The Tomb of Arthur Tudor, The Kings Brother

Henry VII had won the throne of England from Richard III through right of conquest at the Battle of Bosworth on the 22nd August 1485. He married Elizabeth of York the eldest daughter of Edward IV, King of England and his queen Elizabeth Woodville. Their union brought about the end of the Wars of the Roses as it unified the Houses of York and Lancaster. Henry and Elizabeth were keen to start a family as soon as possible as this only helped strengthen the families claim to the throne.

It wasn't long before their prayers were answered. Their first child Arthur was born on the 20th September 1486 in the Priory of Winchester Cathedral. He was soon joined in the Royal nursery by his younger brother Henry (the future Henry VIII) and two sisters, Margaret and Mary.

Prince Arthur, 16th Century, Private Collection

Arthur was invested as the Prince of Wales and was the heir apparent to the throne of England. He was the apple of his dad's eye (who spent a lot of his time in preparing Arthur on how to become an effective ruler). With four children surviving infancy (Arthur also had another sibling Edmund who died young, a sister called Elizabeth, and a sister called Katherine who died a few days after she was born), Henry VII set about planning on how best to marry each of them off to suit England's dynastic needs (England did not become a super power until Henry VIII's reign) and to help strengthen the Tudors claim and hold on the throne of England. Following discussions with Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile ,'The Catholic Kings' a marriage contract was drawn up between Arthur and their youngest daughter, the Infanta Catherine (Catalina) of Aragon.

Catherine of Aragon, 1520, NPG

Arthur and Catherine were married in a lavish ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral on the 14th November 1501. We know that Arthur was delighted with his new wife, but what we do not know is what exactly happened on their wedding night in regards to consummation (neither of them could have guessed that what did or did not happen on their wedding night would later be used as an argument in the divorce proceedings of Catherine and Arthur's younger brother Henry (later Henry VIII) many years later. We do know that Arthur had mentioned to some fellow courtiers the next morning that he had been in 'the midst of Spain', hinting that they had, had sexual intercourse the night before.

The newly wed couple soon moved to Ludlow Castle in England (which was close to the Welsh border), where Arthur was required to run his own court in miniature. This served as good practice for when Arthur was expected to become King of England following his father's death. But Arthur never outlived his father. Catherine and Arthur had contracted an unknown illness whilst at Ludlow (some believe it to be the sweating sickness) of which Arthur did not recover. He died on the 2nd April 1502. His parents were grief-stricken. Arthur's body was taken from Ludlow Castle to Worcester Cathedral, and following a funeral on the 25th April 1502 he was then entombed within a marble tomb displaying the royal arms.

Worcester Cathedral - Author's Image

An elaborate chantry was later erected over Arthur's marble tomb. You can see it in the video below. It was planned that the chantry would be painted in bright colours, but following Catherine's later marriage to Henry VIII this plan was soon abandoned as it seemed more political to him not to draw attention to a king that never was, and especially to one that had married his wife beforehand.

Details on the Chantry relating to Catherine and Arthur, Author's Image

I did not think I would be fortunate enough to view Arthur's tomb in the Chantry (I understand that it has been said his body actually lies a few feet away, but they aren't sure where), but I found the door to it open, and the Cathedral were allowing visitor's to look in.

Open door to the Chantry, Author's Image 

And here it is...

Arthur's Tomb, Author's Image

Detail from the arms on Arthur's tomb, Author's Image

If you are in the Worcester area and have time why not pay a visit to Arthur's tomb? I am still awe struck by just how beautiful it is.

Sources

1. http://www.npg.org.uk/research/conservation/henry-and-katherine-reunited-conserving-the-portrait-of-katherine-of-aragon

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur,_Prince_of_Wales#Marriage

3. http://piersperrotgaveston.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/arthur-tudor-prince-of-wales.html

The King's Hawking Hood and Gloves

It is well documented that the Tudors enjoyed the sport of Falconry, not only as a form of hunting (to help put food on their tables), but also as a pastime. The sport involved the hunting of small game in their natural habitat with the aid of a trained bird of prey (either some form of falcon or hawk). Henry VIII himself was extremely fond of Falconry in his later years. In the month of September 1533, Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower of London remarked that Henry 'hawks everyday with goshawks and other hawks... lanners, sparhawks, and merlins both afore noon and after'. With the help of his Chief Falconer, Robert Cheseman, Henry had different falcons and hawks dotted all over the country, so that wherever he visited he always had some form of falcon or hawk at his disposal.

