Posted on 01/25/2006 10:12:32 AM PST by NYer
As muddy holes go, they don't get much more romantic. Beneath four feet of heavy south London clay, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of Henry VII's lost chapel at Greenwich.
The site is where he and a host of his Tudor successors - Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I - worshipped.
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The existence of the chapel, part of the Royal Palace of Placentia, a Tudor favourite but pulled down in the 17th century to be replaced by Greenwich Hospital - now the Old Naval College - has long been known from paintings and records.
But until a bulldozer's bucket scraped against brickwork a month ago, no physical evidence of the chapel had ever been discovered.
Careful scratching away by a team of four archaeologists from the Museum of London has revealed the eastern walls of the chapel, a 10ft by 5ft section of floor made from black and white glazed tiles laid geometrically, and, beneath, a so-far unexplored vault.
The floor, at the eastern end of the chapel, almost certainly supported the altar before which the Tudor monarchs would have prayed.
The archaeologists may also have unearthed the spot where Henry VIII stood during his marriages to Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves.
Both weddings took place in the Palace of Placentia - which means pleasant place to live - but records do not show whether they were in the chapel itself or, more probably as some historians believe, in a private room or closet in his quarters overlooking the chapel.
To the east of the chapel, more works have unearthed the foundations and fireplaces of its vestry.
"This is an astonishing survival," declared Simon Thurley, the chief executive of English Heritage and author of a study of Tudor palaces.
"For the first time ever we can see close up and in detail the east end of a Tudor royal chapel. Unlike Hampton Court and St James's Palace, where the chapels have been altered, here we can see what Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth would have seen. These have the potential to throw fresh light on the inner workings of the Tudor court."
The historian Dr David Starkey was equally enthusiastic. He said: "This gives us a real sense of the absolute heart of the palace.
"When Henry was married to Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves in the first-floor closet, what he saw through the window was the tiled floor and altar that have now been revealed."
Julian Bowsher, the Museum of London's senior archaeologist, said: "This is the most important find I've made in the past 10 years."
Placentia is the least known of London's Tudor palaces. Formerly a manor called Bellacourt, it passed to Henry VI who named it L'Pleazaunce or Placentia because of its agreeable situation.
It was the favourite residence of Henry VIII during the first half of his reign, and his daughters Mary and Elizabeth were born there.
Still remember the jingle about the wives of Henry VIII:
"Divorced, beheaded and died
Divorced, beheaded and alive."
bookmark
(Catherine Parr is dead now.)
The excavators also discovered Henry VII's kitchen. The cook's name was Alistair.
[rimshot!]
?
Good grief... why would they get married in a closet?
Hmmmm. I wonder what's in the vault??? Or, WHO?
Has Geraldo booked his tickets yet?
Some have speculated that Henry IV might have been canonized, had the break with Rome not occurred.
An unexplored vault? Better call Geraldo. Empty bottle ping coming your way.
BUMP!
Now that would be interesting. I think Richard had less to do with their death's than Henry did.
You're disgusting!
:-p
Henry VII was the king of England when John Cabot discovered Newfoundland in 1497, giving England its first claim on North America. In a fit of unwonted generosity, Henry VII rewarded Cabot with 10 pounds.
Poor John Cabot -- you only get 10 pounds when you're five years too late.
You're reading my mind, not that it's complicated reading material. LOL.
One other thing, Sir Thomas More while employed by Cardinal Morton, was commissioned by the Cardinal to write a history of Richard's reign and eventual overthrow by Henry VII. Of course Morton expected that Sir Thomas would tow the party line and give a glowing account of how Henry defeated the evil Richard on the battle field and saved England from his tyranny. The manuscript was never published by More. More was a trusted member of Morton's household and probably knew a great deal about the events unfolding in England at the time. Being a man of indisputable integrity, More could not put his name to such rubbish.
Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. Excellent book. Makes the case that Richard III was maligned.The lady did not think highly of the Tudors. Oh, and the Princes' bones were found in a staircase in the Tower, not in Greenwich.
One of my favorite books. I don't believe that the bones found at the Tower were ever examined for DNA. Were they the Princes? Probably, but it still doesn't answer the question: Who was responsible for their deaths? I believe that Henry VII had more to gain from the deaths of his brothers-in-law than Richard had.
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