The Boleyn family fell spectacularly from grace during the reign of Henry VIII.
Their fortunes rode on the back on the marriage between the King and Anne Boleyn, his second
wife.
The Boleyn’s became one of the most prominent families during the Tudor times, and they
accumulated a huge amount of land and wealth.
Two Boleyn girls would take to the King’s bed, with Mary becoming his mistress also,
and George Boleyn would become a trusted and favourite player at court.
But when Cromwell was ordered to find the King a way out of his marriage to Anne, huge
scandal hit the family when Anne was accused of adultery incest and treason.
But one of the men accused of sleeping with her and plotting against Henry VIII with her
was George Boleyn her brother.
But there was a very interesting and colourful character that became a prominent part of
Elizabeth I’s court, the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.
This man was a priest, and he was known as George Boleyn, but was he the forgotten Boleyn
boy, and the rumoured son of George Boleyn and his wife?
Very little is known about George Boleyn, the Dean of Lichfields life.
It is not known when he was born, possibly around the 1520s.
The rumour about his mother and father centers around the possibility that he could have
been the son of George Boleyn and his wife Jane Parker.
If this was true then he would have been the 1st cousin of Elizabeth I.
There was no record of Jane Boleyn and George having a child, but this is a possibility
that it was not recorded or has been lost to the history books.
Jane Parker, or Jane Boleyn Viscountess Rochford was a woman who had to endure her husband’s
adulterous affairs.
George was a well liked and prominent member of Henry VIII’s court, but he had many mistresses
at court.
But the George Boleyn who became a priest could have also been a distant cousin and
Boleyn relative, who was related in some manner to Anne Boleyn.
Anne Boleyn was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, so if a family link came to George Boleyn
his way, then it’s likely that would have secured his place in Elizabeth’s court.
However despite the tenuous possibility of him being a lost Boleyn son, he managed to
survive the downfall of Anne Boleyn and her family.
Following the scandal, very few people had anything to do with the Boleyn’s, and they
lost a huge amount of wealth and land, and many members died in shame never returning
to the royal court.
But George Boleyn was different as he would emerge later from the shadows to come to royal
court.
In November 1544, he entered Trinity Hall at Cambridge University to study, and he was
a pupil of John Whitgift who went on to become the Archbishop of Canterbury.
He graduated in 1552, and then received a masters qualification in 1560.
But he was destined for a career in the church, as he gained an admin role in a church in
York shortly after.
He then became the rector of Kempston in Nottingham, and he also worked in many other churches.
But from a church in Canterbury, some shocking accusations were fired at the priest.
In September 1573, he faced a number of shocking charges and accusations.
It was said that he had threatened to nail the dean of the church to the wall, and in
a violent outburst had also hit one of the canons William Eling with a punch to the ear.
He also had attempted to hit another canon Doctor Rush, and hit another inside of the
chapter house whilst he also punched a lawyer.
It was said that he had a sharp and quick temper, which would run in the family, and
he admitted that he could lash out and swear at people when provoked to do so.
But despite this, he gained promotions in the church.
In December 1576, he was installed as the Dean of Lichfield, and further promotions
came.
He did resign from one post a few years later after being involved in a dispute.
But he was known for being a man who was part of Elizabeth I’s court, and was described
as a colourful character there.
Elizabeth I’s court was grand, and was where many people wanted to end up and be a part
of.
Being popular at court could bring power, influence and further wealth, but it Is interesting
to consider whether George Boleyn’s place at the royal court was gained through his
family links and his possible relation to the Queen.
At the time some people did believe that he was the son of Jane Boleyn and George Boleyn,
but little is known about his family history or his early life.
Some records from Cambridge suggest that he was ‘perhaps’ the son of George and Jane
Boleyn.
After his death in 1603 shortly before Queen Elizabeth I, his supposed cousin died, his
will claimed that he was a Kinsman of Lord Hunsdon who was the grandson of Mary Boleyn,
the eldest daughter of Thomas Boleyn and the father of George Boleyn the Viscount Rochford.
What is interesting is if George Boleyn the priest had been the legitimate son of George
and Jane Boleyn, then he would have been a claimant to the titles of the Earl of Ormond
and the Earl of Wiltshire, which Henry VIII gave to the Boleyn family.
But there is no record of the Dean of Lichfield George Boleyn making a claim to these titles.
There have been claims that George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford did have some illegiitmate
children, as it’s claimed that when George was imprisoned at the Tower of London and
later executed, an illegitimate son Thomas Boleyn was moved to Clonony Castle for his
safety.
But little is for certain when it comes to the family history and the lineage of George
Boleyn, the Dean of Lichfield.
We know that he was at the court of Elizabeth I and that he was a well thought of religious
priest despite his temper and outbursts.
But if he was the son of the Viscount and Viscountess Rochford, then this would have
made him a claimant to all the lost Boleyn lands, and he could have been very wealthy
indeed.
Also during the reign of Elizabeth I, he may have gained significant favour because Elizabeth
herself was a Boleyn girl, being the daughter of Anne Boleyn.
She had very few members of her mother’s family left who had not been shamed, or who
had not been outcasted, so possibly in George the Dean of Lichfield she may have felt some
links to her mother’s family.
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