History Hit digs deep into a fascinating new discovery that has grabbed the attention of historians across the world.
Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb explores what is being called the most exciting Tudor find ‘in a generation’ as curators at Hever Castle identify a bejewelled, gilded prayer book, tucked away in a Cambridge University library, as the very one portrayed in Holbein’s famous painting of Henry VIII’s ‘fixer in chief’, Thomas Cromwell.
It reveals that three key players in Henry VIII’s court, Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, AND Thomas Cromwell, all owned a copy of the same printed prayer book.
In this special film, Suzannah tracks the detailed historic detective work that has been carried out by Hever’s curators and Trinity College’s Wren Library, linking the prayer book through the generations from Thomas Cromwell himself to a gift to the library by Dame Anne Sadleir in 1660.
We are delighted to bring you this remarkable story that combines a modern day investigation with stunningly beautiful objects and the tangled web of shifting beliefs and personal connections at the heart of the Tudor world.
_____
After watching the film, you can find out more by visiting the following websites of Hever Castle and Trinity College:
https://www.hevercastle.co.uk/news/thomas-cromwell-book-on-display/
https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/thomas-cromwells-book-of-hours-in-trinity-college-library/
Up Next in Greatest Discoveries
-
More Than A Medal
A century-old injustice needs to be corrected. “More Than a Medal,” follows the extraordinary story of researchers working against time, exploring previously untold heroic stories from the battlefields of France, and the experience of modern-day descendants as they maintain cautious hope of reco...
-
The Lost Sailors - Solving a World Wa...
During WWII, the sailors of the British merchant navy played a vital role keeping the UK fed and armed. They carried essential supplies across the treacherous Atlantic - and many paid with their lives. What's less well known is that many of those sailors were Chinese - volunteers who came to Brit...
58 Comments