Henry VIII’s last will and testament was the product of his own mastery during his last months of life. Until those final hours, he remained powerful and in charge: we see evidence of Henry’s close involvement and thorough direction of both the sidelining of the wilful Gardiner from the regency council and the destruction of the sycophantic Norfolk and his foolhardy son.
The Edwardian government would go on to be so religiously zealous that it has also been tempting to read evangelicalism into the motivations of Henry’s councillors; but there is precious little evidence of a religiously motivated operation at work in the last season of Henry’s life. Instead, the possibly evangelical Surrey was probably condemned on the word of a conservative friend, Southwell, while the conservative Lord Chancellor Wriothesley remained at the heart of the Council until his deposition in March 1547, despite having driven the hunt for heretics the previous summer and even racking Anne Askewe with his own hands.
Nor was the will a product of forgeries and later alterations for the aggrandizement of Hertford and friends. It is physically impossible that the will, as it stands, had sentences inserted into its text, and there is no evidence to support the hypothesis of its later alteration. The explanation for its inclusion in the January list of documents signed by dry stamp is far more innocent: its inclusion was designed to proclaim its authenticity.
Henry VIII’s last will was, in short, not the result of a conspiracy but of Henry’s own volition. It was precisely as he intended it to be.
Henry’s ‘unwritten will’ – the grant of titles, lands and offices to many of those in his government – similarly also seems to bear his imprint. As boons to persuade Hertford’s fellow councillors to vote for his protectorate it would have been fairly ineffectual; in tone, it is Henrician, providing – as with the devising of the regency council – for the government of his son.
In the month after Henry died, his councillors protested fulsomely and at length that they would see Henry’s last will and testament ‘duly and wholly accomplished and fulfilled as to their most bounden duties appertaineth’. In reality, the clause enabling the distribution of the benefits of the unwritten will was one of the only ones that that they really felt compelled to keep.3 Within weeks, all Henry’s provisions for the governance of the realm had been completely overturned.
Ceiling of the quire of St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle. Under this intricate fan-vaulted ceiling, which was added to the chapel by Henry VII, King Henry VIII is buried, beneath the floor of the south quire aisle. His final resting place is marked by a simple black marble slab, inscribed in gold letters: ‘In a vault beneath this marble slab are deposited the remains of Jane Seymour, Queen of King Henry VIII 1537. King Henry VIII 1547. King Charles I 1648. And an infant child of Queen Anne. Memorial placed by William IV 1837.’ It is far from the elaborate tomb Henry VIII had planned in his will; yet it does demonstrate that, at the end, the king chose to be buried with the one wife who had ensured the accomplishment of the ‘chief goal’ of his life and will: a smooth succession.
Henry’s trust in his beloved councillors was ill rewarded. But, ultimately, he put his faith in a higher power. Four times in his will (folios 9, 16, 18 and 23) he required his executors ‘truly and fully to see this my Last Will performed in all things’ and ‘observed and kept forever perpetually’ ‘as they will answer before Almighty God at the dreadful Day of Judgement’. Henry had made provision for their failure; they would get their just deserts. Ever confident of his ability to command the ineffable, he was sure that Almighty God would have his back covered.
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We hope you enjoyed this book.
Suzannah Lipscomb’s next book, Six Queens, is coming in summer 2016
For more information, click one of the links below:
Appendix I:
Henry VIII’s Last Will and Testament: A Transcription
Appendix II:
Council Personnel
Appendix III:
Highlights from Henry VIII’s Inventory
Notes on the Text
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Picture credits
Index
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About Suzannah Lipscomb
An invitation from the publisher
The text shown here is a transcription of the will as it exists in The National Archives, Kew, under the reference E/23/4. The transcription that appears in Thomas Rymer’s documentary collection Foedera (third edition, 1739–45; Volume XV, pp. 142–5) is largely accurate, but it follows the eighteenth-century practice of superfluous capitalization and includes quite a number of minor misreadings, unwarranted corrections and mistranscriptions.1
In this transcription, the original spelling is maintained. Although not all proper names are capitalized in the original, they have been here. Where punctuation has been added to aid reading, this appears within square brackets.
