Digging Up Anne Boleyn and Others | Burials in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula

From History Calling

In 1876, the Chapel of St. Peter Ad Vincula in the Tower of London was in need of serious repairs. This meant DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN and others who had been buried under its floor, including her brother, George Boleyn, sister-in-law Jane Boleyn and cousin (and fifth wife of Henry VIII) Queen Katherine Howard. In today’s History Calling video we’re going to look at what happened when the Victorians disturbed the burials in the Chapel of St. Peter Ad Vincula and at what the detailed description left of what were supposed to be Anne Boleyn’s remains can tell us about the woman herself, including some physical traits her daughter Elizabeth I may have inherited from her. In particular her skull will provide some tantalising extra details about the appearance of Anne Boleyn, for whom no contemporary portraits survive. We’ll also look at the evidence which suggests that this excavation was not the first to disturb the remains of the fallen queens and the others who lie beneath the chapel and at why no exhumation has taken place in the years since, nor is one likely. Finally we’ll consider how likely it is that the correct remains were identified and explore why Katherine Howard’s bones were not found. Other details about Anne Boleyn’s skeleton will also include a discussion of her height and even her finger bones. This video serves as a sequel to my previous videos entitled ‘Anne Boleyn’s execution: Hollywood vs History’ and ‘The death of Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn’.