The 1535 Progress: Gloucester Abbey, Gloucestershire

…later, Anne Boleyn, newly a queen, smiled through our green woodlands while hunting in the [former] Park and Longridge Wood with her terrible master, and they were accompanied by Sir John Dudley, afterwards Duke of Northumberland and father-in-law of Lady Jane Grey.

Welbore St Clair Baddeley, from A Cotswold Manor Being the History of Painswick

Overview

It was the height of summer when the King and court took leave of the Abbot of Tewkesbury and headed the twelve miles or so southbound toward the City of Gloucester. Thankfully for us, long-overlooked records of the Corporation of Gloucester, found in the Duke of Beaufort’s papers, provide us with a detailed account of this visit. This was the ‘first commyng [of the King – and Anne] to Gloucester, after his Graces Coronacion.’ These records give us an unsurpassed insight into the pomp and ceremony which must have accompanied the royal couple whenever they visited a major town or city. Because of this and its uniqueness, we shall be covering its contents in some detail for those particularly interested in Anne Boleyn.

 31 July 1535: The Arrival at Gloucester

From the account, we know that on Saturday, 31 July, Henry and Anne were met by the Mayor of Gloucester, John Falconer; aldermen; sheriffs, Thomas Payne and Richard Edwardes; and about 100 or so burgesses of the ‘town of Gloucester’.

The greeting party rode out in their scarlet gowns and velvet ‘typpettes’, whilst the burgesses were attired in ‘cootes of musterdevillers’, a type of mixed, grey, woollen cloth. They met the King and Queen at ‘the grene at the hether end of the lane athisside [this side of] Brickehampton’s brigge’  or bridge, now Down Hatherley village, where they made their obeisance on horseback, offering the King their right hands in turn. The mayor then kissed the mace of the town and said to the King:

Thanks be to God for your Grace’s health and good prosperity, which God long continue! That all such liberties, privileges, customs, and grants as your Grace and other your noble progenitors heretofore have given unto the Mayor and Burgesses of this your town of Gloucester, as we deliver up unto your Grace, trusting that your Grace will be as good and gracious Lord unto us now as you have been heretofore. And furthermore, I hereto present myself unto your Grace as Mayor of your said town of Gloucester, certifying that all your burgesses there be…at your Grace’s commandment, and heartily thank your Grace for such liberties, privileges and grants that your Grace has given unto us, beseeching you of your gracious aid and assistance hereafter in the execution thereof in doing justice. [Spelling modernised]

The King then took receipt of the mace, immediately delivering it back to the mayor with his continued blessing. With the first formalities completed, a procession was then formed led by the burgesses, aldermen and sheriffs. Then ‘alle gentilmen, esquyers, knyghtes, lords, and other greate men’ followed. Before the King and Queen came the mayor, still carrying the mace, escorted by sergeants-at-arms. Behind Anne followed her ladies and gentlewomen and other ‘sondry persons folowyng the Courte’.

Images of Gloucester Cathedral, including the tomb of Abbot Parker (bottom right), the cloisters and the gateway to the inner sanctum of the abbots lodging. The part timber-framed building would have been there during Anne and Henry’s visit in 1535.
Images ©The Tudor Travel Guide.

The royal entourage then passed by Whitefriars (now the bus station!) immediately outside the city walls to the north-east before arriving at the medieval Northgate, positioned at the northern end of the current Lower North Gate Street. This was the main entrance to the city from the north and east. Here, they were met by ‘all the clergie’ dressed in their copes and having crosses, carpets and cushions with them. In a wonderful and touching insight, it is easy to visualise what happened next:

 And his Grace and the Quene bothe being on horseback lovingly there kissed the crosse, and then rode forthe, every man after the seid maner throwght the towne bryngyng His Grace into the Abbey throwght Seynt Edwardes Lane.’[now College Street]

Once into the abbey precinct, Henry and Anne were greeted by the ‘Abbot [Parker] and his bretheren’ in the porch of the abbey; all were sumptuously attired in their rich ceremonial copes, once more having carpets and cushions at the ready. This time they were clearly needed, for Anne and Henry dismounted and:

both kneeled down and kissed the crosse with greate reveraunce, and then went up to the highe alter, and so from thens [there] to there [their] lodgynges.

