Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Question from Sasha - Anne Boleyn's room and attendants in the Tower

What was Anne Boleyn's time in the Tower of London like? What did the room look like? (Was there a desk and a bed etc). In specific, was there a window. Who was she with? Were there any attendants waiting in the tower with her and who was she in contact with outside of the tower? (Sending letters).

Any response appreciated.

2 comments:

TudorGirl said...

According to primary sources, Anne Boleyn was accommodated in the same set of rooms she inhabited during her coronation. William Kingston, Anne's gaoler, reported that upon her arrest Anne asked if she will go into a dungeon. Kingston replied; "No, Madam, you shall go into your lodging that you lay in at your coronation." It was a luxurious set of rooms. It is thought that Anne had written a letter to Henry VIII from the Tower but the letter is disputed and we don't know if it is real or not.

Among Anne's attendants in the Tower were; William Kingston's wife, Lady Boleyn (one of Anne's aunts), Lady Cosyns (or Coffin). They were reporting everything Anne said to Kingston and he in turn reported to Cromwell.

Claire Ridgway said...

As TudorGirl says, Anne Boleyn was imprisoned in the same apartments she used before her coronation, the Queen's Lodgings of the royal palace.
Her attendants during her time in the Tower included Mary Scrope (wife of Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower), Lady Anne Shelton (née Boleyn) who was Anne's aunt, Margaret Dymoke (Margaret Coffin) who was the wife of Anne's Master of the Horse, Lady Elizabeth Boleyn (née Wood) who was the wife of Sir James Boleyn, brother of Thomas Boleyn and chancellor of the household of Queen Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth Stonor.