Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII. They married in secret on the 25th January 1533 at Whitehall Palace, after what had seemed a long and passionate (and somewhat drawn out) love affair. According to Edward Hall, the chronicler they had already married in secret previously on the 14th November 1532.
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| Anne Boleyn, Unknown Artist, NPG, 1533-1536 |
It is clear that Henry was besotted by her and this can be seen in some of the 17 surviving love letters that he sent to Anne. It is clear to see just how infatuated Henry was from the below letter written in his own hand (we know Henry was not a great fan of writing, and found it tedious) to her on the 21st July 1528:
"The approach of the time which has been delayed so long delights me so much that it seems almost already come. Nevertheless, the entire accomplishment cannot be till the two persons meet; which meeting is more desired on my part than anything in the world, for what joy can be so great as to have the company of her who is my most dear friend, knowing likewise that she does the same. Judge then what will that personage do whose absence has given me the greatest pain in my heart, which neither tongue nor writing can express, and nothing but that can remedy. Tell your father on my part that I beg him to abridge by two days the time appointed that he may be in court before the old term, or at least upon the day prefixed; otherwise I shall think he will not do the lover's turn as he said he would, nor answer my expectation. No more, for want of time. I hope soon to tell you by mouth the rest of the pains I have suffered in your absence. Written by the hand of the secretary, who hopes to be privately with you, &c."
We do not know if Anne was in love with Henry during their initial courtship or whether she was pushed forwards by her family for their advancement as some people have proposed etc. We do know that she managed to prolong his infatuation with her by stating that she would not become his mistress, only his wife and queen. It is believed that Anne took this approach as she had seen her sister Mary Boleyn become a mistress to both King Francis I of France and Henry VIII himself, with them both later discarding her. Also her upbringing in the Burgundian and French Courts under Margaret of Austria and Queen Claude of France provided her with a first hand account of how one's life could be destroyed by becoming a royal mistress.
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| Mary Boleyn |
We know that the couple were fond of giving each other presents (especially on Henry's part). Even when they were married the King still gave Anne gifts, and vice versa. These gifts could be full of symbolism or contain heraldic arms or crests.
We know that a silver and gilt cup was made for Anne Boleyn in 1535 (a year before her execution on the 19th May 1536 at the Tower of London) with her crest on, what we do not is know who gave it to her (if anyone did), or if Henry had it made for her as a gift etc. I however personally believe it was a gift/love-token from Henry.
We know that a silver and gilt cup was made for Anne Boleyn in 1535 (a year before her execution on the 19th May 1536 at the Tower of London) with her crest on, what we do not is know who gave it to her (if anyone did), or if Henry had it made for her as a gift etc. I however personally believe it was a gift/love-token from Henry.
We do know that the cup survived Anne's legacy (nearly all traces of her existence were erased) and was passed onto her daughter the young princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I, queen of England), who in turn later gave it to her physician Richard Master when she was queen. It has always seemed somewhat alien to me that she would have done that, given the fact she kept the Chequers ring that experts think contains her mothers portrait - perhaps it was because she couldn't conceal this connection, and thought it best not to promote it? Who knows. Richard Master, then gave it to St John the Baptist's Parish Church in Cirencester, Gloucestershire where it has resided ever since.
A wall safe (with seven different locks) was provided for the cup (known as the Boleyn cup, because of it's connection with Anne Boleyn, and the fact it displays her crest) in 1968 where it was then put on permanent display to the public. It is said that when our current queen Elizabeth II visited the parish church, she exclaimed that she had the other cup at Windsor Castle. It seems Henry VIII had one made for himself too.
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| Boleyn Cup, Authors Image |
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| Boleyn Cup, Authors Image |
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| Boleyn Cup, Authors Image |
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| Boleyn Cup, Authors Image |
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| Boleyn Cup, Authors Image |
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| Boleyn Cup, Authors Image |
I am fortunate that the Boleyn cup resides in my local parish church, and that I can visit it whenever I like. I implore you to visit the church and the see the cup for yourself if you can. It is so beautiful, and intricate. If you are not able to do so, please enjoy the pictures.
Source
- https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/anne-boleyn-treasures-uncovered/ [accessed 20th September 2017]
- https://kateshrewsday.com/2013/02/06/the-other-boleyn-cup/ [accessed 20th September 2017]
- https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/25-january-1533-henry-viii-marries-anne-boleyn-whitehall/ [accessed 20th September 2017]
- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol4/pp1980-1987 [accessed 20th September 2017]
- Cirencester Parish Church Information Poster [accessed 20th September 2017]
- http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw00142/Anne-Boleyn [accessed 20th September 2017]
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