Blanche Parry

sister, Mary. Here there is a great deal of speculation. Mary was Henry VIII's mistress before he married her sister and her two children, Catherine and Henry, were both surnamed Carey after her first husband. There has been debate about which child was the elder and there is little definite evidence as to the paternity of Henry in particular. The author comes down firmly on Henry being William Carey's son, which may well be true, but this involves convoluted speculation that Mary 'must have had some contraceptive knowledge.' Mary was Henry VIII's mistress for three to five years and the question of pregnancy does need examining. However, more emphasis on factual evidence would have been appropriate.

It is also unfortunate that the author did not consult some of the latest research. Lady Troy, who is not mentioned at all, was in charge of Elizabeth in childhood, Kate Chapernowne / Ashley being subordinate to her. Lady Troy was still at the royal court when Henry Carey married her grand–daughter, Anne Morgan, in 1545. This family connection can reasonably suggest an hypothesis to explain the match despite Anne's father being from ' a part of the world with which he [Henry] had no known connection'. Sadly, Blanche Parry, Lady Troy's niece, is also omitted though she was, to some extent, pivotal due to being related to William Cecil Lord Burghley, and the Knollys family. Her nephew married the widow of one of Anne Boleyn's alleged lovers. The evidence presented, therefore is uneven. A very plausible case is made for the the match between Sir Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard which 'was a dazzling achievement for the son of a London alderman, and the foundation of much of the fortune and misfortune which subsequently overtook the family.' This is an example of the available evidence being discussed extremely well, separating the known facts from very reasonable inference.

David Loades has authored a number of books on the Tudors. The difficulty of this book for the reader is that it assumes considerable prior knowledge of the period and the people involved. Perhaps this is inevitable as the author evidently knows his material well. There would be no problem if the reader too was well versed in Tudor history but for those seeking information it would be preferable to read other books first. It would have also considerably helped if this book had been provided with family trees showing names and dates. There are very useful footnotes, and a good bibliography giving primary and secondary sources. The fairly comprehensive index is unfortunately, and disconcertingly, separated from the rest of the book by advertisements for the publisher's other books. Despite these caveats, this book remains an interesting, and enjoyable, read especially for those who know the period.