Ruins of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds. Photo May 2015.

The Abbey of Bury St Edmunds was the original burial place of Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk (sister of Henry VIII) before the Dissolution.

Effigies of the daughters of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey on his tomb at St. Michael’s, Framlingham. Photo May 2015.

A companion to last week’s picture. It’s hard to tell from the angle of my photo, but all three of the Earl’s daughters are represented on the tomb.

Effigies of the sons of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey on his tomb at St. Michael’s, Framlingham. Photo May 2015.

Arms of Catherine of Aragon at Peterborough Cathedral. Photo May 2015.

Oxburgh Hall. Photo May 2015.

Books

Just one book this month, an academic biography of Anne of Cleves by Valerie Schutte – Anne of Cleves: The Historical and Cultural Legacy of a Queen, part of the Routledge “Lives of Royal Women” series. It was released this past week in both the US and the UK.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

Events

Sorry for the short notice on this one – it managed to get past me until I got an email about it! (That’s the drawback of stepping away from some of the social media platforms, unfortunately.) The Mary Rose Trust will be launching its first history festival Six Queens, One King and His Ship coming up on July 18 & 19. And there is an online option for those who can’t attend in person!

About the event:

This July, the Mary Rose will host a two-day fundraising event to help raise funds for the continuing work of the Trust. It will see a unique gathering of leading Tudor historians each telling the story of one of Henry’s Queens. Alongside the day of talks on the 18 July, there will be a commemoration of the sinking of The Mary Rose on the 19 July with a Service of Remembrance at the twelfth century Portsmouth Cathedral, followed by a boat trip to the wreck site in The Solent.

You can book tickets at the link above!

Continuing Exhibitions

Ending soon!

Philip Mould & Company has an exhibit Elizabeth I: Queen & Court currently on display, which opened in May and will run through July 10, 2026. Be sure to also download the PDF exhibition catalogue!

Hever Castle is hosting a new exhibition, Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn which “brings together the largest ever gathering of portraits believed to depict Anne Boleyn, including a ground-breaking newly identified contemporary image unveiled for the first time.” The exhibition will run from February 11, 2026 to January 2, 2027 and is included with admission to the castle.

Spinning wheel in Palmer’s Farmhouse at Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

Painting of Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace. Photo May 2015.

I know I just used a pic from Hampton Court last week, but I realized that today is Henry VIII’s birthday and this is one of the few pictures of Henry VIII that I haven’t used yet. (Mostly because of the glare and the blur, so I was trying to decide whether to use it at all…)

Black bull heraldic beast in the Chapel Court Garden at Hampton Court Palace. Photo May 2015.

Staircase in Harvard House, Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

Another example of my well-documented love of old wooden staircases.