historicall.y

'Eliza Rose' is a historical novel for teenage girls written by Lucy Worsley. It is set in the late reign of Henry VIII and is about a young girl who is sent to court by her guardian, the Duchess of Northumberland, with her cousin- Catherine Howard. This is a thrilling tale of love and betrayal in the boisterous court of King Henry VIII as he marries his fifth wife Catherine Howard. I would highly recommend this to any historical novel lover because this is excellent. 

This is a true story that happened in a small Suffolk village in 1828. It is rather grim and makes me feel sick at the same time as sending shivers down my spine. It has been turned into melodrama plays, songs and stories. There are many different versions of this tale and this is just two of them. Also Mariah is sometimes known as Maria. Beth William Corder was a famous womaniser, from a wealthy Suffolk family. Mariah Marten was the village beauty, daughter of the local mole catcher. Apparently, Corder wished to meet Mariah in the Red Barn. But he told her to come dressed in men's clothing. That in itself seems rather suspicious. Mariah went off and arrived at the barn. Whilst she was waiting, Corder entered carrying a pistol and shot her. He then buried her in the barn. Then Corder left for London and wrote to Mariah's father telling him that they were happy and married on the Isle of Wight. A year later, a gruesome discovery was made. Mariah's body... 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