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She notoriously accused both her husband- George Boleyn, and his sister- Anne Boleyn of incest and treason which sent them both to the executioner's block. She later testified against Anne of Cleves , which could (but didn't) have resulted in the latter's death and then against Catherine Howard , which sent both Lady Rochford and Catherine Howard to their death. This woman is rarely spoken about but she was lady-in-waiting to five of Henry VIII's wives. Lady Jane Rochford was born in Norfolk in circa 1505. Her father was Henry Parker, 10th Baron Morley, a court translator and peer; he was knighted at the coronation of Anne Boleyn. Her mother was Alice St. John and her father was a 1st cousin to Henry VII. Jane had two siblings, the first was Margaret Parker, who married Sir John Shelton and the second was Henry Parker, a politician for Hertfordshire. Probably educated at home, Jane went to court to be a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII's first wife- Catherine of Ar...

Henry VIII is probably most famous for marrying six wives:  Catherine of Aragon , Anne Boleyn , Jane Seymour , Anne of Cleves ,  Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr .  But not everyone can remember them just like that, so here's a few ways to remember it. 1. The rhyme This doesn't tell you the names of the wives however it dose tell you what happend to them. Divorced,  Beheaded,  Died,  Divorced,  Beheaded,  Survived. 2. A song  I heard this song and loved it! It is really fun and it helps you to remember the basic information about Henry VII's six wives! 3. Get to know the six wives If you want to know a little more detail about King Henry VIII's six wives, then you can take a look at this blog series by us! 1.  Catherine of Aragon 2.  Anne Boleyn 3.  Jane Seymour 4.  Anne of Cleves 5.  Catherine Howard 6.  Katherine Parr 4. A...

Hever Castle Hever Castle, with its beautiful gardens and well- kept walls, is about 700 year old. It was originally built as a medieval house in 1270.  In the 15th and 16th centurys the castle was residence to one of the most powerful families in England, the Boleyns, who added the Tudor style architecture and furnishings within the walls. Hever Castle is located in Kent, England.  Anne Boleyn , the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, her brother George and their sister Mary spent their early childhood at Hever castle. Their father, the nobleman Thomas Boleyn, inherited the castle from his father in 1505.  Anne of  Cleves  Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, along with her brother George, for incest and adultery and, worst of all, high treason. The court put shame on Thomas Boleyn, and he lived for two more unhappy years until his death in 1538. The castle was then given to the crown. It later formed part of the settlement of  Henry VI...

Less than a month after the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII of England married her former lady- in- waiting: Jane Seymour. Historians believe that Jane was the notorious king's favourite wife because she gave him a son, unfortunately she died twelve days after his birth. Jane Seymour caught the eye of the womanising king when the was the maid of honour to her predecessor as Henry's wife. Apparently she was noticed whilst the royal party were staying at her place of birth- Wulfhall in the summer of 1535. Around that time, Henry began to privately court the woman. When Anne found out, she was outraged as she was jealous of her servant, who was receiving attention, letters and gifts from her rightful husband. Jane did receive gifts but she reportedly sent the majority of them back. Once the French ambassador noticed the romantic couple, the courting became public and Jane's siblings were moved up in court. I imagine that this did not go down too well with Anne Boleyn...

For a few months of his life, King Henry VIII of England was married to two women! The first was his original wife of twenty- four years: Catherine of Aragon; the second was a lady- in- waiting of Catherine: Anne Boleyn.  Henry was desperate for a male heir to keep the Tudor dynasty going, and when Catherine of Aragon grew to old to provide her impatient husband a new baby (she had been through six pregnancies, sadly only one child survived- Mary). Meanwhile one of the queen's ladies had caught the eye of Henry. This lady was the charismatic, intelligent and genteel Anne Boleyn. With this woman, the king was willing to go to great lengths to ensure he married her because, unlike poor Catherine, she was young and, Henry thought, would be able to have lots of lovely sons for him!  We do not know exactly what the new woman in Henry's life looked like, and there is a lot of debate about it bouncing between historians. However, we can take an educated guess about what Ann...

