Charlie Fenton’s Reviews > Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History > Status Update

‘The Erpingham Gate, which led into the cathedral precinct, was freshly painted with the arms of Anne’s grandfather, Sir William Boleyn, and her great-grandmother, Lady Anne Boleyn. Inside the cathedral, a luxurious new throne had been made, upon which the queen could enjoy the service. This was placed on the north side of the high altar, opposite the Boleyn chantry chapel and the elaborate tomb of Sir William’

The high point of the progress was a five-day visit to the county town of Norwich. On Saturday 16 August, Elizabeth entered the city through a gate emblazoned with her mother’s falcon next to her own royal arms. She then passed through another gate decorated with Anne’s ‘falcon, with crown and sceptre, which is her own badge’, before heading to the magnificent Norman cathedral for a service of thanksgiving

Elizabeth’s ancestors: Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on the lowest tier, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on the middle, and Elizabeth seated in majesty at the top. In front of Anne was ‘a white [falcon] and a gold crown on its head and gilt sceptre in its right talon, the other resting on a little hill, and surrounded by small branches with little roses in front, the coat of arms and device of the said Queen’.

‘Although it was only two lines long, the Act provides a touching glimpse of the affection that Elizabeth bore towards her mother. It refers to ‘Her Highness’ . . . *Mother’. The comment at the asterisk is ‘Deest in originali’ (‘Lacking in the original’), which draws attention to the fact that the queen inserted the word ‘dearest’ before ‘Mother’ in the final version of the Act.’

‘parents as: ‘The most excellent and victorious prince Henry VIII’ and ‘The most gracious princess Lady Anne, Marquess of Pembroke, the first wife to King Henry ye Eight was crowned Queen of England and France in Anno 1533.’ Elizabeth is described as ‘the sole daughter and heir to the high and mighty prince king Henry the eight’. The document therefore entirely disregards Catherine of Aragon’

Michiel described the queen-in-waiting as: ‘A young woman believed to be no less beautiful in her soul than in her body, though her face is pretty rather than beautiful, her figure, is however, tall and well-shaped, with good colour, though olive skinned, and beautiful eyes and hands, as she is well aware.’ This echoes the description of Anne when she first made her appearance at court thirty-five years earlier

‘In the space of a year, she gave only a tiny proportion of her income in ‘alms to diverse poor men and women’ (£7. 15s. 8d.). Yet she gave ten times that amount to Edmund Boleyn, ‘her grace’s kinsman’. The identity of this man is not known, but he evidently knew that he could count on the princess’s generosity, thanks to his Boleyn blood.‘

‘Another, more surprising, maternal figure for Elizabeth during this time was her half-sister Mary, who invested a great deal of effort into her upbringing and education. She also showered her with gifts, which was something that Elizabeth had not enjoyed since her mother’s death. Although she had every reason to resent him, Elizabeth also grew close to her half-brother.‘

‘To her credit, rather than pushing home her advantage as the favoured daughter, Mary took pity on Elizabeth and petitioned their father to look kindly on her. Even before her own restoration to court, she had written to him: ‘My sister Elizabeth is well, and such a child toward, as I doubt not but your Highness shall have cause to rejoice of in time coming.’‘

‘The records show that Anne was spending some £40 per month on clothes and accessories for herself and her young daughter (equivalent to around £18,000 today) – a considerable sum compared to her other expenses. The total annual bill for Elizabeth’s household was around £2,000 – far higher than her half-sister Mary’s had been.’