Tudor Trail Teacher’s Resource Pack All images and content are copyrighted to Penshurst Place & Gardens. Permission is granted to photocopy for educational purposes but may not be reproduced or published in any other context Penshurst Place has been my family’s home since it was granted to Sir William Sidney by Edward VI in 1552. The house has seen many generations come and go, probably none so illustrious as those who served their Tudor monarchs so loyally. The family’s presence at Court meant they were at the core of the Tudor government. Penshurst has always been a happy home and this is apparent from the many letters written to each other by members of the family. Sir Philip, his brother Sir Robert and his sister Mary, Countess of Pembroke are all recognised as accomplished poets and writers of their time. Sir Philip had his own poetry ‘circle’ here and Mary one at Wilton House. I hope that your visit to Penshurst Place will enable your pupils to bring the history of Tudor times alive. Viscount De L’Isle CONTENTS Chronology of Penshurst Place 1485—1603 The Barons Hall How the hall was used and daily life in Tudor times Food Tudor Music Armour The West Solar (State Dining Room) A study of the portrait of Barbara Gamage and her children Family Life Education The Buckingham Building The Queen Elizabeth Building The Tapestry Room The Long Gallery The study of royal and family portraits The Nether Gallery Arms and Armour Tudor Monarchs Worksheets Plan of the Barons Hall and Staterooms Picture of the Barons Hall Coat of Arms Chronology of Penshurst Place 1485—1603 1485 Henry Tudor becomes King Henry VII; Richard III defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. 1491 Henry VIII born. 1509 Henry VII dies. 1513 Scottish invasion crushed at Flodden. Sir William Sidney commands the right flank of the Kings Army. He is knighted and becomes ‗Knight of the Body to King Henry VIII‘. 1516 Mary Tudor born. 1519 Edward, 3rd Duke of Buckingham entertains Henry VIII at Penshurst Place, costing the equivalent of £1.2 million in today‘s money. 1520 Sir William Sidney supports Henry VIII at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. 1521 King Henry VIII declared ‗Defender of the Faith‘ by the Pope. 1521 King Henry VIII declares the Duke of Buckingham a traitor, has him thrown in the Tower of London and later beheaded. Penshurst is attainted by the Crown. 1531 Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England. 1533 Elizabeth I born. Henry VIII is excommunicated by the Pope. 1534 Act of Supremacy: Break with Rome, Anglican Church is established. 1536-9 Henry VIII disolves the monasteries and abbeys, seizing church lands. 1 1537 Edward VI born. 1547 Henry VIII dies. His son Edward VI is crowned. 1552 Edward VI gives Penshurst Place to his chamberlain and steward, Sir William Sidney. Sir Henry Sidney marries Lady Mary Dudley. 1553 Edward VI dies. Mary I succeeds and England reverts to Roman Catholicism. 1554 Mary I marries King Philip II of Spain. Persecution of Protestants begin. 1554 Sir William Sidney dies and is succeeded by his son, Sir Henry Sidney. Most of the Tudor buildings at Penshurst were added during Sir Henry‘s lifetime. 1554 Sir Philip Sidney is born at Penshurst Place. He is named after his Godfather, Philip II of Spain. 1558 Mary I dies. Elizabeth I succeeds. Protestant Church re-established, causing emnity with Roman Catholic powers - especially Spain. 1577-8 Drake sets out to circumnavigate the world. 1580 Elizabeth I excommunicated by the Pope. 1586 Sir Philip Sidney dies shortly after his father and mother, Philip‘s brother, Robert Sidney, succeeds. 1587 The State funeral of Sir Philip Sidney takes place in old St Paul‘s Cathedral. 1587 Mary Queen of Scots executed after 19 years captivity. 1588 The Spanish Armada is scattered and destroyed. 1603 Elizabeth I dies. James VI of Scotland becomes King James I of England. The Stuart dynasty begins. 