Over just five generations and less than 150 years a family of tenant farmers from Salle, avillage near Reepham in Norfolk, rose to take the throne of England in the person of Queen Elizabeth I. The best known member of that family, is of course Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth. But how did the family get into that position?
Although the stories of Anne, her sister Mary and her father Thomas are well documented and have been the subject of many books, the history of the family and their humble origins is less well known. Claire Martin’s new book, Heirs of Ambition: The Making of the Boleyns explores the history of the family and their origins in Norfolk and maps out their rise to join the ranks of the nobility.
In the early 1400s, Geoffrey Boleyn of Salle was a tenant farmer with a few acres of leased land inherited from his father. Sheep farming and weaving were growing in Norfolk and Salle had a burgeoning hat industry. Geoffrey took advantage of this and made enough money to buy some freehold land and educate his children. His eldest son, Thomas, went into the church, but his second son, Geoffrey was sent to London, apprenticed to a hatter.
The younger Geoffrey was ambitious and on completion of his apprenticeship set off for Europe to buy stock to sell in London. Over the next few years he succeeded as a merchant, married well and rose to become Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, Lord Mayor of London. He went on to purchase extensive estates in Norfolk, including Blickling, where his great-granddaughter, Anne Boleyn, was probably born.
Claire Martin is an academic historian, and going by the long list of references, this book is thoroughly researched using original source material. But it is written as a narrative that adds colour to the story through the contextual history of the time, and to a certain extent her imagination of how events unfolded. Describing Geoffrey’s journey and arrival in London to start his apprenticeship she writes:
“Crossing 80ft of watery and too often stinking city ditch and slipping through the cool, shadowy archway of Bishopsgate, Geoffrey’s first experience of the city in which he would rewrite his family’s future was the tranquil north-east quarter … an ephemeral bubble of calm that quickly burst as jetties loomed, competing tavern signs crowded in and the newcomer headed towards Cheapside and London’s beating heart. … As he stood on the doorstep of his new home with his heart pounding out of his chest, Geoffrey knew that the next seven years of his life would depend upon the nature of the man who … lay on the other side of the door.”
This is a thoughtful, fascinating and entertaining book that not only sheds light on the origins of the Boleyn family, but also explores the social and mercantile history of the period as the Boleyns rise through the ranks to become nobility.
The Making of the Boleyns
Author | Claire Martin |
Format: | Hardcover |
Dimensions: | 24.3cm x 16.7cm |
Pages: | 256 |
Publisher: | History Press |
ISBN: | 9780750999984 |
Year: | 2023 |
RRP: | £20.00 |
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Format: | Paperback |
Dimensions: | 23.5cm x 15.8cm |
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ISBN: | 9781909796959 |
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RRP: | £19.95 |
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Format: | Hardcover |
Dimensions: | 24cm x 16.5cm |
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ISBN: | 9781803991641 |
Year: | 2023 |
RRP: | £20.00 |