July Overview

Our July overview is a few days late and is a little bit bear this month, this is due to us having so much to cover and blog, along with normal life getting in that way that this fell on the back burner slightly. So this has been put together quickly so that we could get it out.  

1st

1535 Thomas More goes on trial on charges of treason

1956 Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller have a Jewish wedding, 2 days after their actual wedding

Marilyn and Arthur had a quick 4 minute wedding ceremony at Westchester County Court House in New York at 7pm on the 29th June. This ceremony was spare of the moment thing and to avoid the press. It was witnessed by Arthur's cousin and his wife, there was nobody else in attendance. A traditional secret Jewish rite took place 2 days later at the home of Arthur's agent, Kay Brown. The couple both said their vows again before Rabbi Robert Goldburg. Marilyn was struggling throughout the day and before the ceremony refused to go through with it. She was walked down the aisle and given away by her acting coach Lee Strasburg. Their wedding rings were inscribed with the words ‘Now is forever’. George Axelrod gave a witty speech hoping that their children would have Arthur's looks and Marilyn's brains. Not long after the couple left for London for Marilyn to start filming "The Prince and the Showgirl". The marriage lasted for 5 years, but was a strange marriage. Arthur never liked the limelight and attention that Marilyn received, he felt that his own creativity would dampen due to her. So much so that after reading his notebook Marilyn felt that she was a disappointment to him. They would separate in 1960 and would eventually divorce the following year. 

1961 Diana, Princess of Wales was born

2nd

1492 Elizabeth Tudor, the forth child of Henry VII was born

1850 Robert Peel, the man who created the first police force died

2000 Motorcycle racer Joey Dunlop died while racing in Estonia

3rd

4th

1862 Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell the story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 

1934 Marie Curie passes away, her body is placed in a lead sealed coffin due to radiation

5th

1675 Mary Walcott one of the girls afflicted during the Salem Witch Trials is born 

Mary was the daughter of Captain Jonathan Walcott and Mary Sibley, she was 8 years old when her mother died and her father married Deliverance Putnam 2 years later. Mary had her family lived next door to Reverend Parris during the time she became afflicted. In the March she became afflicted and was about 17. She was a principle accuser along with her step-cousin Ann Putnam Jr, she would remain an accuser till the end of the trials. She claimed that she had been bitten by a spectre along with having visions and fits. Elizabeth Proctor and Sarah Cloyce were accused of tormenting Mary and he other girls. 

Mary's aunt Mary Sibley had shown Tituba how to make a witch cake, this was to show who was afflicting the girls., it was also her who suggested counter magic would flush out the witches. Mary married Issac Farrar in April 1696, Reverand Samuel Parris performed the ceremony. They had several children, eventually they moved to Townsend in Massachusetts. She married again in 1701 to David Harwood and had 9 children. In 1729 the couple moved to Sutton, while their children remained in Salem. It's believed that Mary died somewhere around 1752 age the age of 77.

6th

1483 Richard III is crowned King of England 

1535 Sir Thomas More is executed for treason on the orders of Henry VIII

1557 Philip II of Spain goes to war in France, his wife Mary I of England doesn't see him again

7th

1456 Joan of Arc is acquitted of heresy during a retrial 25 years after she died

1930 Arthur Conan Doyle, author of The Jungle Book, passes away

8th

9th

1540 Henry VIII annuls his marriage to forth wife Anne of Cleves

Anne and Henry were married on the 9th January 1540 and she wasn't what he expected. In the late 1530's Henry dispatched his court painter Hans Holbein to Duren to paint the woman that might be his next wife, this was done due to the fact the original painting by Barthel Bruyan the Elder didn't show Anne in a good light and in Henry's eyes looked to unflattering. By 1539 Thomas Cromwell made a start on marriage negotiations and a treaty was signed on the 4th October. Anne arrived in England and on New Year's Day 1540 they met at Rochester Abbey. Henry complained about Anne, stating that she was not like her painting. Henry is believed to had tried to put the marriage off. The pair were married at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Their first night was not a successful one and the marriage was never consummated. 

On the 24th June, Anne was commanded to leave the court and then just 2 weeks later she was informed of Henry's decision about the marriage. Anne was asked for consent to the annulment, to this she agreed. The marriage was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation and her pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine. Anne was given a generous settlement, she was given Richmond Palace, Hever Castle and Anne of Cleves House in East Sussex. She became friends with Henry and was given the title of "The King's Beloved Sister". Anne was often invited to court and was given precedence over any other women at court, including his wife and daughters. 

