On this day, 27 October 1532, Anne Boleyn Marquis of Pembroke and Queen Consort in all but name, made a dramatic entrance at the banquet held by King Henry VIII of England in honour of King Francis Is of France at Calais. Chronicler Edward Hall describes Anne’s entrance: “After supper came in the Marchiones of Penbroke, with. vii. ladies in Maskyng apparel, of straunge fashion, made of clothe of gold, compassed with Crimosyn Tinsell Satin, owned with Clothe of Siluer, liyng lose[loose] and knit with laces of Gold: these ladies were brought into the chamber, with foure damoselles appareled in Crimosin satlyn[satin], with Tabardes of fine Cipres[cypress lawn]: the lady Marques tooke the Frenche Kyng, and the Countes of Darby, toke the Kyng of Nauerr, and euery Lady toke a lorde, and in daunsyng[dancing] the kyng of Englande, toke awaie the ladies visers, so that there the ladies beauties were shewed.” And Wynkyn de Worde corroborates this, also naming Anne’s ladies: “And after souper there came in a maske mylady marques of Penbroke my lady Mary [Carey] my lady Darby my lady Fitzwater my lady Rocheford my lady Lislie and my lady Wallop gorgyously apparayled with visers on theyr faces and so came and toke the frensshe kynge by the hande and other lordes of Fraunce and daunced a daunce or two. And after that the kynge toke of theyr visers and than they daunced with gentylmen of Fraunce an houre after.” Anne then conversed with Francis I before he was escorted back to his lodgings by Henry VIII. Sadly, the bombing of Calais during the Second World War destroyed virtually every remnant of the towns medieval grandeur. However, due to the efforts of English antiquaries in the nineteenth century, we do know something of the buildings that had survived over the intervening 300 years. Combined with contemporary accounts of the town and its history, the modern-day time traveller can yet walk in Anne Boleyns footsteps and gain some satisfaction by seeing beyond the modern-day facade to once more recreate the sixteenth-century town in their minds eye. Perhaps the best way to do this is by travelling by ferry from Dover. Modern-day ferries moor to the east of the town centre, if you had bee travelling aboard the Swallow with Anne in 1532, your ship would have taken you directly to dock against one of Calaiss many quays and jetties, lying directly in front of the old city walls. From their you have to find your way to the now-vanished Lantern Gate, (it stood at the point of the intersection of the modern-day Boulevard des Allies, the Boulevard de la Resistance and the Rue de la Mer), to enter the town from here follow in Annes footsteps by making your way down the Rue de la Mer (in her day would have been Lantern street), and you will find yourself standing in what was once the footprint of the main marketplace, now the Place dArmes. On arriving here, the royal party turned right and headed down what was once called the High Street, the then main road heading east-west through the town, now called the Rue dAndre Gerschel. Anne and Henry made their way toward the now lost church of St Nicholas, where a service of thanksgiving was held for their safe passage across the Channel. Then they went on to their lodgings at the Exchequer, situated directly opposite the church. Here they where lodged in a suit of seven room befitting a Queen. Sadly both the Church of St Nicholas and the Exchequer are long since lost. The two buildings were situated in the western quarter of the town and their precise location is hard to fathom. However, they where orientated facing each other, perhaps somewhere close to where the Rue Andre Gerschel intersects the Rue de la Victoire. Next, heading down the modern day Rue Royale until you come to an intersection with the Rue du Duc de Guise. It is difficult to believe it now, but at the intersection of these two streets, once stood the most magnificent residence in Calais- the Staple Inn. It was indeed here, in the sumptuous rooms of the Palace, that Anne made her grand debut on this day in 1532 in front of King Francis. If you turn out of the Rue Royale and into the Rue dude Guise, you will soon come across Rue Marie Tudor on your right; across the entrance to this street once stood the original gateway. Next walking right the way along the Rue du Duc de Guise, until you join the Rue du Seigneur de Gourdan, there you will find the only other survivor of Tudor Calais; the Church of Notre Dame, or Our Lady as it known in Annes time. Many Kings and Queens of France and England have prayed here in years gone by. Also of particular note to the Tudor enthusiast is the sixteenth century tomb of John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, who is buried in the church choir. Baron Berners was the Lieutenant of Calais until he died in 1533, and so it was he who welcomed Henry and Anne when they landed from Dover in 1532. Thanks to In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn: A Time Travellers Guide, this fantastic book covers locations visited by Anne with incredible descriptions, highly recommended.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:48:36 +0000
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