Portrait of Robert Cheseman, 1533, Hans Holbein the Younger, Mauritshius

Not only did falconry show off his manly skills (the Tudors believed Falconry helped them train/prepare for war), but it was also an area for further display of his kingship. This was achieved through the use of costly materials and fabrics to help create an image of magnificence, but it also served as a reminder of your social status and that no one was higher than the king on the social ladder except almighty God himself. 

As the birds belonged to Henry they (and the items associated with them) were also adorned with the finest silks and velvets that money could buy, and these such items could also be decorated with embroidery, feathers or silver and gold bells. Mark Milliner a falconer of the king put in a bill for a hawking glove that was 'trimmed with crimson velvet and embroidered with gold and silver and another trimmed with white velvet and embroidered with gold and silver, both costing 15s'. We are better able to understand what these looked like from written and pictorial sources. As with other forms of Tudor clothing and accessories any surviving pieces of hawking equipment would be extremely rare, as expensive fabrics and metal threads were frequently reused. Despite this, there is a surviving hawking glove and hood in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, both are linked to the 16th Century and are strongly believed to have belonged to King Henry VIII.

Hawking Hood (Front View)

Hawking Hood (Side View)

Hawking Glove (Right-Handed)

Hawking Glove 

The surviving hawking glove is made of red-brown doeskin with a lining of white doeskin. It is embroidered with silver-gilt thread which is held by red silk stitching, which forms a band that encircles the wrist. It is also embroidered with three circular motifs (each are 60mm in diameter), one at the centre front, one at the centre back and one on the inside fold, which are edged with blue silk. It has a small yellow silk tassel.

Hawking Hood 

The hawking hood is made of leather, which has been covered with a red fabric (probably velvet). The red fabric is decorated with gold thread embroidery, which has incorporated loops of gold and is edged with gold chain work. It does not have a plume.

If you have time to spare why not pop in to the Ashmolean Museum to view them. They are truly remarkable survivals of their time...

Sources

• Henry VIII and Falconry - HRP - 2nd April 2009 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFuG1ddWl8Y
• Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII - Maria Hayward - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BCgxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT800&lpg=PT800&dq=henry+viii+hawking+hood+and+glove&source=bl&ots=c6oUObwljS&sig=0YNacv_pYlLWg_82n3py1tGULWY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj1xJfBgvjVAhWLAMAKHd1vASM4ChDoAQgnMAA#v=onepage&q=henry%20viii%20hawking%20hood%20and%20glove&f=false
• https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/discover/mauritshuis/masterpieces-from-the-mauritshuis/portrait-of-robert-cheseman-14851547-276/
• http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amulets/tradescant/tradescant07-06.html
• http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/amulets/tradescant/tradescant07-07.html

The Start of Something New...

Hello Everyone!

My name is Rachel McNeil and I have been nutty about the Tudors since the summer of 2010 (admit it you hoped I was going to say 69 then), when I first caught an episode of the Tudors on TV. Anne Boleyn was so charismatic and mesmerising to me back then, I just had to know more about her, and all the other people within Henry VIII's court. This in turn led me to pick up my first Tudor book on Henry's wives, and well as they say the rest is history.

I dabbled at almost everything Tudor related. I attended author talks and book signings, collected books, went on educational courses, dressed as a Tudor, tried my hand at creating Tudor clothing, gave talks/presentations and I ran a Tudor Facebook page called 'The Tudor Diaries' with over 8,000 followers (I still run it to this day).

During this time though I have had some amazing experiences, made some great friends, and have been fortunate enough to have achieved my ultimate dream (I will talk about this in another post - I would make yourself comfortable for that one, I imagine it will be quite a long post), which is something I never thought that I would have been able to achieve.

Now I admit, I have been pretty useless over the last year and a bit in relation to my Tudor escapades, in between saving for a house with my fiance, completing a CIPD course in HR, and completing my ultimate dream, my mojo was a little lost. I knew in my heart I still liked the Tudor period, but what was there left to do having completed my ultimate dream? I pondered on this a good while.

Well, you see I am a massive believer in having a bucket list, because life is short, and you never know when the grim reaper might be coming for you. I knew that I wanted a full life, and then it dawned on me... Yes, I have completed my ultimate dream, but if I died tomorrow would I die happy knowing that there were still Tudor related sites I could have visited, authors I could have met, or original documents I could have seen. No, I don't think I would!

And so my Tudor Bucket List was born!

I sat down and wrote everything I wanted/still wished to do. Like a normal bucket list it will expand and decrease, as I complete things, or think of new things I would like to complete, but it is all Tudor related. This blog will be my pledge to both you and I of what I wish to do, and it will be my journal/diary of everything I have experienced on this journey/path.

I hope you enjoy this blog, and my journey...

Let me know what your ultimate Tudor dream would be in the comments below. I would love to hear them.