Anne Boleyn was the second unfortunate bride of Henry VIII. It is well known that she met a sticky end on the king's chopping block and it is also quite well known that she was the mother to one of England's greatest monarchs- Elizabeth I, but there has been dispute over what she looked like.   Unlike her sister Mary Boleyn and her mother- in- law Elizabeth of York, Anne was not an English rose. A Medieval and Tudor woman's ideal looks were long blonde hair, bright blue eyes and papery skin that showed the blue veins. If you look at the surviving portraits of Henry's second queen, she has long dark hair, enchanting black eyes and olive skin. She is also said to have had a 'pretty mouth' and a tall and slender stature.  Usually when of Anne Boleyn's appearance, we think of six fingers and warts. It is likely that the propaganda about her ugliness was started by the Catholic propagandist Nicholas Sanders who describes Anne as 'rather tall of sta...

Greensleeves Alas, my love, you do me wrong, To cast me off discourteously. For I have loved you well and long, Delighting in your company. Chorus: Greensleeves was all my joy Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold, And who but my lady greensleeves. Your vows you’ve broken, like my heart, Oh, why did you so enrapture me? Now I remain in a world apart But my heart remains in captivity. Chorus I have been ready at your hand, To grant whatever you would crave, I have both wagered life and land, Your love and good-will for to have. Chorus If you intend thus to disdain, It does the more enrapture me, And even so, I still remain A lover in captivity. Chorus My men were clothed all in green, And they did ever wait on thee; All this was gallant to be seen, And yet thou wouldst not love me. Chorus Thou couldst desire no earthly thing, but still thou hadst it readily. Thy music still to play and sing; ...

On 15th May 1536, Anne Boleyn was found guilty of treason and adultery. Treason was the most severe crime anyone could commit because it was a crime committed against the king or queen and in history, it has been a common belief that the ruler is appointed by God, therefore anyone who commits treason is committing a crime against God. Treason was punishable by death. Anne Boleyn was given the choice, she could either be burnt alive or beheaded. She choose beheading as it was cleaner and was quicker than burning. On 19th May 1536, Anne met her end bravely. She was beheaded by an expert swordsman, brought over especially, to avoid having a blunt axe attempt to sever her head. It is said, that the swordsman decapitated her without her knowing, thankfully it was quick and smooth. The witnesses claimed that it was so quick that her lips were still moving in prayer when her head was removed by a graceful swing of a special sword. We know Anne found guilty of adultery and treason, but the ...

Recently the historian Lucy Worsley (historian and chief curator of Hampton Court Palace, London) completed a documentary/ historical re-enacment program for the BBC, it is currently available on BBC iPlayer. This series is titled: 'Six wives with Lucy Worsley'. The series consists of three episodes, each focusing on a few of Henry VIII's wives at a time. The first is about Catherine of Aragon, the second is about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour and the third is about Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. During the series, Worsley dresses up as a servant and a courtier and re- visits historic events that usually get forgotten but are key events in the downfall of his unfortunate wives. Personally, I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too.  Beth

Rumours have always surrounded the life of Anne Boleyn, the young woman who became King Henry VIII’s second wife in 1533 only beheaded three years later. But among the many mysteries the queen, maybe the most odd one is the claim that she had six fingers on one of her hands. A book was written called the Catholic propagandist Nicholas Sander this is most likely to be the source of this rumour.  Nicholas Sander wrote a few decades after Boleyn’s death, he noted that the queen '' six fingers on her right hand.” Sander described Anne as quite an ugly woman, claiming she had an overhanging tooth and a cyst on the front of her neck These stories slowly wormed their way into Anne Boleyn's reputation.  Sander never saw Boleyn in person.  A Lot of people argue that it’s unlikely that such a  ugly woman would have captured the eye of Henry VIII.  Also in the medieval era, moles and other bodily imperfections were often viewed as signs of devilry and witc...