Visiting Anne Boleyn

Hever Castle is were Anne Boleyn grew up. Not terribly far from London, this moated castle with its drawbridge and portcullis has an impressive exterior. The arrow slits in the towers add protection as does the crenellated top where the inhabitants could hide behind the taller bits and attack from the lower openings. Sadly, not much of the interior of the original castle remains. As it deteriorated it was replaced by more contemporary designs of ceilings and wall paneling. The Long Hall upstairs does have 16th century wooden paneling, and a group of amazing portraits.

Henry II

Cardinal Wolsey

Edward IV

Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort to Edward IV

Ann Boleyn (or Bullen) was born in it 1501. Her father and uncle had great ambitions for rising iN Court circles, and Anne was their trump card. At 13 she was sent to France to spend time in the French Court and learn proper behaviour. In the meantime in England, Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon had provided him only with a daughter, Mary. Henry desperately needed a son to succeed him as King.

Henry VIII

When Anne returned from France she and her sister Mary were pushed into Court, Anne becoming a lady-in-waiting for Queen Catherine. Mary became the King’s mistress, bearing him a son.

Catherine of Aragon

Disturbed by the lack of an heir and the increasing age of his Queen, Henry noticed the flirtatious Anne and was smitten. Encouraged by her father and uncle, Anne strung Henry along, but refused to become his mistress. She would only give herself to him once he was no longer married. Henry frantically sought for a way to rid himself of his aging Queen. As she had been previously married to his older brother Arthur, who died before he had become King, Henry decided that the marriage was illegal. Catherine swore that the marriage had never been consummated, but Henry was adamant. When the Pope refused to grant him an annulment, Henry, with the encouragement of his advisors, broke from the Catholic Church and declared himself head of the Church of England.

Anne Boleyn

Henry could now have his marriage annulled, and marry Anne. She must have given in towards the end as she was apparently pregnant at their secret wedding, and noticeably so at her coronation. Her father and uncle were, of course, given the titles and importance that they had been seeking. Anne was delivered of a girl, Elizabeth. As mother and child were healthy they were certain that a boy could come from their union. Unfortunately for Anne, she miscarried a boy. Becoming less enamoured with Anne he was all too eager to believe it when she was accused of adultery. She was put in the Tower, tried and convicted (although probably innocent) and was beheaded. Her reign lasted only 1,000 days.

Within a very short time Henry married another lady in Court, Jane Seymour, who promptly gave him a son, Edward, but she died two weeks after his birth. Henry was then convinced to marry again, and thanks to a lovely portrait by Hans Holbein, he chose a woman from Flanders (now the Netherlands), Anne of Cleves. I have had the amazing fortune to have handled and studied their dowry agreement. When she arrived Henry thought her ugly, calling her the Flanders Mare, and divorced her right away. As part of the divorce settlement she was given Hever Castle.

The castle has a later addition of a ‘priest hole’ where a Catholic priest could hide during the days of the Protestant reigns of Edward VI, Henry’s only son, and Elizabeth.

My favourite piece of all is the portrait of Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth I in her later years

The detail in this painting is incredible. Being a Elizabethan clothing geek, I took a lot of closeups:

Long after Anne of Cleves owned Hever Castle it was purchased by William Waldorf Astor who restored much of the castle, furnishing it beautifully, but so out of period that it really bothered me. Thankfully there were some items of importance including two of Anne’s ‘Books of Hours,’ prayer books for the various services of the day. In one she apparently wrote ‘Le temps viendra’ (the time will come), perhaps looking towards a union with Henry? And in the other, ‘remember me when you do pray that hope doth lead from day to day. Anne Boleyn’

We spent our evening and night in a luxurious room in the Astor Wing of the nearby Manor House. We felt quite decadent!