Monument to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

It is easy to fail to notice in the floor of the south quire aisle of St Georges Chapel the ledger stone marking the burial place of Charles Brandon, Duke of  Suffolk, one of the most flamboyant and influential personalities of Henry VIII’s reign.

Brandon’s father, standard bearer for Henry Tudor, was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field. Brandon was bought up at Henry VII’s court, a great favourite of the king and a childhood friend of the king’s second son.  In 1515 Henry VIII sent Brandon to France to escort back to England the king’s sister, Mary, whose husband Louis XII had died. Henry wanted the return of the huge sum of money plus the jewels and plate given to Mary as her dowry and Thomas Wolsey had negotiated that all the dowry be delivered to Brandon. Brandon carried out this task but, by the time of his return to England, he had married the young widow, a month after the French king’s death.

Once Henry’s anger had subsided Brandon’s star was again in the ascendant. In 1513 he had become Master of Horse and took part in Henry’s successful French campaign. He was present at the meeting of Henry and Francois I of France at the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520. In 1523 Brandon commanded English forces in an attack on Calais and in 1544 he led another invasion of France. At home, he was High Steward at the wedding of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1533 and several years later acquired a large amount of land at the Dissolution.

When Brandon died in 1544 he was buried in St George’s Chapel at the king’s expense. The historian Pote (d. 1715) wrote of Brandon’s burial that “nothing remains to distinguish the Grave of this noble Duke but a rude brick pavement and the remainder of his Atchievements affixed to the Pillar above”.  In fact, the helm now mounted on the 4^th bay of the south quire aisle has been identified as a jousting helm,  not a funerary helm and since between c 1790 and c 1840 many helms were removed from the Chapel, a connection of this helm with Brandon is unlikely.

An 1787 entry in Chapter Acts states:  “Ordered that leave be given to lay a stone above the grave of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk, according to His Majesties directions”. The resulting ledger was put in place by Henry Emlyn during his repaving of the quire aisles and nave. The inscription on the ledger states that Charles Brandon “married Mary, daughter of Henry VII,  widow of Louis XII of France”.  (She was the third of Brandon’s 4 wives).  It is recorded in Chapter Acts 1947-8 that the arms of Charles Brandon and his wife Mary Tudor were added to the inscriptions on the ledger stone.

Jill Hume, Archives Volunteer

Stallplate of Charles Brandon, KG

Charles Brandon (1484-1545) was a close personal friend of King Henry VIII who granted him the title of Duke of Suffolk along with many other honours. He was made famous by his great command in the French Campaign of 1513, after which was appointed Knight of the Garter. His stall plate can be seen in the seventh stall on the north side of the Quire in St George’s Chapel. He was also famously known for his marriage to Mary, sister of Henry VIII and widow of Louis XII, King of France. However this royal marriage which took place without the King’s permisson was viewed an offence against royal etiquette. As a result Charles and Mary were banished to the Brandon estates in Suffolk. But the King’s displeaure was quickly forgotten and Brandon advanced to high honour and was successful in becoming Master of the Horse in 1513, as well as receiving many valuable grants of land.

Charles Brandon died of unknown causes and was buried at St Georges Chapel on the King’s wishes, although in his will he had requested to be buried at Tattershall in Lincolnshire. A black marble slab now marks his burial place in the South Quire Aisle, bearing an inscription with his name, title, date of death and marital status. The arms of Brandon and his wife, Mary, are contained in two circles engraved at the top of the ledger stone. The current inscription is the third: previously there have been two others, which are both now non-existent. The first inscription, recorded by Ashmole, had disappeared by 1749 and was replaced by a second, suspected to have been the work of Henry Emlyn. The present inscription was carved in 1947-8.

Layla Holden, Chloe Roach, Mollie White (Windsor Girls’ School)

Illustration of a scholar from The arte or crafte to lyve well and to dye well, printed 1505, now on display in the South Quire Aisle

A selection of rare books and archival documents from the St George’s Chapel Archives and Chapter Library is now on display in St George’s Chapel.  This small exhibition can be viewed in the South Quire Aisle, the stonework of which has recently been cleaned as part of the ongoing restoration of the Chapel.

The rare books on display include William Caxton’s The Mirrour of the World, printed in 1481 – one of the earliest printed books. Also on display is the Schorn Book of Hours, a late medieval illuminated manuscript which was discussed in a previous article on this website .

As 2009 is the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession, we have reserved a section of the exhibition for documents from the Archives and Chapter Library which relate to the Tudor King. These include a book owned by Katherine of Aragon and a 19th century plan of Henry VIII’s conjectured tomb, which the great Tudor monarch intended to have constructed at St George’s Chapel.

Additional documents from the Chapel Archives which relate to Henry VIII, including the Black Book of the Order of the Garter, are on display at ‘Henry VIII: A 500th Anniversary Exhibition’, which is currently being held at Windsor Castle and runs until April 2010.

For further information on Henry VIII and St George’s Chapel, click here

John (Archives Assistant)

Henry VIII and his Garter Knights

The Black Book (Liber Niger) named because of its black velvet binding, is the earliest surviving register of the Order of the Garter. It was commissioned by Henry VIII who took a strong personal interest in the Order. It was begun in 1534 by Robert Aldrydge, Canon of Windsor and Register of the Order but incorporates material from the first known register, the Registrum ordinis Chartaceum, and continues until 1551.

Written in Latin, it contains the statutes, an account of the foundation of the Order and details of Garter elections and ceremonies. It is richly illuminated, with representations, in decorated initials, of the Founder Edward III and successive sovereigns up to Henry VIII and, as its climax, a central double-page depicting the ceremonies of the Order for the year 1534. These illuminations have been identified as the work of Lucas Hornbolte.

Although it is rare for the Black Book to be publicly displayed outside the Chapter Archives and Library, it was one of the outstanding items at the exhibition in Greenwich 1991 to celebrate the quincentenary of the birth of Henry VIII and will form a central part of the display at ‘Henry VIII: A 500th Anniversary Exhibition’ to be held at Windsor Castle for twelve months from April 2009.

Enid (Assistant Archivist)