The Abbot’s Lodgings at Gloucester

Sadly, where those lodgings were, is not specified. However, as we shall see, the royal couple set off hunting on subsequent days from the abbey yard. This is highly suggestive of the fact that they lodged in the abbot’s lodgings, close to the cathedral and on its northern side, fronting modern-day Pitt Street. A report on the abbey wall (the only part of the abbot’s lodgings to survive) by C. M Heighway in 2006 summarises that:

Pitt Street and the wall of the Long Gallery and oriel window. Image ©The Tudor Travel Guide.

The principal buildings, including the great hall, were towards the west….Attached to the high end of the hall were the great chamber, chapel, private chambers, and a long gallery or ‘walking house’ that linked the hall and associated buildings to the late-medieval eastern ranges. The medieval bishop’s palace was accessed from the south, from the western court of the abbey, through a gateway that still stands.

The Victoria County History (see British History Online) suggests that these earlier ‘eastern ranges’ contained the abbot’s privy lodgings. It would be here, in the grandest apartments of the palace, that we would expect to find the King and Queen most sumptuously lodged for the duration of their stay in Gloucester.

Today, only the northern wall of the long gallery, with its fine oriel window, remains of the palace, a building which burnt down and then was demolished in the mid-nineteenth century. King School now stands in its place. However, you can view the wall from both its exterior and interior facade from Pitt Street and the publicly accessible precincts of the school, respectively. An information board attached to the wall in the latter location tells a little more of its history.

Six days in the Gloucestershire Countryside

The account makes it clear that the King and Queen arrived on Saturday, 31 July, and departed on 7 August. The Corporation Records of Gloucester have preserved the movements of the King and Queen for three of those days: Monday 2, Tuesday 3 and the day of their departure from Gloucester itself, Sunday 7 August.

Monday 2 August: Painswick

Item, the Monday the second day of His Graces commyng to Gloucester, abowte X [10] of the clocke, His Grace and the Quene both being rydyng toward Paynswicke to hunting, the Maire [Mayor] with certen of his brethene mett His Grace in the Abbey Churche yarde, and presented hym there with ten fatte oxen…for whiche His Grace gave unto them loving thankes.

The City of Gloucester lies in a broad, shallow valley and is surrounded on almost every side by gently rolling hills. Nowhere is the countryside more beguiling than to the south of the city around the village of Painswick, known today as the Queen of the Cotswolds because of its inestimable charms.

The lush green pastures and leafy woodland surrounding the village set a charming green mantle about the yellow Cotswold stone used to craft its ancient houses. It is truly one of the most beautiful parts of the English countryside, and indeed also very wealthy in the sixteenth century, on account of the prosperous wool trade.

Even today, it is easy to imagine Anne as part of the royal hunting party wending their way through leafy woodland tracks toward the ancient site of Painswick Beacon. This place gives genuinely magnificent views over Gloucester and its environs. One wonders if Anne and Henry made their way to the summit on horseback to drink in England’s ‘green and pleasant land’. Alternatively, they might have stopped just short of the Beacon at nearby Prinknash Abbey, directly en route from the centre of the city.

Prinknash was one of the Abbot of Gloucester’s country residences. Today it remains as a picture-perfect Cotswold stone mansion, nestled into the north-facing side of a hill that also looks out toward Gloucester, a perfect place to take refreshment and enjoy similarly spectacular views away to the north. Prinknash Abbey now stands as a working Benedictine monastery. The current Abbot reports that there are indeed rumours of such a royal visit, although no extant evidence seems to survive to confirm or refute this. Given its location and ownership by Abbot Francis, it is not hard to imagine that some substance lies behind the rumours.

The original tomb of Sir William Kingston, which has subsequently been embellished – the figures are later additions. Image ©The Tudor Travel Guide.

