the State Papers and Acts of the Privy Council. Dereham's confession, obtained under torture, is in the State Papers. Harpsfield says people were saying that Katherine and Dereham were worthy to be hanged one against the other. The State Papers report the rumours of Anne of Cleves's pregnancy. For the execution of Katherine's lovers, see Hall and Wriothesley. The account of Nikander Nucius in the Spanish Calendar (1546) is the authority for the heads of the Queen's lovers being displayed on spikes on London Bridge.
The committal of members of the Howard family to the Tower, their arraignments and their ultimate fates are all described in the State Papers, the Acts of the Privy Council, the journals of Parliament and Hall's Chronicle. For Henry's advancing stoutness, see Marillac. Hall records the passing of the Act of Attainder for treason against the Queen and Lady Rochford; the Act is in the House of Lords Record Office. Chapuys and the Journals.of Parliament report Katherine's refusal to plead before the Lords. The Spanish Calendar describes Katherine's last days at Syon and speculation as to her fate. Hall and the journals of Parliament confirm that Henry's assent to the Attainder was given under Letters Patent. His recovery from his grief and flirtation with ladies of the court is documented by Chapuys. The journals of Parliament record Katherine being informed of the sentence of death passed on her. Her removal to the Tower is described by Chapuys andL & P;Chapuys tells how she sent for the block. For Otwell Johnson's letters, and Katherine's last days in the Tower, see Barbara Winchester'sTudor Family Portrait(1955), also the Lisle Letters. Katherine's execution is described by Chapuys, Marillac, Hall and Foxe; spurious details are given by the Spanish Chronicle and Leti.
16
The dispatches of Chapuys are one of the chief sources for Henry VIII's domestic life during this period. Henry's health is described by Andrew Boorde inA Breviary of Health(1542; ed. F. J. Furnivall, Early English Texts Society, London, 1870), and his happier frame of mind by Chapuys. For Scottish affairs, see Hall and Byrne. For the affairs of the Lady Mary, see the dispatches of Marillac, the Venetian Calendar and the Spanish Calendar. Negotiations for the marriage of Katherine Parr to Henry Scrope are described by Strickland. For Katherine Parr's Throckmorton relations, see A. L. Rowse'sRaleigh and the Throckmortons(Macmillan, 1962), and for Anne Parr, see Sir Tresham Lever'sThe Herberts of Wilton(1967). Snape Hall is described inCollectanea.For William Parr's matrimonial entanglements, see Hall, the Spanish Calendar and the Complete Peerage. Chapuys records that Henry used emotional blackmail to win Katherine's sympathy. His corpulence is described by Sir John Spelman.
Katherine Parr's religious zeal is mentioned by Foxe, and there is ample evidence for it in the two tracts published by her:Prayers and Meditations(1545) andThe Lamentations of a Sinner(1547). Her character is discussed in the Spanish Calendar, the Spanish Chronicle and Foxe's Book of Martyrs. A poem by her in French is in the Cecil Papers at Hatfield House, and corroborates contemporary references to her ability to speak French. The special licence for her marriage is in the State Papers, and the ceremony itself is described by Hall.
17
For the character of Sir Thomas Seymour, see Hay ward. The character of the Lady Elizabeth is described in theLife of Jane Dormer. Hall records Katherine's wish to marry Seymour. For Katherine's house at Chelsea, see Mary Cathcart Borer'sTwo Villages: The Story of Chelsea and Kensington(W. H. Allen, 1973) and Thea Holme's Chelsea(Hamish Hamilton, 1972). Katherine's marriage to Seymour If is mentioned by Edward VI in his journal, which also refers to the offence taken by Lord Protector Somerset and the Council; see also'' the indictment of Lord Sudeley, 1549, in the State Papers. William' Camden relates the feud between Katherine and the Duchess of ; Suffolk. For a description of Lady Jane Grey, see the letter of Baptist Spinola, 10 July 1553, in the Genoese Archives. There are two excellent modern biographies of Jane: Hester W. Chapman'sLady;Jane Grey(Jonathan Cape, 1962) and Alison Plowden'sLady Jane, Grey and the House of Suffolk(Sidgwick
andjackson, 1985). Udall's praise is recorded in hisThe First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of! Erasmus upon the New Testament(1548).Details of the affair between Seymour and Elizabeth are to be found in the State Papers (Deposition of Katherine Ashley, January 1549, Deposition of Thomas Parry, January, 1549, and Deposition of the Lady Elizabeth, January, 1549). The rumours that Elizabeth bore the Admiral a child are referred to inThe Life of Jane Dormer. Elizabeth's illness is recorded in the State Papers. Sudeley Castle is described by Leland inCollectanea;for Throckmorton's description of it as a second court see Rowse. Katherine's death and funeral are recorded inA Breviate of the Interment of the Lady Katherine Parr,;|hiQueen Dowager, late wife to King Henry VIIIetc.,a manuscript in the Royal College of Arms.
For the later life of Anne of Cleves, the best sources are the State Papers and Strickland, who quotes most of the relevant documents relating to Anne. See also Fuller'sChurch History.For Anne's funeral, see the Cotton MS. Vitellius in the British Library.
The inventory of effects belonging to Katherine Parr's daughter is in the Lansdowne MSS. and is reproduced by Strickland, who also quotes all the evidence for and against the child growing to maturity. The fortunes of Katherine Parr's tomb and corpse are recounted by Treadway Russell Nash inOn the Time of Death and Place of Burial of Queen Katherine Parr(1876), and also by Martiensson and Strickland.
Genealogical Tables (not included)
Photo inserts (not included)