The 1535 Progress: Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire

I thank you for your goodness at my preferment, and your loving commendations to the King when he was at Tewkesbury, as yet undeserved of me.
John, Abbot of Tewkesbury to Cromwell.

On Monday, 26 July 1535, the royal party left Sudeley Castle and made the seven-mile journey north-west to Tewkesbury. They were three days behind schedule but in no rush to try and make up the time. Instead, they had remained roughly for the time specified in the original geists; this meant a four-day stay at Tewkesbury.

In keeping with the protocol for all royal arrivals, the mayor and other dignitaries would have received the King, Queen and their retinue just outside the town, with the two parties merging to travel in procession to the cathedral or abbey church. After making an offering at the church, Henry and Anne would then have been escorted to their accommodation, probably at the abbey, as a letter written by Thomas Cromwell on 29 July and signed from ‘The Monastery of Tewkesbury’ seems to indicate.

The abbey was founded in 1087, but work on the buildings that Anne saw did not commence until 1102. It was initially built to house Benedictine monks and was near completion when consecrated in 1121. 

The Royal Lodgings at Tewkesbury

As at Reading and Abingdon, Henry and Anne were likely accommodated at the abbot’s house within the abbey precincts; this would have been the only building suitable to house such distinguished guests. Unlike many other monastic buildings, the Abbott’s range had been rebuilt in the early sixteenth century and so was fairly new at the time of Anne’s visit.

The marvellous news for those of us on the trail of Anne Boleyn is that although most of the claustral buildings were destroyed after the dissolution, the abbot’s lodging was retained and forms part of what is now Abbey House. The house is located next to the church’s west front—note the impressive oriel window built in 1509, the year of Henry’s accession. Today, it is home to the Vicar of Tewkesbury Abbey, the Reverend Canon Paul Williams.

Abbey House sits close to the main abbey gateway, allowing the abbot to greet all his guests, including Anne when she arrived in 1535. The gateway consists of one large room at the first-floor level accessed via a spiral staircase. It was built around 1500 and survived ruination in 1540. The building is currently leased by The Landmark Trust and available for rent as holiday accommodation.

Exploring the Abbey Church

The splendid abbey church still stands, as parishioners saved it from destruction by purchasing it from the Crown. At the time of Anne’s visit, its walls were covered in biblical scenes, and its fourteen enormous Norman pillars, which today stand bare, were dressed in bold patterns and vivid colours.

Keep an eye out for the magnificent vaulted roof of the choir, with its gilded Suns of York installed after Edward IV’s crucial victory against the Lancastrian forces in 1471 (see below). The church is also renowned for its medieval stained glass added to its seven choir windows in the fourteenth century and is among the most outstanding survivors of its kind in Europe. No doubt Anne admired them during her visit.

In the north ambulatory is a cenotaph often said to commemorate John Wiche/Wyche, later known as John Wakeman, the last abbot of Tewkesbury and the abbot at the time of Anne’s stay. (However, this monument is now known to pre-date the abbot by about 100 years) The grisly cadaver monument, designed as a reminder of the mortality of man, depicts his decaying corpse being devoured by a worm, a frog, a mouse and a snail.

At the west end of the church, you will find The Holy Cross Chapel, originally reserved for the abbot’s private worship and thought to have been connected to his lodgings by a covered walkway. Keen eyes will also spot the unique collection of early fourteenth-century bosses, representing the life of Jesus, that adorn the roof of the nave.

As you make your way toward the exit, take note of the unique Norman arch that soars almost twenty metres high over the great west doors. Wander round to the south side of the abbey, fronting the River Swilgate, where the cloisters, one of the busiest parts of the abbey precincts and the monastic buildings once stood. These are now all now lost in time.

The Mystery of Forthampton Court

As we have already stated, Tewkesbury Abbey is the most likely contender for the lodgings Henry and Anne used while staying in Tewkesbury. However, there is another location worth mentioning, one that we are grateful to Richard Sermon for bringing to our attention.

Where might this alternate accommodation have been?