In the Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, we hear of Sir John Dudley (the future Duke of Northumberland and father-in-law to Lady Jane Grey) writing to the well-informed Lord Lisle on the 8 August, after the visit. In this missive, he states that Anne and Henry had ‘recently’ paid a visit to the village of Painswick, some six miles south of Gloucester. Here the King had spoken with Sir John about a business matter concerning Lord Lisle. It seems that the royal couple probably rested at The Lodge, a property co-owned by Lord Lisle and Sir John at the time.

It is clear that The Lodge was the major medieval house in the village in the early sixteenth century. Later, during the Civil War, the Court House would take pre-eminence. The former building is recorded as having a great hall arranged around a courtyard; today only two wings survive, the west and north ranges.

A Cotteswold Manor being the History of Painswick, by Welbore St Claire Baddeley, written at the turn of the twentieth century, also states that:

…in July [Henry VIII] visited Painswick and Miserden with Anne Boleyn, while hunting during a visit to Gloucester.

He goes on to say that a portion of nearby Longridge, a ridge of wooded land lying across the valley from Painswick village and within sight of Painswick Lodge, was long known thereafter as The Queen’s Wood, and a parcel of land there was called Queen’s Acre after Anne’s fleeting presence during that brief stay in the summer of 1535. You can still walk through these woods today because of the many public footpaths that pass through them.

It must have been a full and bounteous day for Anne and the King, for as the Corporation of Gloucester Records tell us:

And the same day in the darke evening they came fom Panyswicke, and at Ailesgate [East Gate] mett them certen persons to the noumbre of xv. [15] with torches light, and browght there Graces into the Abbey, for whiche they gave hartie thankes, and the Quenes grace gave them in reward iiii. [4] angelleth nobles at that tyme.

As it was summer, it would have been light until nine o’clock at night. Anne and Henry had probably been away from Gloucester for around twelve hours. In understanding this, we get a glimpse of Anne’s physical stamina, not to mention a wonderful image of numerous torches flickering, casting gentle, willowy shadows across Anne’s face and illuminating darkened alleyways as the hunting party picked their way through the narrow medieval streets of Gloucester after dark.

Tuesday, 3 August: Coberley and Miserden

Perhaps enchanted by this little corner of England, Henry and Anne decided to head out from Gloucester the following day in a similar south-westerly direction. This time hunting would be centred around the village of Coberley and the park at Miserden. The Corporation Records list:

Item, the Tewsday the thride day of His graces commying, he and the Quenes Grace also being rydyng toward Coberley, the seid Maire and his bretherne mett the Quene in the Abbey Chruche yarde, and ther presented hit with a purse of gold…for whiche Hir Grace gave like loving thankes.

Coberley lies about nine miles to the west of Gloucester, quite a fair ride if the royal party made it all the way to the village. However, it is quite possible that they broke the journey by stopping off at Brockworth Court, which lies almost halfway between Gloucester and Coberley, just off the only main ‘road’ in the area, the Roman Ermin Street.

At the time, Brockworth Court was owned by Lanthony Priory, the house itself was the prior’s private country lodging. There has long been a legend passed down that Anne Boleyn stayed/slept at Brockworth whilst Henry lodged with Katherine of Aragon at nearby Prinknash Abbey during the days before Katherine’s expulsion from court. However, our suspicion is that a fragment of truth has become corrupted over time. The History of Prinknash Park by W. Bazeley states emphatically that Henry VIII visited Gloucester ‘once and once only’ – in 1535 when Anne Boleyn was queen. This has also been confirmed by a search of the Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, the Privy Purse Expenses and by the local pre-eminent historian for Gloucester, Phil Moss. Given that Brockworth lies directly en route to a documented location, combined with the existence of rumours of a visit, we believe that it is quite possible that these rumours, in fact, refer to a visit on 3 August 1535, much as are documented for the royal visits to Prinknash Abbey and Painswick Lodge the previous day.

The image above gives an impression of how Coberley once looked.

