Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide

Books 2025 – on sale today – Secrets of the Tudor Portraits by Sylvia Barbara Soberton

Posted on 14th March 2025 by Tamise

‘ Step into the dazzling world of Tudor England, where art and power intertwine. In Secrets of the Tudor Portraits, Sylvia Barbara Soberton uncovers the hidden stories behind some of the most iconic images of the Tudor period. From the commanding presence of Henry VIII in Hans Holbein’s Whitehall Mural to Elizabeth I’s carefully crafted image as the Virgin Queen, these portraits are more than mere likenesses—they are coded messages, political propaganda and deeply personal reflections of their sitters.

Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, this book delves into the lives of the courtiers and artists who depicted them. Who were the true masterminds behind these masterpieces? What symbols and secrets lie hidden in plain sight? And how do these portraits continue to shape our understanding of the Tudor dynasty?’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Amazon.co.uk

Posted in Books 2025, Books that feature Jane | Tagged Books 2025, Secrets of the Tudor Portraits, Sylvia Barbara Soberton | Comments Off

And the winners are….

Posted on 12th March 2025 by Tamise

The publisher has picked the two winners at random. Thank you to everyone who entered the competition.

Congratulations to Mags and Carole Nott who have won a signed copy of ‘Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen.’

Posted in Competition | Tagged Competition, Nicola Tallis, Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen. | Comments Off

Possible portrait of Jane back on display at Wrest Park

Posted on 8th March 2025 by Tamise

A possible portrait of Lady Jane is back home at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. Detailed analysis has been carried out on the portrait by English Heritage and this was reported in the press.

The portrait has been in a private collection but was on display as part of the ‘Lost Faces’ exhibition at the Philip Mould Gallery in March 2007, which I was lucky enough to visit. It was shown alongside the Teerlinc miniature as possible portraits of Jane. A detailed analysis was included in the exhibition catalogue, ‘Lost Faces: Identity and Discovery in Tudor Royal Portraiture’ edited by Bendor Grosvenor.

The portrait was also included in Stephan Edward’s analysis of possible portraits of Jane and published in ‘A Queen of a New Invention: Portraits of Lady Jane Grey Dudley, England’s Nine Days Queen’ in 2015 and the revised edition published in 2024,‘Portraits of Lady Jane Grey Dudley, England’s ‘Nine Days Queen.’

You can read his opinion about the Wrest Park portrait at Re-Visiting the Wrest Park Portrait: A Rebuttal .

English Heritage have published some of the analysis they have carried out on the portrait and their findings can be read at Could this Mysterious Portrait be Lady Jane Grey?

Other news articles

BBC News – Is this the face of teenage queen Lady Jane Grey?

The Guardian – Sole portrait of England’s ‘nine-day queen’ thought to have been identified by researchers

Artnet – Is This the Only Known Portrait of Lady Jane Grey, the Doomed Teen Royal?

Daily Mail – The real face of Lady Jane Grey revealed? ‘Compelling’ evidence unearthed that portrait defaced by scratches is tragic ‘Nine Days Queen’

ABC News – Portrait may be the only one of England’s 9-day queen painted during her lifetime

CNN – Is this the only known portrait of England’s doomed ‘Nine Days Queen’?

Posted in Portraits | Tagged English Heritage, Portraits, Stephan Edwards, Wrest Park | Comments Off

Books 2025 – on sale today – The Lord Protector and His Wives: Catherine Filliol, Anne Stanhope and Edward Seymour by Rebecca Batley

Posted on 28th February 2025 by Tamise

‘Sometime before 1518 Edward Seymour, the brother of Queen Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, married Catherine Filliol. Catherine gained connections in the highest echelons of Tudor society and Edward the prospect of a large inheritance. It should have been a match made in heaven, but instead, within a decade, they were engulfed in uncertainty and scandal. Catherine was repudiated, and the two sons she had borne her husband eventually disinherited. The nature of this scandal is unclear but later historians accused Catherine of an affair with her father-in-law. Her exact fate remains uncertain, but by 1535, Edward was free to marry again, and he turned his attention to another heiress, Anne Stanhope, who would, in her own way, prove to be just as scandalous. Katherine Parr would call Anne “that hell”, but she was strong, opinionated and fiercely intelligent. A friend of Anne Askew, a connection that almost cost her her life, Anne lived to see her brother-in-law, her half-brother, and her husband go to the block. Imprisoned in the Tower herself she managed to keep her head and ultimately emerged wealthy and powerful, dying peacefully on the 16th April 1587 at Hanworth Palace. Anne was the ultimate Tudor survivor.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details – Pen and Sword

Further details – Amazon.co.uk