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Carew Manor

Tudor History

The following information is intended to show the historical significance of Carew Manor during the Tudor period.  A brief overview to the era is included however it is not intended to be a definitive guide to Tudor England.  For more information on Tudor England, please see the Links & Further Reading page.
Tudor England (in brief)
 
The Tudors ruled England and Wales from 1485 to 1603 and consisted of the following monarchs:
 
Henry VII (ruled from 1485 – 1509)
Famous for defeating Richard III at the ‘Battle of Bosworth Field’ during the War of the Roses and claiming the throne through the ‘right of conquest’.
 
Henry VIII (ruled from 1509 – 1547)
One of the most famous (and ruthless) monarchs in English history.  Aside from his six wives, Henry VIII is also known for breaking with Rome and establishing the Church of England.
 
Edward VI (ruled from 1547 – 1553)
The only legitimate son of Henry VIII.  He was only 9 years old when crowned King of England and died at the age of 15.
 
Jane Grey (ruled for all of 9 days in 1553)
Lady Jane was essentially forced onto the throne by various powerful families trying to gain control during the immediate aftermath of Edward’s death.
 
Mary I (ruled from 1553 – 1558)
The daughter of Henry VIII from his first wife Katherine of Aragon.  A staunch Catholic, she became known as ‘Bloody Mary’ for her brutal treatment of Protestants (most were burnt alive at the stake).
 
Elizabeth I (ruled from 1558 – 1603)
Famously known as the ‘Virgin Queen’ because she refused to marry and produce an heir.  Her reign has been heralded as ‘The Golden Age’ of England.
Tudor England (and particularly the reign of Henry VIII) was known for its brutality.  Beheadings, tortures and other gruesome forms of retribution were common-place for a variety of offences – even ‘thinking’ about the death of the King was considered treason.  Religion could also get you in trouble.  The Tudor’s believed ‘absolutely’ in God and the afterlife.  Henry VIII’s break with the Catholic Church in Rome in order to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn created an era of religious turmoil, as well as many martyrs – perhaps the most famous of these was Sir Thomas More.*
 
It was also the age of world exploration and art with other notable figures of the time including Sir Walter Raleigh (also of significance to Carew Manor), Francis Drake, Hans Holbein, Christopher Marlowe and (of course) William Shakespeare!
 
* ‘A Man for All Seasons’, by Robert Bolt is a wonderful play (and Academy Award-winning film) about the life (and ultimate death) of Sir Thomas More [see the LINKS & FURTHER READING page].
 
 
Nicholas Carew & Henry VIII
 
As a boy, Nicholas Carew was placed in Henry’s household and shared the King’s education.  As young men Nicholas and Henry were renowned for their skill at jousting.
 
He and Henry were close friends with the King giving Nicholas his own tiltyard at Greenwich (a great honour) as well as other positions of importance.  Around 1517 Nicholas Carew was knighted and in the following years was frequently sent on embassies to Paris.
In this famous portrait of Nicholas Carew he is actually wearing his jousting armour.
 
Nicholas Carew was fluent in French and known to be ‘up on the fashion of the day’.  The manor would have had silk, gold cloth and tapestries on display, showing how the Carew family was ‘on the up’ and ‘in favour’.
 
In fact, Nicholas Carew was one of the stars at the Field of Cloth of Gold*, sat on the grand jury that indicted Buckingham** and at the christening of the King’s son in 1537, carried the baptismal font.
 
* In June 1520, a meeting to secure political harmony between Henry VIII and Francis I of France took place near Calais. It was to become known as the Field of Cloth of Gold (see image below).
 
** Edward Stafford was the 3rd Duke of Buckingham (a very noble family with a long ancestral line). He was executed for treason (plotting the death of the King) in 1521.
However being noble and ‘in favour’ with the King did not guarantee a stable life in Tudor England as there were many people (from noble families to those in religious positions – such as Cardinal Wolsey*) also vying for the King’s affections. Over the next decade Nicholas Carew was in and out of favour, being expelled and re-invited back to Court** and the Privy Council*** many times.
 
