On 3rd May 1536, a very shocked Archbishop Thomas Cranmer wrote to King Henry VIII regarding his patron Anne Boleyn’s arrest. In his letter, he writes “I am clean amazed, for I had never better opinion of woman”, but tempers this with “but I think your Highness would not have gone so far if she had not been culpable”, so as not to offend the King.
He added a postscript after seeing “my lords Chancellor, Oxford, Sussex, and my Lord Chamberlain of your Grace’s house” in the Star Chamber and being told of the evidence against Anne:-
“I am sorry such faults can be proved against the Queen as they report.”
Also on this day in 1536, Sir William Kingston reported to Thomas Cromwell that Queen Anne Boleyn had told her ladies in the Tower that “she more feared Weston”. She elaborated, explaining that she had reprimanded Weston, a gentleman of the privy chamber, for loving her relative, Mistress Shelton, and not his wife, and he “made answer to her again that he loved on in her house better than them both”. When Anne asked who, he replied “It is yourself”. The Queen then “defied him”. This was to be Sir Francis Weston’s undoing and he joined Sir Henry Norris, Mark Smeaton and George Boleyn in the Tower the following day.
I would have thought that Cramner was not the only one that was ‘Clean amazed’, at this fast moving conspiracy, and the reasons for the arrests. I know Anne had gathered some enemies on the way to being Queen, but even they must have been shocked and know deep down that the adultry and incest charges were ridiculous, a complete and utter fabrication…
Yes! There must have been so many people who were shocked and also scared. I did read that George Taylor, Anne’s receiver general, and Harry Webb, her sewer, feared for their lives. I bet a few people left court and ran for the hills!
It is chilling to think that if Anne hadn’t said that Weston could not have been executed. But I can totally understand her, she must have been desperate, without sleep, anxious and disoriented about what had happened. It breaks my heart…
Sounds like Thomas Cromwell is gathering anything he can for “evidence” to add to his “case” against the Queen. Reminds me of the scene in the movie (Anne of the Thousand Days) when she is told the charges against her:
“God help me, the King is mad; I am doomed.”
Have your new book, Claire, and love it!
Who were the Chancellor and Lord Chamberlain at that point?