Indeed, there is further compelling evidence for this. In the first floor solar, wall paintings contemporary to the early sixteenth century, show a Tudor rose next to a religious monogram ‘IHC’. Investigation of these paintings by Perry & Lithgow Partnership has revealed that beneath the letters is Katherine of Aragon’s pomegranate. Clearly, this was painted over at some point, despite the fact that throughout its history, the owners of the house retained its catholic tradition, and at the time, one assumed their alliance with the deposed queen. It is not hard to imagine the prior being informed of Anne’s imminent arrival a few days before the royal visit, as would be customary, and how he might have issued orders for Katherine’s badge to be covered up all haste!

It is possible that the royal party also called in at Coberley Hall in the village of Coberley, some six to seven miles to the west of Brockworth. The hall already had a pedigree for royal visits, including Henry VII and his consort, Elizabeth of York. It afforded the perfect place for refreshment and rest and to build alliances with the local gentry.

The King is then mentioned hunting three miles or so to the south at Miserden Park. Anne is not specifically named at this point in the records, although there is no reason to suppose that she wasn’t with him.

In visiting Miserden, the royal couple would have been guests of Sir William Kingston, who, unbelievably, just nine months later, would serve as Anne’s gaoler in his role as Constable of the Tower of London. That most hardy of soldiers would die at Painswick four years later after taking receipt of The Lodge following Cromwell’s downfall in 1540. (Cromwell had briefly owned the property after wresting it off Lord Lisle and Sir John Dudley).

Returning again after dark, we hear no more details of the stay until the day of departure. Four days remain unaccounted for, although there is a hint that one of the other locations was another of Abbot Parker’s country residences. In the margin of the geists for the 1535 progress, we see the following note “…the [Vin]yerd, the [Abbo]ttes place”. This possibly refers to the abbot’s principal country seat, lying just two miles west of Gloucester, across the River Severn.  Although we will describe this property here, there is a note of caution to be added to this long-held interpretation. During our research, we found that the abbot’s lodgings at Gloucester Abbey lay directly adjacent to an area of the abbey precinct known as The Vineyard, on account of the vines grown there. It strikes us that it is just possible that these notes in the margin of the geists, are referring to this latter Vineyard and not the Vineyard at Over.

Sunday 7 August

On the day of departure, Anne gathered alongside the King and court outside the abbey in the abbey yard. The same regal procession that had welcomed the royal party escorted them out from Gloucester through the city’s Southgate (sited where the current Southgate Street intersects with Parliament Street)  until they came to ‘Quoddesley Green’ (now Quedgeley Green), a small village lying three miles south of the city centre.

The land is low lying and was long surrounded by meadows and pastures. A number of small brooks, including the Qued, converged on the village of around fifty or so inhabitants, all of whom must surely have come out of the houses, agog at the vibrant spectacle of monarchy that they would no doubt witness only once in their lifetime.

There is a tradition that Anne Boleyn stayed in Little Thatch, a modest-sized, timber-framed building that still stands today in the village and which now serves as a hotel and restaurant. Perhaps she took refreshment there, but it does not seem likely that she stayed there, for it is clear that they were lodged at Leonard Stanley by the same evening.

As before, we hear:

Alle the townes men sate on horseback in a raunge gevyng His Grace the right hand. And there did the Kyng take the Maire by the hande and so departed. And so both the Kynges Grace and the Quene passid by the seid townes men and gave them alle thankes.

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

THE NEXT STOP ON YOUR PROGRESS IS WOLVESEY PALACE AND WINCHESTER CASTLE: CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE.

Visitor Information

On account of the detailed records of the royal visit to Gloucester, in many ways, the city is a little gem for following in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn. Several sites are mentioned explicitly as being visited by the King and Queen, several of which still survive in various states of preservation. Sadly, Gloucester has subsequently diminished in importance and wealth due to the rise of nearby Cheltenham as a spa town in the eighteenth century. Today, it is a rather frustrating mix of ugly modernism next door to some of the most beautiful medieval delights you could hope to see anywhere.