[FOLIO 1]
Henry R
In the name of God and of the glorious and blessed
Virgin our Lady Sainct Mary and of all the holy
company of Heaven. We Henry[,] by the grace
of God[,] King of England Fraunce and Irlande[,]
Defendeur of the Faith, and in erth ymedyately
under God the Supreme Hed of the Church of
England and Irland of that name th[’]eight,
calling to our remembraunce the great giftes and
benefites of Almighty God given unto us in this
transitory lief[,] give unto him our moost lowly
and humble thankes, knowledging our self insufficient
in any part to deserve or recompence the same[,]
But feare that we have not worthely received
the same[;] And consydering further also with our self
that we be[,] as all mankind is[,] mortall and born
in sinne[,] beleving nevertheles and hoping that every
chrenen creature lyving here in this transitory and
wretched woorld under God[,] dying in stedfast
and perfaict faith[,] endevoring and exercising himself
to execute in his lief tyme if he have leasyr such
good dedes and charitable workes as scripture demandeth2[,]
and as may be to the honour and pleasyr of God[,]
[FOLIO 2]
is ordeyned by Christes passion to be saved and to atteyn
eternall lief[,] of which nombre we verily trust by
his grace to be oon. And that every creature the
more high that he is in estate honour & authorite
in this woorld[,] the more he is bound to love serve
and thank God and the more diligently to endevor
himself to do good and charitable workes to the
lawde honour and praise of almighty God and the
profit of his sowle. We also, calling to our
remembraunce the dignite estate honour rule & gouvernance
that almighty God hath called us unto in this woorld
and that neither we[,] nor any other creature mortall[,]
knowith the tyme place whenne ne where it
shall pleas almighty God to call him out of this
transitory woorld[,] willing therefor and minding with Godes
grace[,] before our passage out of the same[,] to dispose and ordre
our Latter mynd Will and Testament in that sort as
we trust it shalbe acceptable to Almighty God[,] our
only Savyour Jesus Christ[,] and the hole company of
Heaven[,] and the due satisfaction of all godly brethren
[FOLIO 3]
in erth have therefore[,] nowe being of hole and perfaict
mynde[,] adhering holy to the right faith of Christ
and his doctrine, repenting also our old and detestable
lief[,] and being in perfaict will and mynde by his grace
never to return to the same nor such like[,] and minding
&nbs
p; by Goddes grace never to vary therefro as long as
any remembraunce breth or inward knowledge doth
or may remayn within this mortal body, Moost
humbly and hartly do commend and bequeyth our soull
to Almighty God[,] who in personne of the sonne
redeamed the same with his moost precious body and
blood in tyme of his passion[,] And[,] for our better
remembraunce thereof[,] hath left here with us in his
church militant the consecration and administration
of his precious body and blood to our no little consolation
and comfort, if we as thankfully accept the same
as he Lovingly and undeserved on mannes behalf hath
ordeyned it for our only benefite and not his. / Also
we do instantly requyre and desyre the blessed Virgin
Mary his mother with all the holy company of heaven
contynually to pray for us and with us whiles we lyve
in this woorld and in the tyme of passing out of
[FOLIO 4]
the same, that we may the3 soner atteyn everlasting lief
after our departure out of this transitory lief. Which
we do both hope and clayme by Christes passion
and woord[;] And as for my body which whenne
the soul is departed shall thenne remayn but as a
cadaver and so return to the vile mater it was
made of[,] wer it not for the rowme4 and dignitye
which God hath called us unto[,] and that we woold
not be noted an Infringer of honest worldly politics
and custumes whenne they be not contrary to Godes
Lawes[,] we woold be content to have it buryed
in any place accustumed for chrenen folkes wer it never
so vile ffor it is but ashes and to ashes it shal
again[.] Nevertheles[,] bicaus we woold be lothe in
the reputation of the people to do iniurye to the
dignite which we unworthely ar callid unto[,] We
ar content and also[,] by these presentes our last Will and
Testament[,] do will and ordeyn that our body be buryed
and ienterred in the Quere of our College of Windesor
midway betwen the stattes and the high Aultaur[,]
and there to be made and sett assone[ ]as convenently
[FOLIO 5]
may be doon after our deceasse by our Executours at
our costes and charges[,] if it be not done by us in our
lief tyme[,] an honorable tombe for our bones to rest in[,]
which is well onward and almoost made therfor
alredye[,] with a fayre grate about it[,] in which we
will also that the bones and body of our true and
Loving Wief Quene Jane be putt also[,] And that
there be provided ordeyned made and sett at the
costes and charges of us or of our executours if it be
not done in our lyf[,] a convenent aulter honorably
prepared[,] and apparailled with all maner of thinges
requisite and necessary for dayly masses there
to be sayd perpetuelly while the woorld shal
endure[;] Also we will that the Tombes and
