Lord Lisle

Letter to Lord Lisle about the Executions of May 1536

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A letter regarding the executions that occurred in May 1536 is not uncommon. This letter was written by John Husee who was best known as the personal agent of Arthur Plantagenet, Lord Lisle. If you are not familiar with who Lord Lisle was then you should know that he was the illegitimate son of King Edward IV - this made him uncle to Henry VIII. Lisle was governor of Calais from 1533-1540. The execution of Anne Boleyn and the other innocent victims was well-known. This [More]

Anne Boleyn’s Dog Purkoy: Where Did He Come From?

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You may already be aware that Anne Boleyn was very fond of her lap dog, Purkoy...but are you aware that he was originally a gift to Sir Francis Bryan from Lady Lisle? I was recently going through my "Lisle Letters" book and came across a letter that made me aware of the situation. I'll be honest, I knew very little of Purkoy except for his tragic end. This adorable little dog, as I already stated, was originally given to Anne Boleyn's cousin (Sir Francis Bryan) by [More]

Men Behaving Badly: Lord Lisle and Sir Francis Bryan

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Sometimes while doing research you will come across a little treasure that you never knew existed. This has happened to me quite often but this time what I found truly caught me by surprise, made me blush and left me wondering what the event or events were that provoked this letter. I can figure out the rough year of this letter by the mention of the marriage of the Duke of Orleans and the niece of the Pope, which references the future Henri II of France and Catherine de [More]

Surviving Letters of the Countess of Salisbury

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Countess of Salisbury We all know the tragic end of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. If you are new to Tudor history I'd highly recommend reading the guest article by Alan Freer called, "The Last Plantagenet" to get yourself better acquainted with her life, and grizzly execution. Margaret was the daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence. George was the brother of both King Edward IV and Richard III. This letter is written by Margaret Pole, Countess of [More]

Singled Out: Potential Wives of Henry VIII

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It is well-known that Henry VIII loved women. Especially ones that could potentially give him a male heir. After the execution of wife number five, Katheryn Howard, Henry was once again on the hunt for a new wife. As King of England he would surely have been a great catch to any woman. He was all-powerful as King of England, Ireland and France, as well as being the head of the Church of England. Becoming his wife would mean you nearly had the world at your disposal. The [More]