Perhaps the best way to approach this tour is to head for the junction of Northgate Street and St John’s Lane to find yourself at the site of the medieval Northgate, the first landmark on Anne’s journey through the medieval town. Walk up Northgate Street towards the Cross (crossroads), then turn right into Westgate Street. This street is wide today, but in Anne’s time would have been divided into two narrow lanes with shops, churches and market buildings down the centre.

Eventually, turn right into College Street, originally St Edward’s Lane, leading to the remains of St Edward’s Gate at the entrance to the cathedral precinct on your left. Once inside the precinct you are in the old abbey yard.

The main south porch where Anne and Henry dismounted their horses, kneeled upon cushions and kissed the cross is directly in front of you. It is rare indeed to be able to pinpoint Anne to such a specific location. So, pause a while and imagine the ceremony in all its reverential splendour. From here, head into the cathedral. Follow in Anne’s footsteps to the high altar, but do also take your time to enjoy the beauty of the old abbey church and its many treasures, including the chantry tomb of Bishop Parker (who played host to the royal couple during their stay in Gloucester), which can be found next to the tomb of Edward II. Also, do not miss the cloisters, which are some of the best-preserved medieval cloisters to be found anywhere in the country.

Here, you can take a break at the cathedral’s cafe or enjoy a packed lunch in the peaceful setting of the cloister gardens.

Before you leave the vicinity of the cathedral, wander through the precincts, under medieval gateways toward the northwest corner and the site of the modern-day King School. Here, fronting onto Pitt Street, is the abbey wall, the only remaining vestige of the abbot’s lodgings, where Anne and Henry once enjoyed Abbot Parker’s hospitality.

Finally, make your way back out onto Westgate Street, up towards the Cross (crossroads) and on into Eastgate Street. Just adjacent to the heinous modern-day Eastgate shopping centre, the turret of part of the old medieval East Gate is visible underground on your right. Now is the time to allow the twenty-first century to melt away and instead conjure torch-bearers in your mind greeting the royal party as they arrived back in the town from a hard day’s hunting in the countryside surrounding Gloucester.

Visiting Gloucester’s Environs

The following locations are within easy reach of each other if you have a car and are situated in stunning locations to the east, southeast, and south of Gloucester, amongst some of the most picturesque countryside in England. It would be well worth booking into a local bed and breakfast and using that as your base to explore Gloucester and the other locations included in this entry.

Prinknash Abbey (pronounced Pinnash) has a café and small bookshop, selling light refreshments, monastic gifts and books. It is well signposted from the road. The building is currently in use as a working monastery, so all but the chapel is inaccessible to the general public.

The views over Gloucester from this point are also worth stopping to enjoy. Alternatively, carry on along the road into Painswick until you see signs for Painswick Beacon pointing to the right. There is ample parking, and it is a great area for exercising dogs. Take a stroll up to the old hill fort, which is now part of Painswick Golf Club, and enjoy the stunning view. (Note: the landscape is hilly and requires at least some level of physical fitness). Finally, if you are an adult male, you are welcome to stay for periods of retreat at Prinknash as part of the abbey’s Benedictine rule of hospitality. Please visit the abbey website for further details.

Postcode for Prinknash Abbey: GL4 8EX.

The Lodge at Painswick is in private hands and is, therefore, not open to the public. However, you can view it from the road. Look out for signs to Sheepscombeon the left as you descend into the village of Painswick from the north. About a mile or two along the road, you will find the house opposite a lane, which is a no-through road. The Lodge is set back along a tree-lined drive, identifiable by the house name Painswick Lodge, helpfully displayed at the entrance to the drive.

Postcode for the Lodge at Painswick: GL6 6UB.

Do remember to visit the picturesque village church of St Mary in nearby Painswick to see the tomb commemorating the last resting place of Sir William Kingston, Anne’s gaoler, who died in Painswick in 1540. This tomb was desecrated during the Civil War, and effigies (probably of Sir William and Lady Kingston) were removed, along with the brass plaques, whose outline can still be seen on the wall behind the figures that now adorn the tomb.

