Mary Tudor's room in Thornbury Castle

            In 1525 Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, was sent to Ludlow with an impressive household and council. One of the places she resided in on route was Thornbury Castle in South Gloucestershire. The exact date of Mary’s arrival is unclear though she appears to have been there from around 24 August to 11 September 1525. At the time of Mary’s stay the constable of Thornbury was Sir William Kingston, one of Henry VIII’s favourite courtiers. Later Kingston became constable of the Tower of London and during his time in that position oversaw the confinement of a number of high profile prisoners, including Sir Thomas More and Queen Anne Boleyn. 

The castle was formerly owned by Edward Stafford, third duke of Buckingham, who was responsible for the full scale building work that transformed the estate from a manor to an impressive castle. Buckingham never saw the renovations completed for in 1521 he was arrested on charges of treason, subsequently found guilty and beheaded on Tower Hill on 17 May 1521. The castle was promptly taken by the Crown. Mary’s visit only four years later was the first occasion Henry VIII had to employ the castle for a royal visit. Its grandeur is attested by the fact that Mary and her large household choose to stay there for around 19 days and in 1535 Henry VIII also decided to stop there during a progress of the West Country. He was accompanied on that trip by second wife Anne Boleyn.

The room seen here is the one allegedly used by the nine year old Mary. Before her stay it formed part of the duke of Buckingham’s personal apartments (visitors at that time were allocated rooms in the old manor, now gone). There appears to have been an external staircase allowing the occupant private access to the garden. We know that the duke of Buckingham constructed a private route to the ducal pew and it is likely that throughout her stay Mary would have made use of the private chapel.  The room today has been extensively altered since the sixteenth-century. The ceiling was much taller then; the magnificent window’s length has been cut in half now. It was also much wider, indicated by the remains of a grand fireplace that now disappears into a wall. The fireplace – if indeed it is a fireplace and not a doorway that led to the external staircase which the duke, and Mary, exited from to visit the chapel/gardens – is adorned with emblems from Buckingham’s coat of arms. These symbols can also be found on the magnificent window and across the castle.

The castle is now a hotel and restaurant. This room is available to stay in; fittingly it is known as the ‘Mary 1st’ room.

Taken on: May 4, 2011

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