Time in the Tower – Anne Boleyn

On May Day 1536, Anne Boleyn, Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII, watched the jousts before her. She had given the King a daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, but no son. And now, her downfall was being plotted.

Her husband had been with her, but he reportedly suddenly departed. Had he perhaps already learned that the musician Mark Smeaton had been tortured into confessing adultery with Anne? In any case, Anne was arrested the following day. Mark Smeaton, Sir Henry Norris, and her brother George Boleyn were also arrested and were already in the Tower.

On 2 May, late in the afternoon, Anne was brought to the Tower of London. She arrived there around 5 in the afternoon by barge and entered through one of these gates, rather than the Traitor’s Gate as previously believed.

Anne fell to her knees as she reached the top of the steps and proclaimed her innocence. At this point, she only knew she had been accused of adultery with three men. She was then escorted into the Tower through the Byward postern gate and into the outer ward. She was informed that she would be housed in the royal apartments, where she had also stayed sometime before her coronation. Anne responded that they were too good for her and fell to her knees again. Sir William Kingston, the Constable of the Tower, was baffled by her behaviour, which was clearly one of shock.

Four women had been chosen to attend Anne, or rather spy on her. Anne continued to babble nervously even after Sir William retired for the evening. She mentioned two other men, Sir Francis Weston and Sir William Brereton, who were promptly arrested. Anne soon learned that her brother was also in the Tower, and she “made very good countenance.” ¹

As the days passed, Anne’s mood swung from one extreme to the other. One moment, she was convinced she was being tested, and the next, she was convinced she would die. It would be impossible to speak to her husband in person, and there is a hotly debated letter that Anne may have sent Henry from the Tower on 6 May.

On 10 May, Anne, George, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, Sir William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were indicted. All but Anne and George were arraigned on 12 May at Westminster Hall. Anne and George were arraigned at the Tower on 15 May. Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, Sir William Brereton and Mark Smeaton were arraigned for high treason and to no one’s surprise, they were all found guilty and sentenced to be executed at Tyburn.

Although Anne had not confessed to anything, her household was broken up on 13 May and her servants were discharged. On 14 May, Jane Seymour, who had supplanted Anne and would soon be Henry’s wife, was moved to a house close to Henry. As Anne prepared for her trial, Henry informed Jane that she would soon hear of Anne’s condemnation. The trial was to take place in the King’s Hall in the Tower, where special stands were erected for spectators.

Anne was brought it and sat in a chair provided for her as she listened to the indictment. She was accused of “despising her marriage and entertaining malice against the King.” ² She was accused of committing adultery with Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, Sir William Brereton and Mark Smeaton and incest with her brother George. She was also accused of plotting the death of the King with the men. Anne denied the charges, but the verdict was already set – she was found guilty of treason and condemned to death by burning or beheading. Anne remained calm, and according to the report of Ambassador Chapuys, “she was prepared to die, but was extremely sorry to hear that others, who were innocent and the king’s loyal subjects, should share her fate and die through her.” ³ She was then escorted back to the royal apartments as George faced his trial. He, too, was found guilty.

On 16 May, Sir William Kingston informed the men that they were to die the following day. During that day, Anne told him that she would go into a nunnery and was “in hope of life.” ⁴ The following day, Anne and Henry’s marriage was declared null and void. The five men were taken to the scaffold on Tower Hill as Henry had commuted their sentences to beheading.

Anne would not have been able to see the executions from the royal apartments. She began to prepare for her own execution, which she believed would be the following day. She spent most of the night in prayer with her almoner and took Mass with Sir William Kingston in the morning. He looked on as she took the Sacrament and swore she had never been unfaithful to the King. That same day, Henry issued a writ that Anne would not be burned but beheaded, and a swordsman had been ordered from Calais. He would not arrive that day, and Anne told Sir William Kingston, “I hear say I shall not die before noon, and I am very sorry, therefore, for I thought to be dead and past my pain.” ⁵ Sir William Kingston assured her there would be no pain to which she responded, “I heard say the executioner is very good, and I have a little neck.” ⁶

Anne would have to wait another day, and it wasn’t until the following morning that she was informed that her execution would take place imminently. The scaffold was erected on the north side of the Tower (a short walk from where the current memorial is).

She distributed alms, and she spoke to the crowd from the scaffold with “a goodly smiling countenance.” ⁷ She said, “Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law, I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never; and to me, he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus, I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord, have mercy on me; to God, I commend my soul.” ⁸

Her hair was tucked into a linen cap, and she was possibly blindfolded. It was over in seconds. Anne’s attendants covered her head and body with a white sheet and carried her to the St Peter ad Vincula.

1. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.166
2. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.172
3. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.174
4. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.175
5. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.179
6. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.179
7. The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger p.180
8. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives p.358