Hever Castle is a remarkable and beautiful country house that was built in the 13th century,
but it’s story is most closely linked to the Boleyn family and for being the home of
Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s controversial second wife.
Anne Boleyn and her family lived here for some time, but also it later came into the
possession of Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
After the King’s divorce from the German princess, Anne of Cleves was given Hever Castle
and she stayed here for a lot of her life, hosting large events and parties.
It’s known that the infamous Tudor king Henry VIII, who inflicted such suffering onto
people through his changes to England and religion visited Hever Castle a number of
times.
So join us today as we look at Hever Castle, The Remarkable Home of Two of Henry VIII’s
Wives.
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Hever castle is a spectacular and picturesque castle, and it dates back to around 1270 where
the oldest parts are a gatehouse and a walled Bailey.
It was built by William de Hever, but as time went on it was passed through many different
families but was then converted to become a manor in 1462 by Geoffrey Boleyn, who was
the younger brother of Thomas Boleyn.
The Boleyn’s then began to extend the castle and to convert it into a beautiful private
home.
It was Geoffrey Boleyn’s grandson Thomas who then inherited the castle in 1505, and
it was during this period that Hever would become infamously linked to the Tudor royal
family.
Thomas Boleyn was the father of Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn and George Boleyn, and each three
of these had a rather key role inside of the court of Henry VIII, as did Thomas.
During the reign of Henry VII, and had been a diplomat during this time.
He was known for being present in European courts, and he continued this role during
the reign of King Henry VIII.
Once the 6 wived queen came onto the throne, he was created a Knight of the Bath, and he
became an ambassador to the Low Countries, and also became friends with the regent Archduchess
Margaret of Austria.
Thomas and Margaret got on very well, and later his daughter Anne would go into Margaret’s
household as a young girl, becoming a maid of honour.
But Hever today as it is viewed looks like the perfect Tudor house.
It was in Hever Castle that Anne Boleyn, George and Mary spent a lot of their childhood, and
Anne spent her early life here before she was sent to the court of Archduchess Margaret
in 1513.
The castle would have been surrounded by dense forest, but today there are gardens that surround
the beautiful castle.
Inside of the castle are a number of Tudor rooms, such as the reception room where some
paintings of Anne hang, but also a great kitchen and also the great hall.
The dining hall was considered the Boleyn great hall, and it was here where the Boleyn’s
would have entertained guests which would have included Henry VIII.
It was noted that Henry did visit Anne Boleyn here a number of times whilst he was trying
to court her and convince her to marry him.
Infact the castle even has one of the King’s personal and private locks which were placed
on every door when he visited to guarantee his security from outsiders.
Henry when he came to Hever would have been waited on by many servants and members of
staff, and his court would sometimes travel with him.
This meant that the huge spectacle of royal court would come with him.
Anne came back to Hever a number of times whilst she was at court to get a break or
to entice the King, as he would miss her.
She was skilled in the game of courtly love and knew how to get what she wanted from the
King.
Henry VIII would later get what he wanted from Anne, her hand in marriage once he had
divided England and changed the country forever.
Henry split from Rome, disregarding the Pope as the Head of the Church and claiming himself
as the Supreme Leader of the Church of England.
By doing this, the Pope who refused his request to divorce or annul his first wife Catherine
of Aragon had no power, and Henry could do as he pleased.
Anne married the King, and they had a child the future Queen Elizabeth, but Anne’s story
ended in bloodshed at the Tower of London when she was beheaded by a French swordsman.
As Anne rose to prominence within England, her family came with her too and Thomas Boleyn
her father, along with her uncle the Duke of Norfolk were given grants of land and prominent
parts of court.
Her father and uncle were even involved in the deliberations and trials to bring Anne’s
death inside the Tower of London as she had been accused of adultery, treason and incest.
But Hever after the downfall of the Boleyn’s then later passed to another one of Henry
VIII’s Queens.
The debacle regarding Henry’s fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves led the King to execute
his closest advisor and friend Thomas Cromwell, who previously orchestrated Anne Boleyn’s
downfall.
When Anne of Cleves came to England, Henry who had agreed to marry her did not find her
attractive, and he later annulled the marriage on the basis that the marriage was never consummated.
But because of the preparations and organisations for their match, Henry could never back out
and he was forced to reward Anne of Cleves a German Princess with large amounts of land
and property.
One of the most liked pieces of land she was given was Hever Castle, and Anne of Cleves
spent a large amount of her time here.
It was said whilst at Hever, the woman now regarded as the King’s sister held lavish
parties and banquets, and that Henry VIII even visited her a number of times and that
the pair were amicable friends.
But today Hever Castle remains the remarkable childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and each year
thousands of visitors flock to find out about Anne’s story which ended inside the walls
of the Tower of London in Bloody Fashion.
It’s a picturesque and beautiful castle, that has a rich history in the Tudor Period
being closely linked to two of Henry VIII’s Queens.
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