1762 Catherine the Great becomes Empress of Russia after the coup of her husband Peter III

10th

1460 Richard Neville takes King Henry VI prisoner at the Battle of Northampton

1553 Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England after the death of Edward VI

11th

1558 Playwright Robert Green is born

12th

1543 Henry VIII marries Catherine Parr, his last wife, at Hampton Court

1730 Josiah Wedgwood, creator of Wedgwood pottery, is born

13th

14th

15th

1858 Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Suffragette movement, is born

16th

1517 Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, the mother of Lady Jane Grey, was born

1546 Anne Askew, Protestant martyr, was burned at the stake on the order of Henry VIII

Anne was born in 1521 in Lincolnshire. Her father was a wealthy land owner and even was a juror during the trial of Anne Boleyn. Anne was devout Protestant and studied the Bible memorising verses. Anne moved to London where she met other Protestants and carried on studying the Bible with them. In March 1545 she was arrested and taken back to Lincolnshire, she escaped and went back to London where she started preaching. She was arrested again but was released, she was arrested again but this time taken to the Tower of London and was tortured. On the 18th June 1546 she was convicted of heresy and condemned to death. 

Anne was unable to walk and in so much pain, that she was taken from her cell and carried to Smithfield in London on a chair in just her shift. She refused to leave the chair and was dragged to the stake where she was put onto a small seat. Chains were placed round her ankles, knees, waist and neck so that she could't move. She showed bravery and didn't scream until the flames reached her. She was given one last chance of pardon, but she denied it. Three other men were executed along side her and each were given a small amount of gunpowder by a secret supporter, meaning that they died more quickly. 

1557 Anne of Cleves, forth wife to Henry VIII dies

17th

1762 Russian Emperor Peter III is murdered, his wife Catherine the Great takes over

1918 The Romanov family are shot and stabbed to death

18th

1555 The College of Arms is reincorporated by Royal Charter, signed by Mary I and Phillip II

1817 Author Jane Austin passes away 

19th

1543 Mary Boleyn, elder sister of Anne Boleyn, passes away

Mary was the eldest child of Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard, she was born in what was believed to be Blickling Hall but grew up at Hever Castle. Mary was educated along side her siblings Anne and George and was given the best that was available. At the age of 15 she sent as a lady in waiting to Princess Mary to Paris for her marriage to King Louis XII of France. Mary stayed in France even after Mary came home when Louis died. She returned to England in 1519 and was made a lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Not long after she returned she was married to William Carey in February 1520, Henry VIII was the guest of honour. Its not long after this that her affair with Henry started.

Both of the children that Mary had were believed to have been Henry's, but there is no real evidence to prove it. When her sister Anne rose in power, Mary was pushed aside. When Mary's husband died from the sweating sickness, Anne was given the wardship of her nephew in which she had him educated for the  Cistercian monastery. Anne also made sure that Mary received an annual pension of £100. Mary secretly married William Stafford and when she became pregnant they were both banned from court. Her finances declined and eventually Anne sent her money. Between 1534 and the death of her sister, it's unclear as to her life as no records remain. She never saw Anne or George again. Mary died of unknown caused in her early forties. 

1545 Henry VIII flag ship the Mary Rose sunk while he watched

1553 Lady Jane Grey is replaced as Queen of England by Mary I

1947 Brian May, the guitarist for the band Queen is was born

20th

1346 Margaret, Countess of Pembroke was born, she was the last Royal Princess to be born for 120 years

2017 Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park, is found dead

21st

1403 The Battle of Shrewsbury takes place

1951 Actor Robin Williams was born

22nd

23rd

1536 Henry FitzRoy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII died

1596 Henry Carey, son of Mary Boleyn died 

24th

1567 Mary Queen of Scots made to abdicate the throne, her 1 year old son James VI replaces her

25th

1137 Eleanor of Aquitaine married King Louis VII of France

1554 Mary I married Phillip II of Spain in Winchester Cathedral 

1603 King James VI of Scotland is crowned King James I of England 

26th

1469 The Battle of Edgecote Moor took place

1951 Disney's 13th animated film Alice in Wonderland is premiers in London 

27th

1890 Painter Vincent Van Gogh shoots himself, he dies 2 days later 

28th

1540 Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to Henry VIII, is executed for treason on Henry's orders 

1540 Henry VIII marries his fifth wife Catherine Howard

Catherine was the fifth and youngest wife of King Henry VIII. She grew up in Lambeth and was cousin to Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife. She spent most of her childhood in the home of her step grandmother due to her mother passing away. Catherine was placed at court by her uncle as a lady in waiting to Henry VIII new wife Anne of Cleves, were she soon attracted the eye of Henry. Like he did with Anne, she showered her with gifts and land. When Henry and Anne divorced his first choice was Catherine. They were married at Oatlands Palace by Bishop Bonner. On the 8th August the marriage was made public and prayers were said in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. No coronation was organised for Catherine, yet she still received some acclaim.  In August they went on progress escaping a plague ridden London. Henry and Catherine went on honeymoon through Reading and Buckingham. Henry put on a lavish spread and massive refurbishments at the Palace of Whitehall to celebrate the marriage. 

1866 Children's author Beatrix Potter is born

29th

1504 Thomas Stanley, husband of Margaret Beaufort and stepfather of Henry VII,was born

1565 Mary Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart at Holyrood

1905 Silent and talkie movie film star Clara Bow is born

30th

1818 Author Emily Bronte is born 

1550 Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton dies

31st