In the shadows of Westminster Abbey, in London is St Margaret’s parish church and it is sadly often missed by the tourists, who will often queue for hours and pay to get into the Abbey, while this ‘free to enter, full of history itself’ building stands there quietly watching the busy traffic.
This is in one way, understandable. The Abbey is huge, it is an unforgettable landmark and it holds many well known people of an age and time gone by, but should we dismiss this church so easily?
It was here that Sir Walter Raleigh was executed in the churchyard, then buried with honours at the altar of the church.
Many of Oliver Cromwell’s supporters who signed King Charles I’s death warrant, were dug up on orders of King Charles II and thrown into the pit here, including John Milton.
Chaucer was a parishioner here, Winston Churchill was married here, and Samuel Pepys… well…he conducted fancies with women who were not his wife here, according to his diaries.
These are just a small selection of the history that this one church contains, however for the purposes of this post, and for the followers of Tudor Secrets and Myths Facebook page, I wish to focus on something Tudor.
To the east of this church is a beautiful stained glass window that was completed in Holland around the year of 1526. It was to celebrate the union of King Henry VIII and C(K)atherine of Aragon. Henry is there depicted in what could be described as ‘saintly contemplation’ in the panel at the bottom left of the window while on the right hand side of the window C(K)atherine, in an almost identical background, is also deep in prayer. They both appear to be looking at the Crucifixion which occupies and takes over the central panel of the window. This window was meant to be used as an additional decoration to the great Westminster Abbey.
However timing is everything and some Tudor devotees, readers or researchers may have noticed the year this window was finally completed. 1526.
By this time, Henry had become besotted with Anne Boleyn and with Henry’s first marriage thought as being annulled in 1533, the window could no longer be placed in Westminster Abbey as the sign of the great unity between England and Spain anymore.
At first, it was taken to be out of sight to the house of Waltham Abbey in Essex, however then came the Dissolution of the Monasteries!
This window could then be seen as a double embarrassment for the king. Firstly because of its association with a failed royal marriage and then to the imagery of a Catholic religion that was trying to be squashed at the time.
It, quite amazingly survived and was taken a private chapel at New Hall in Essex where it next came into the ownership of General Monk, a Royalist who also served with distinction under Cromwell, who apparently buried it.
It was next purchased by Edward Conyers of Copped Hall in Essex, but it was Conyer’s son who sold it in 1758 to the inhabitants of St Margaret’s Church for 400 guineas.
However, the Dean and Chapter of Westminster was not happy and regarded it as Popish imagery. He then started a lawsuit, that must have seemed to go on forever (7 years) to seek its removal. The law suit failed and the stained glass window is still within St Margaret’s for all to see, as yet another part of the church’s fascinating history.
About the Author
Being a member of the Royal Historical Society for a few years now, Amanda has written an academic paper for historical palaces, universities and societies. Amanda has worked within museums and television companies, covering a range of periods while also writing historical books. The titles including, ‘the award winning’ books of Martha and Inspector Reid: The Real Ripper Street, the ‘Jack the Ripper Book of the Year nominee’ Jack and Old Jewry: The City of London Policemen who Hunted the Ripper, published by Mango Books and The Cutbush Connections: In Flowers, In Blood and in the Ripper Case.
She is the author of The Boleyns: From the Tudors to the Windsors, published by Amberley Publishing due out in October 2022 and available for pre-order now at AmberleyPublishin, Waterstones, WHSmiths and Amazon websites. Although currently working on other projects with Amberley Publishing, there are plans for her to return to the subject of Victorian crime very soon.
https://www.amberley-books.com/the-boleyns-9781398100220.html
ahpurse's Blog: Tudor and Victorian Historian 