2 Tudor Trail at Penshurst Place The Baron’s Hall The Baron‘s Hall was built in 1341 by the The Hall‘s shape, size and furnishings four times Mayor of London, Sir John de provide useful clues to its use and life in Pulteney. The hall height and width Tudor England. announced to visitors that this was a great th household and the home of a wealthy and In the 16 century the countryside around powerful family. Penshurst was dominated by the forest, called the Weald. There would have been a Traditionally the Hall was the centre of the mixture of farming, both crops and household and the estate that fed and animals. Forest based industries such as clothed it. Although by the late 16th timber and charcoal making were century the Sidneys had numerous private important and supported the mining and rooms, the Hall was still the home of refining of iron ore. servants, a dining hall for the household and where important visitors were welcomed and entertained. The following description by Sir Robert Sidney of a visit by Queen Elizabeth I sums up how the Great Hall was used: “Her highness hath done honour to my poor house by visiting me, and seemed much pleased at what we did to please her. My son made her a fair speech, to which she did give most gracious reply. The women did dance before her, whilst the cornets did salute from the gallery, and she did vouchsafe to eat two morsels of rich comfit-cake and drank a small cordial from a golden cup.” The Baron‘s Hall © Penshurst Place & Gardens 3 The Fireplace The Barons Hall is built of local sandstone. It has streaks of brown in it, which is iron In the centre of the Hall is a huge octagonal ore trapped in the stone. This part of Kent fireplace designed to burn wood from the and nearby Sussex had an abundance of surrounding forest. It was the only source forest. It provided the large amount of of heat in the Hall. The smoke from the fire wood to be turned into charcoal, which was would rise up to the roof and escape through used to smelt the iron ore to produce iron a smoke louvre. You can still see some and then steel. Kent was famous in smoke damaged timbers in the roof above Elizabethan times for metal-working to the fire where the vent used to be. produce tools, weapons and especially cannon. The great timbers in the roof are chestnut and might have come from English lands in Lighting the Barons Hall France. Wood was very important to the Tudors. They used it for heat, furniture and In the daytime the Hall is lit by natural light to build their homes. Only great houses such from the large windows. During Tudor as Penshurst Place would have used stone times the Hall would have been lit at night because it was expensive to quarry and by candles; you can see some modern transport. candles by the windows. Tudor people had two main types of artificial light. One was Most Tudor houses were very small, like cheap rushlights made of reed and animal cottages, and built around a wooden frame fats; the other was expensive candles made with walls of wattle and daub. Spanish from beeswax. The beeswax candles gave a visitors to England in the 1550‘s complained stronger light and smelled better than the that the houses were mostly made of mud rushlights, so they would have been used to and sticks! light the important rooms, such as the hall and the state-rooms beyond. 4 How Candles and Rushlights were made They may also have been moved to allow more sleeping space at night. Bees build their hives from beeswax which was then collected to make candles. The The Sidneys and their important guests beeswax was heated in a jug until it melted. would have sat at tables on the dais at the The wick, which is a piece of coarse thread, far end of the hall. Other guests and was dipped into the liquid wax, removed and officers of the household sat near them on hung upon a purpose made wooden frame to the long tables. The servants sat at the far set. The dipping process was repeated until end of the table. closest to the entrance, the the candle was thick enough to burn for a long kitchens, the draughts and the smells time. Eating in the Baron’s Hall Rushlights, used by the majority of the How food was displayed and eaten was people, were made by extracting the inner important. The hall would have seen great section (pith) from the rush and dipping it into feasts with a wide selection of foods animal fat left over from the cooking. This carefully spiced and flavoured, decorated was a laborious chore as many hundreds of and presented with great care. Perhaps the rushlights were needed for the long winter most famous feast given at Penshurst was months and each rushlight lasted for only a when the 3rd Duke of Buckingham short time. Therefore the household rose at entertained Henry VIII during a visit. So dawn and went to bed early. vast was the expenditure that Henry VIII feared the Duke‘s power and influence. As The Long Tables a result he later had him tried for treason The two long trestle tables on either side of and beheaded. the hall are more than 8 metres long. They are over 400 years old and are the only Some food for the hall would have been surviving tables of their kind in the country.