Norfolk Connections!

Norfolk is known for it's flat, windswept, eerie countryside, together with it's large expanses of 'lakes' - the Norfolk Broads - which are a major draw for tourists. We have a beautiful coastline and boast a six day a week market in our 'capital' city of Norwich which has been there since Norman times. Due to our location, stuck out on the 'bum' of the east of England and not being easily accessible by major roads or motorways, people tend to leave us alone to get on with our slower pace of life so it comes as no surprise that people don't realise we have produced some rather famous people from history.

One of our most notable is Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I and the second wife of Henry VIII who was said to have been born at Blickling Hall, a beautiful Jacobean hall situated about a mile from the small market town of Aylsham and about 15 miles from the city of Norwich and 10 miles from the quiet coastal resort of Cromer.

Anne Boleyn (who was also known as Nan Bullen), was born in 1502 to Thomas Boleyn and Lady Catherine Howard (the sister of the Duke of Norfolk). She had two siblings, a sister Mary (some three years older than Anne) and a brother George. Despite her birth supposedly taking place at Blickling, the family home was actually at Hever Castle in Kent.

Anne was dark skinned and dark haired and was not at all the more favoured fair skinned and fair haired 'beauties' of Tudor times. Anne had been born with the disfigurement of a sixth finger projecting from her little finger and had a mole on her neck which, in all likelihood could have had her branded a witch, but she very cleverly disguised them by creating new fashions such as long sleeves to cover the hand and velvet chokers around the neck.

Anne and her sister Mary were initially educated from home by a French governess and, in 1515, as was traditional, she and Mary were sent to France to finish their education as ladies in waiting at the French court, Anne taking the position of lady in waiting to Queen Claude of France (wife of Louis XII). It was during Anne's seven years in France that it was believed she first met Henry VIII.

On Anne's return to England in 1522 she was taught music, dance and poetry and then joined her sister Mary at the English court, becoming the lady in waiting to Queen Katharine of Aragon (Henry VIII's first wife).

In 1525 Henry VIII had a brief affair with Anne's sister Mary. Mary gave birth to a son in 1526 and it was suspected that Henry VIII was the father but by the time of this birth, Henry had fallen in love with the intelligent, witty, fiery and extremely ambitious, Anne so it was never acknowledged.

Following Henry's abandonment of Mary, he approached Anne who, in effect, told Henry that she didn't want to be treated like a doormat and would only give in to him if they were married. This meant that Henry had to obtain permission from the Pope to get divorced from Katharine of Aragon. The Pope refused so Henry courted Anne for the next six years but in 1532 things came to a head when Anne Boleyn became pregnant by Henry. Eventually the Archbishop of Canterbury consented to an annulment of Henry's marriage to Katharine and in January 1533 he married Anne.

Unfortunately the public were outraged and their loyalties tended to remain with Queen Katharine, so Anne became much hated, but Henry was oblivious to all this as he was expecting Anne to produce a long awaited male heir, Katharine only managing to produce a daughter, Mary. Unfortunately the long awaited birth produced yet another girl, Elizabeth, later to become Elizabeth I. Following this, Henry's relationship with Anne began to deteriorate. She became pregnant again in 1533 but the child was born stillborn. She then fell pregnant again in 1534 but unfortunately she miscarried - the child would have been the long awaited male heir. Henry immediately blamed Anne for the miscarriage and maintained that the marriage was cursed.

By this time, Henry had cast his eye at another lady in waiting , Jane Seymour who was to become wifey number three.

In 1536 Katharine, Henry's first wife died, but instead of making Anne's marriage more secure, it had the complete opposite effect. It would have looked extremely bad if Henry had two divorced wives lurking in the background, but now with Katharine out of the picture, it would, in Henry's eyes, be far easier for him to divorce Anne.

Rumours about Anne began to abound and men who were part of her 'faction' disappeared one by one. No one knew where Mark Smeaton the Queen's musician had gone. Then others followed. Even Anne's brother, George, Lord Rochford, was arrested on the grounds of incest.

Eventually, on 2 May 1536 Anne was arrested and taken to the Tower of London to await trial on the grounds of treason, adultery and incest. The trial took place on 15 May 1536 and Anne was beheaded on Tower Hill on 19 May 1536. Anne was buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula (St Peter in Chains) within the Tower of London grounds.

Ending on a 'spooky' note it's said that once a year on the anniversary of her execution Anne is seen travelling in a carriage up the drive to the front of Blickling Hall with her severed head in her lap. The carriage is pulled by headless horses and driven by a headless horseman. The carriage disappears when it reaches the Hall leaving the ghost of Anne alone at the entrance. She then enters the Hall and walks the corridors until dawn.