* Cardinal Wolsey was perhaps Henry VIII’s most important government minister. Despite being a Cardinal he acquired substantial wealth (and a few mistresses) throughout his life. Perhaps his most famous monument is Hampton Court Palace that he built and presented to King Henry VIII (probably to stay in favour). Despite his past achievements he fell from grace by being unable to secure Papal approval for King Henry’s divorce. An order for his arrest was eventually issued but he died on the way to the Tower.
 
** It is perhaps difficult to understand today the importance of being allowed/welcome ‘at court’. It was the centre of noble society with monetary as well as social importance attached to it. If you were banished from court your quality life was drastically altered – in some cases noblemen would be reduced to living like peasants.
 
*** The Privy Council was a group of King Henry’s most trusted friends and noblemen who would advise him ‘in private’. Privy Councils are still active today.
Despite being Anne Boleyn’s cousin, it is reported that Sir Nicholas Carew resented the way she used her position as the King’s mistress to influence him.
 
He showed this further by sheltering the King’s former jester Will Sommers who was in hiding at Carew Manor for making a rude remark about Anne (he had called her ‘ribaude’ which in French translates as ‘wench’ or ‘trollop’) and referring to their daughter Elizabeth as a ‘bastard’. When Anne Boleyn finally lost favour (and her head) for not being able to produce a male heir, King Henry VIII had Jane Seymour (his soon-to-be third wife) lodged at Carew Manor.
 
During this time Thomas Cromwell* was leading the reformation** that among other things saw the dissolution of Catholic monasteries all over England – probably because their wealth could be added to King Henry’s coffers! Angry that their monasteries (as well as Catholic religion) were disappearing, an uprising that became known as ‘The Pilgrimage of the Grace’ took place at York in the North of England.
 
* Thomas Cromwell was Henry VIII’s chief minister and won favour by being able to secure what Cardinal Wolsey could not – a legal divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. (Again we need to remember that divorce was considered a grave sin with marriage being binding contract with God.) Thomas Cromwell himself came to a sticky end at the Tower of London with his head placed on a spike for all to see.
 
** The ‘reformation’ is a term given to the period in English history when Henry VIII was breaking with the Catholic Church in Rome, establishing himself as head of the Church of England.
 
Despite supplying 200 men to help combat the Pilgrimage of the Grace, receiving a substantial grant of monastic lands, carrying the font at Prince Edward’s christening and entertaining the King at Carew Manor in 1538 it wasn’t long before Nicholas was out of favour again. As he was known to be Catholic and a supporter of Mary* (the King’s Catholic daughter from his first wife), it was reported that his fall from grace (this time) happened when he reacted angrily to an insult made by the King while the two were playing at bowls.
 
Henry had already imprisoned a number of noble families in the Tower of London – most notably the ‘Courtenays’ who were accused of trying to usurp Henry’s crown**. As Nicholas Carew was a friend of the ‘Courtenays’ (and already out of favour at court) he was also arrested and sent to the tower. To further seal his fate, Thomas Cromwell presented Henry VIII with apparently treasonous letters from him. However Chapuys*** believed that Nicholas’ Catholic faith and the fact that Henry was coveting his Surrey estate (which aside from Carew Manor also included an extensive deer park – ideal for hunting) were the real reasons for Nicholas Carew’s arrest.
 
* Being loyal to Mary throughout his life could explain why the Carew Manor estates were returned to the family when she came to power.
 
** The head of the Courtenay family was the Marquis of Exeter and his plan to depose the king became known as ‘The Exeter Conspiracy’.
 
*** Eustace Chapuys was a Spanish ambassador to England during King Henry’s reign whose extensive records and detailed correspondence give us a great insight into the era.
 