If you wish to follow in Anne’s footsteps of Tuesday, 3 August 1535, then head toward Brockworth Court, lying to the west of Gloucester. The manor is a little gem and not to be missed. It is Grade I listed, and dendrochronology has dated some of the timbers of the building back to the fifteenth century. Although the original house has been remodelled over the centuries, for example, with the loss of the great hall, many medieval and Tudor architectural delights are preserved.

The owners, Tim and Bridget Wiltshire, bought the house in 1997 when it was in some state of disrepair. They have lovingly poured themselves into restoring the building and preserving its wonderful history for future generations to enjoy. The house is privately owned and not generally open to the public. However, there are occasionally open days for the gardens.

Postcode for Brockworth Court: GL3 4QU.

Afterwards, continue your journey to the tiny and almost forgotten hamlet of Coberley, a few miles south of Cheltenham. Once upon a time, a thriving village known to kings and princes served Coberley Hall, which had been built by Roger de Berkeley II in the twelfth century. The hall was lost in the eighteenth century, but part of the gatehouse, outer courtyard surrounded by vestiges of the service buildings, church, and crenellated walls survive to hint at its more illustrious past.

You need to head a quarter of a mile east out of the village to find the site of the hall and its adjacent church. There is a signpost to Coberley Church showing the gated access. Only pedestrian access is possible through the private grounds of Coberley Court, and dogs are not welcome. Notice the solid buttresses on the outer walls and grand gateway (now much remodelled) that once led into an inner courtyard. Through the gate, you will get a sense of this arrangement; a central courtyard is now laid to the lawn, but an array of stone outbuildings leaves the visitor with the impression that this area was once a hive of activity.

Carry on forward, passing through the gate into the churchyard of St Giles. The church has Norman origins, but sadly was much remodelled during the Victorian era. However, as you walk along the path, you will see rather impressive, battlemented walls on your left and ahead of you. These walls are a sure sign of the magnificent building, which once stood in a now-empty field to the south of the church. A blocked-up doorway hewn into the wall would have once been used by the family of the house to access the church from its south side, whilst villagers would enter from the west.

It is unlikely that you will stay too long in Coberley, so perhaps plan to spend most of your time in the area enjoying the delights of Miserden village and Misarden Park (yes, the spelling is different), lying roughly three miles to the south.

Postcode for St Giles’ Church, Coberley: GL53 9RA.

Miserden village is a wonderful place to linger for a while. Buried deep in the Cotswold countryside, it is less over-run than some of the region’s other larger, better-known villages and towns. On a lovely sunny day, as it was when the authors visited, there can be few more beautiful places to be in England. A profusion of blossom and early summer flowers set against emerald green lawns and azure blue skies made it easy to see why Sir William Kingston chose Miserden as one of his country residences.

Although the Tudor house is gone, replaced by a later Jacobean building of still considerable charm, the steep wooded valleys and open fields must have made perfect hunting terrain to be enjoyed by the King and his consort.

If you enjoy walking, make sure you walk the well-marked paths that take you through the park, some with stunning views of the house. It is a great place to sit by the lake or enjoy a picnic if the weather is fine. However, do not worry! There is also a fine pub (very popular) in the village, called The Carpenter’s Arms, where you can take refreshments if you wish.

Although the house in Misarden Park is not open to the public, its renowned gardens are. For further information on opening times, group visits, and entry charges, please contact the Miserden Estate Office via their website.

Postcode for Miserden Park: GL6 7JA

The Vineyard at Over. There is nothing to see of the old manor house above ground today. Although apparently the site of the moat remains well marked in earthworks that are clearly visible to the naked eye when the authors visited, it was impossible to gain access. The best we could do was view the back of the site from a renovated waterway, accessed from the adjacent Wharf House Restaurant. On account of this, it is difficult to recommend visiting this site, but it is included here for completeness.

Postcode for Over: GL2 8BY.