Aultars of King Henry the VIt and also of King
Edward the fourth our great uncle and grauntfather
be made more princely in the same place where
they now be at our charges, And also will and
specially desyre and requyre that where and whensoever
it shall pleas God to call us out of the woorld
transitory to his infinite mercy and grace[,] be it
beyonde the See or in any other place without our
Realme of Englande or within the same[,] that our
Executours[,] assone[ ]as convenently they may[,] shall cause
[FOLIO 6]
all divine service accustumed for dead folkes5 to be celebrate
for us in the nixt and moost propre place where it
shall fortune us to depart out of this transitory
lief[,] And over that we will that whensoever
or wheresoever it shall pleas God to call us out
of this transitory lief to his infinite mercy and grace[,]
be it within this realme or without[,] that our executours[,]
in as goodly brief and convenient hast as they reasonably
canne or may[,] ordeyn prepare and cause our body to
be removed conveyed and brought in to the sayde
College of Windesor[,] and the service of Placebo and
Dirige with a sermon and Masse on the morowe
at our costes and charges devoutely to be don observed
and solemply kept there to be buryed and enterred
in the place appoincted for our sayd Tombe to be
made for the same entent[,] And all this to be doon
in as devout wise as canne or may be doon[,] And
we will and charge our executours that they
dispose and gyve in almes to the moost poore and
nedy people that may be found [(]commyn beggars
as moch as may be avoyded[)] in as short space as
possibly they may after our departure out of this
transitory lief[,] oon thousand markes of laufull money
[FOLIO 7]
of Englande[,] part in the same place and thereaboutes[,]
where it shall pleas Almighty God to call us
to his mercy[,] part by the waye[,] and part in the
same place of our buryall after their discretions[,]
and to move the poore people that shall have our
almez to pray hartly unto God for remission of
our offenses and the wealth of our soull[.]
Also we woll that with as convenient spede as
may be doon after our departure out of this woorld[,]
if it be not doon in our lief[,] that the Deane and
Channons of our free Chaple of Sainct George
within our Castle of Windesor[,] shall have manours
Landes tenementes and spirituall promotiones to the yerely
sure to them to them6 and their successours for ever[,]
upon these conditions hereafter ensuryng[;] And for the
due and full accomplishement and parformaunce
of all other thinges conteyned with the same in the
forme of an Indenture signed with our own hand[,]
which shalbe passed by waye of couvenant for that
purpose betwen the said Deane and Cannons and
our executours[,] if it passe not between us
and the said Deane and Cannons in our lief[,] that is to saye[,] the sayd
Deane and Cannons7 and theyr
Successours for ever shall fynd twoo priestes
to say masses at the said Aulter to be made
[FOLIO 8]
where we have before appoincted our tombe to be made
and stand[,] And also after our deceasse kepe yerely
foure solempne obites for us within the sayd College
of Wyndesour[,] and at every of the same obites to
cause a solempne sermon to be made[;] And also at
every8 of the sayd obites to give to poore people in
almez tenne poundes[;] And also to gyve for ever yerly
to thirtene poor men which shalbe called poore
knightes to every of them twelf pens every daye[,] and
ones in the yere yerely for ever a long gowne of white
cloth, with the garter upon the brest embrodered
with a shelde and crosse of Sainte George
within the garter and a mantel of red cloth[,] and to
such one of the sayd thirtene poore knightes as shalbe
appoincted to be hed and gouvernour of them iii l. vi s. viii d.
&nbs
p; yerely forever over and besides the sayd twelf pennes
by the daye[;] And also to cause every Sonday in the
yere for ever a sermon to be made for ever at Windesor
aforsayde as in the sayd Indenture and couvenuant
shalbe more fully and particulerly expressed. Willing
charging and requyring our sonne Prince Edward[,]
all our Executours and counsaillours which shalbe
named hereafter[,] and all other our heyres and
Successours which shalbe kinges of this realme as
they will aunswer before almighty God at the dredfull
[FOLIO 9]
Daye of Judgment[,] that they and every of them do see
that the sayd Indenture and assurance to be made
betwen us and the sayd Deane and Channons[,] or
betwen them and our executours and all thinges therin
conteyned may be duely put in execution and observed
and kept forever perpetuelly according to this our
Last Will and Testament. And as concerning
the ordre and disposition of th[’]imperial croune of
this Realme of England and Irland with our title
of Fraunce and all dignityes honours preeminences pre-
rogatives authorityes and jurisdictions to the same
annexed or belonging[,] and for the sure establishement
of the succession of the same[.] And also for a full
and plain gift disposition assignement declaration
limitation and appoinctement with what conditions our
doughters Mary and Elizabeth shall severally
have hold and enioye the sayd imperial Crowne
and other the premisses after our deceasse and