A clue exists in the transcription of the marginal notes of the original itinerary where after ‘Sedley to Tewkesbury’ we find noted ‘… gtor the …. ttes place’. Local Tewkesbury Archaeologist, Richard Sermon, has suggested that the first fragment may have been incorrectly transcribed and is more likely to have been originally written as ‘…gton’, which makes sense as the common English place name element ‘…ington’. 

The village of Forthampton, in the past also called ‘Forthington’, lies just three and a half miles from the abbey, just over the River Severn and was once home to Forthampton Court, the country residence of the Abbots of Tewkesbury, who owned the manor from the twelfth century to the mid-sixteenth century. It was a large house consisting of several wings, a great hall, a solar and a chapel, described by John Leland, sometime between 1535-1543, as ‘a faire place’.

The great hall, sixteen metres by six and a half metres, although curiously narrow, was particularly large for an abbot’s country house. This and its proximity to the abbey suggest that it was probably used for entertaining and, in the words of Anthony Emery, used to ‘vie with comparable episcopal halls.’  

In light of this, even if Anne and Henry did not stay at Forthampton Court and instead remained at the abbey with Cromwell, it’s still possible that they were entertained at the house by the Abbot of Tewkesbury. It was certainly not uncommon for the King and Queen to use an abbey as their central base from where to venture out on day trips into the surrounding area. While on progress, they were regularly wined and dined by influential people, including abbots. On one recorded occasion, they stayed out until after dark, requiring the assistance of torchbearers to guide them home (See the next entry for ‘Gloucester’).

On 24 October 1535, Abbot John Wiche, later Wakeman, wrote to Cromwell to thank him:

for your goodness at my preferment, and your loving commendations to the King when he was at Tewkesbury…

Wakemen evidently remained on good terms with Henry, who took possession of Forthampton Court and granted it to him after the dissolution of the abbey in January 1540. The following year, Wakeman was appointed the first bishop of Gloucester, after which time he made improvements to the house using stone from the demolished Tewkesbury’s lady chapel.

Over the centuries, the house has been altered and extended; however, later additions have retained and incorporated the medieval great hall, a first-floor chapel, and various other fifteenth—and sixteenth-century walls. Today, the house is privately owned, but a self-contained, nineteenth-century wing can be rented out to holidaymakers.

To listen to the podcast episode associated with this blog, click here.

THE NEXT STOP ON YOUR PROGRESS IS THE GLOUCESTER ABBEY: CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE.

Visitor Information

Tewkesbury is a charming English market town of considerable medieval heritage. Its main street is full of wonderful timber-framed buildings, making it hard to keep your eyes on the road when you first drive into the town!

There is ample parking in a pay-and-display car park just off Gander Lane, directly adjacent to the east end of the abbey. From here, you can access the abbey and grounds, taking your time to explore its fabulous Norman architecture as you follow in Anne’s footsteps up the central aisle to stand in front of the high altar. A plan of the medieval abbey before the Dissolution is hung on the wall in the north ambulatory, to the right of the high altar as you stand facing it.

After leaving the abbey, walk a short distance around the corner to your left, and you will soon come across the fine building which was once the old abbot’s lodgings. That beautifully carved stone, the oriel window, will be one of the first things that draws the eye. The carvings are somewhat worn, but one can clearly see the date of 1509 inscribed, coinciding with the year of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne. Continue further along until you come across the gatehouse, the main mediaeval entrance to the abbey precinct. Hear the clatter of horses’ hooves as the royal party swept in and out of their lodgings.

Before you leave Tewkesbury, do take some time to enjoy its mediaeval charms, particularly the Merchant’s House on Church Street. This range of timber-framed buildings has been converted into a museum, recreating the interior of a typical merchant’s house of the Tudor period. This is affiliated with the John Moore Museum next door. Further information on opening times can be found on their website:

Tewkesbury Abbey is open all year round; visit here for more information. Entry is free; however, visitors are asked to leave a donation for the upkeep of the Abbey.