ANNE BOLEYN - SECOND OF THE WIVES OF KING HENRY VIII.

A friend of Anne Boleyn, the flemish musician Mark Smeaton, was arrested and charged with being the Queen's lover, which at first he denied, but later confessed to while undergoing torture. (Was he tortured and promised freedom?)

An Aristocrat, Henry Norris who because of his nobility could not be tortured was arrested on May Day. Prior to the May Day festival Norris was feted by the King, who even offered him his own horse to use during the festivities. It is probable that the King was notified of Smeaton's confession and on his orders, a number of people were arrested.

Norris, when arrested at the festival, denied his own guilt and that of the Queen, swearing her innocence. There had been a conversation between Anne Boleyn and Norris in April, when she had been heard to accuse him of coming often to her chambers, not to pay court to her lady-in-waiting but to herself.

Sir Francis Weston was arrested two days later on the same charge. William Brereton, a groom was also charged with adultery. The Queen's own brother, George Boleyn was then arrested on charges of incest and treason, being accused of having a sexual relationship with his sister on two occasions, in November, 1535 at Whitehall and then again the following month at Eltham.

Anne Boleyn was arrested and taken to the Tower of London on 2nd May 1536 wanting to know the charges against her. On the 12th May, Weston, Brereton, Norris and Smeaton were tried at Westminster, where only Smeaton, who had been tortured pleaded guilty. On 15th May Anne Boleyn and her brother George were tried seperately in the Tower of London.

Anne was accused of adultery, incest and high treason. She was also accused of plotting the King's death, with her lovers, in order that she would be able to marry Norris.

None of the dates of her supposed encounters coincide with her whereabouts, some of them even allegedly taking place late in her pregnancy.

All the accused, under pressure from the King, were found guilty and condemned to death, even though there was no convincing evidence against them whatsoever. The men, including Anne's brother George were executed on 17th May 1536.

Henry commuted Anne's sentence from burning to beheading and rather than have a queen beheaded with a common axe, he employed a swordsman for the execution. They came for her on the morning of 19th May to Tower Green. The keeper of the Tower reported that Anne seemed very happy and ready to be done with life. He wrote:

This morning she sent for me, that I might be with her at such time as she received the good Lord, to the intent I should hear her speak as touching her innocency alway to be clear. And in the writing of this she sent for me, and at my coming she said, "Mr.Kingston, I hear I shall not die afore noon, and I am very sorry therefore, for I thought to be dead by this time and past my pain". I told her it should be no pain. It was so little. And then she said, "I heard say the executioner was very good, and I have a little neck," and then put her hands about it laughing heartily.

I have seen many men and also many women executed, and that they have been in great sorrow, and to my knowledge this lady has much joy in death. Sir, her almoner is continually with her, and had been since two o'clock after midnight.

On that day when Anne Boleyn called Kingston before dawn, she swore to him, on the damnation of her soul, that she had never been unfaithful to the King. Later that morning accompanied by two female attendants, she made her final walk from the Queen's house to the scaffold and she looked "as gay as if she was not going to die". On climbing the scaffold she made a speech to the crowd:

"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."

Anne Boleyn then knelt upright. Her final prayer consisted of her repeating "To Jesus I commend my soul; Lord Jesus receive my soul. "Her lady attendants removed her headdress and necklaces and tied a blindfold over her eyes.

It was quick, one single stroke accomplished the execution. It was reported that Cranmer, who had made no serious attempt to save Anne's life, broke down in tears saying "She who has been the Queen of England on earth will today become a queen in Heaven. It was in his gardens at Lambeth Palace in London, where he had been discovered on the day of the execution by a friend of his, weeping uncontrollably, saying that he was sure that Anne had now gone to heaven.

It does appear that Anne Bolyen's body lay on the scaffold for some time after the execution. It was a man working inside the Tower of London who found an empty arrow chest and apparently placed her head and body inside.

During renovation works in the reign of Queen Victoria, literally thousands of skeletons were unearthed beneath the floor of the Chapel.

About thirty of them were positively identified. They included Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and her husband Lord Guilford Dudley, St.Thomas More and St.John Fisher.

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