Anyone of noble birth was not allowed to be tortured and some were even allowed a few privileges while imprisoned. It is reported in the Tower of London records that the prison’s keeper Thomas Phillips, lent Sir Nicholas Carew an English Bible so that on Tower Hill he could make a confession of both “his folly and superstitious faith … thanking God that ever he came in the Tower where he first savoured the life and sweetness of God’s most holy Word”.
 
Sir Nicholas Carew was beheaded at Tower Hill on 3 March 1539.
Both his head* and body were buried in the Tower chapel but later removed to St.Botolph’s-without-Aldersgate church in the City of London.
 
* Sometimes the head and body were buried separately (see the notes on Sir Walter Raleigh below).
 
Lady Elizabeth Carew 
 
Elizabeth was a regular at court performing in many masques and dances. She was also a second cousin of both Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.
 
King Henry attended their wedding (and may have even arranged their marriage) and is known to have showered Lady Carew with “beautiful diamonds and pearls and innumerable jewels”.
 
She is said to have been friends with Bessie Blount (Henry’s mistress who produced an illegitimate son in 1519) and there were rumours that Elizabeth Carew was also a mistress of the King at some point (although some reports state it was actually the King’s brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk).
 
Lady Carew was among the noble ladies who attended Jane Seymour’s funeral and it is reported that she was the one who submitted to the Act of Supremacy by signing the oath*.
 
The death of her husband left her and their children destitute.
 
* Following the time of the King’s ‘Great Matter’ – the name given used to describe his desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn (that took six years to resolve) – many noble families were expected to sign the ‘Oath of Supremacy’ acknowledging King Henry VIII as the head of the new Church of England. The penalty for not signing was death.
Francis Carew 
 
Francis Carew was the son of Nicholas Carew and the one who got the Carew Manor estate returned to him by Queen Mary – ironically enough though, Francis was actually a Protestant!
 
Although Francis Carew was not a political person (or prominent at Court), Queen Elizabeth I visited him at Carew Manor on a number of occasions during her reign.
 
His legacy however was in gardening and Carew Manor became renowned for its gardens during this time. [SEE A TOUR OF CAREW MANOR FOR MORE]
 
Francis Carew never married and the estate passed to Nicholas Throckmorton (his nephew) who actually changed his name to Carew in the 1600’s (just to add to the confusion) !!
 
 
Elizabeth 'Bess' Throckmorton & Sir Walter Raleigh
 
Lady Elizabeth Throckmorton (known as ‘Bess’ to her friends) not only became Sir Walter Raleigh’s wife, but was also a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. At that time, the Queen demanded that approval was sought before any of her ladies-in-waiting could marry, however Bess married Raleigh in secret after falling pregnant. When the marriage was discovered Bess was banished from court and Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Unfortunately the son that had prompted the marriage died when he was only six months old. Raleigh was eventually released from prison and the couple had more children.
 
Sir Walter Raleigh’s accomplishments during the reign of Elizabeth I make him a distinct figure during the later Tudor period. More information on Sir Walter Raleigh can be found at: LINKS / FURTHER READING
 
He was however eventually beheaded in 1618 for his (supposed) involvement in The Main Plot*.
 
* The Main Plot was (yet another) conspiracy by English Catholics to remove King James I from the English throne.
 
Rumours abound regarding Bess, Sir Walter Raleigh and Carew Manor. After his death, she pretty much disappeared out of public record. Although there is no evidence that Bess ever resided at Carew Manor, some believe that his body was eventually returned to Beddington and that the two lay buried together somewhere on Carew Manor’s grounds.
 
One rather grisly fact is that after his execution, his head was presented to Bess and that she had the head embalmed and carried it around with her for the rest of her life!
 
When she died either her son Carew inherited the relic and when he died it was buried with him or (as another legend has it) it was buried underneath one of the trees still growing on the estate today.
 
A current story goes that if you walk around that tree a certain number of times the head of Sir Walter Raleigh will appear to you.  [See A TOUR OF THE MANOR page]
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