On 7th September 1548, Lady Jane was chief mourner at the funeral of dowager Queen Katherine Parr.
In Innocent Traitor the funeral is seen through Jane’s eyes.
‘First in the procession are the officers of the Queen’s household, carrying their staves of offices; the are followed by Somerset Herald in his richly coloured tabard. Then comes the leaden coffin, borne on the shoulders of six black-clad stalwarts, and behind it, the chief mourner, myself.
I must look a diminutive figure in the midst of all this sombre pageantry. I wear a gown and hood of black banded with purple, the colours of royal mourning, and my long train is borne by a maid-of-honour. I carry a prayer book and keep my eyes downcast.’
(c) Hutchinson, p.184-185
