Anne Boleyn

i think she grew used to the idea and started to like it. but i don't think she set out to be a queen from the start

Thanks for the pictures of Hever Castle, Helen!  Is the furniture from the 1500s, or is it later or just re-created?  I'm curious as to what things would have looked like in Anne's time.

Lanie, it's a little bit of both. There are some restored pieces from the 16th century, most notably Henry VIII's bed. Others are from different time periods, the legacy of various owners of the castle throughout the centuries. In the early 20th century the castle was owned by the Astors, who put in the gardens. Currently it is owned by John Guthrie.

Here is the Hever Castle website:

www.hevercastle.co.uk

Do we really think that Anne had no aspirations to be queen?  That she was trapped into marrying Henry?

IMO, she didn't want to marry Henry in the beginning because she wanted to marry Percy. When she saw that this was impossible, and Henry continued to pursue her, she probably started to warm up to the idea. I am sure that the thought of getting back at those she perceived as her enemies (like Wolsey) didn't hurt... Maybe she started to feel her own power and wanted more. Power can do strange things to people.

But no, she wasn't trapped into marrying Henry. By the time they married, I think that she wanted it as much as Henry, if not more! She was also already pregnant with Elizabeth by the time they married  .

Thanks for that Helen - that seems like a very logical explanation.  I was going to add that I am sure that Anne enjoyed the power that came with being queen, plus the opportunity to settle some old scores.

How I envy you the visit to Hever.  I have always thought it such a romantic place, from the images that I have seen.  Your photos suggest a place of great charm; in some respects a typical English country establishment that has evolved over the centuries, retaining a little of each century in its style.  Very lovely.

How I envy you the visit to Hever.  I have always thought it such a romantic place, from the images that I have seen.  Your photos suggest a place of great charm; in some respects a typical English country establishment that has evolved over the centuries, retaining a little of each century in its style.  Very lovely.

Yes, it was a great place to visit, the gardens are beautiful too, although not part of the 16th centrury backdrop. Martyn, you can probably go down there for a weekend one of these days. I think you live up north whereas Kent is south, but it's not too far if you stay over a night or two. There is nifty little inn near the castle, called - what else - "Henry VIII Inn"  . Hever is a quaint little town, pretty small it seems. We took the train, and had to walk along a country road for about 1.5 miles from the train station to the castle as there was no public transportation. There were no signs for the castle until later on, so for a while we weren't even sure if we were going the right way! Luckily, we were. But it was nice to walk it because you really got to see the town that way. I would imagine it doesn't look all that different than it did 500 years ago when the Boleyns lived there: houses with thatched rooves, fields and lots of sheep. I bet the road we took was the same road (more or less) that Henry VIII used when he went there! You also get to go inside the chapel where the Boleyns went, still pretty much intact.

I'll see if I can post some of my pictures of the town later...

Some more pictures of Hever, the castle and the gardens...



King Henry VIII Inn:




Entrance to Hever Church:

Thomas Bullen's tomb:


Another view of the castle:

View from the castle window:


The Hever Gardens:


Tudor chess set:


The lake:

was their name actually bullen?  

was their name actually bullen?  

Yes.

so where does boleyn come from?

so where does boleyn come from?

It came about later, maybe to make it sound more French, less "merchant" (?). I think that in the 16th century the spelling of words and names was flexible.

bullen doesn't sound very noble

Hi there,I have always pondered wether Anne was RH  negative so that after the birth of a first healthy child she became "sensitised" and her blood cells "attacked" every foetus she carried from then on. So she never really stood a chance. Of course,these days RH negative mums get an injection of Anti- D after the birth  of each child thus preventing the problem. ( well thats my two penny worth anyway)

This has been studied by many historical pathologists, written up and published in several medical/ pharmaceutical journals. I myself have read several of these journal articles.

TampaBay

I dont think the Bullens were particularly noble to begin with were they?I think one of Anne's forebears was a Mayor of London. They "frenchified" the name to make it sound "up market"

I dont think the Bullens were particularly noble to begin with were they?I think one of Anne's forebears was a Mayor of London. They "frenchified" the name to make it sound "up market"

On her father's side, Anne descended from a family of merchants. On her mother's side she descended from the Howards.

This has been studied by many historical pathologists, written up and published in several medical/ pharmaceutical journals. I myself have read several of these journal articles.

TampaBayWow,thats very interesting.I only wondered because I come across a lot of RH neg. mums at work and it is no problem thanks to anti-D.Would love to read some of those articles. Would a google search do it ( i am a bit of a computer Luddite)