Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

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Bishop John Hotham -1337

On 3rd December 1312 Bishop John Hotham was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Life of Edward II of Caernarfon by a Monk of Bridlington. Likewise, in the same year, the see of Ely fell vacant, and John Hotham was appointed to it. The see of Winchester likewise fell vacant, and John Sandale was admitted to it at the King's insistence.

Item eodem anno episcopatus Eliensis vacavit, cui præfectus! Johannes de Hothome, et Wyntoniensis similiter, cui Johannes de Sandale ad regis instantiam est admissus.

Around 20th June 1316 Bishop John Hotham was elected Bishop of Ely.

On 3rd October 1316 Bishop John Hotham was consecrated Bishop of Ely.

On 27th May 1317 Bishop John Hotham was appointed Lord High Treasurer.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. A favourable wind drove the fleet, bound for the shores of England, into the port of Orwell on the Friday [26th September 1326] just before the feast of Saint Michael.1 There, the Earl Marshal2 and Henry, Earl of Leicester, along with a defiant multitude of barons and knights, came out to meet them. Nor were prelates lacking among those treacherously joined to the leaders against their own country and its prince. But the chief instigators of this most wicked crime, trained disciples of their mistress in arms and treachery, appeared at the appointed day: not as shepherds of sheep or lambs, but as armed wolves, cruel warriors, less like pastors than tyrants, and leaders of the vanguard of this impious host. There stood the two elder men from whom the Babylonian iniquity sprang forth, not against Susanna, but in favour of Jezebel: these, I say, were the priests of Baal, foster sons of Jezebel, namely the Bishops of Lincoln and Hereford. With them were also the Bishops of Dublin and Ely.3 Together with the queen, they had raised a great army.

Classem ad Anglie littora ventus directam votivus depulit in portum Horewille die Veneris proxima ante festum sancti Michaelis; cui se obvios confederaverunt comes Mariscalli et Henricus comes Leicestrie, et cum eiis baronum atque commilitonum proterva multitudo. Nec defue: runt prelati ducibus contra patriam et patrie principem infideliter commixti; set tanti facinoris machinatores sceleratissimi sue discipule, armis docte sceleris, obviaverunt ad diem expectatum; non quidem lanigerorum aut ovium, set luporum armigerorum crudelium, pastores minus quam tiranni horum falangis precipue ducatum prebuere. Ibi duo seniores a quibus egressa est iniquitas Babilonica contra Susannam, set pro Iezabele, hii, inquam, Baal sacerdotes, alumpni Iesabel, scilicet Lincolniensis et Herefordensis, cum iis quoque Dublinensis atque Heliensis, cum eadem regina magnum exercitum congregarunt.

Note 1. Friday before Michaelmas in 1326 fell on the 26th September but the queen landed on the 24th. Edward's order for the array of the eastern counties, in which he refers to the queen's landing, is dated 27th September. Rymer's Fœdera 2.643.

Note 2. Thomas of Brotherton, the king's brother, created earl of Norfolk in 1312, and earl marshal in 1316. Henry here styled earl of Leicester, was restored to his brother's forfeited earldoms of Lancaster and Leicester in 1324. He was the king's first cousin.

Note 3. Alexander Bicknor, archbishop of Dublin, 1317-1349. John Hotham, bishop of Ely (afterwards chancellor and treasurer), 1316-1337.

On 28th January 1327 Bishop John Hotham was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Around 14th January 1337 Bishop John Hotham died. He was buried in Ely Cathedral [Map].

Life of Edward II of Caernarfon by a Monk of Bridlington. Likewise, Sir John de HothamENDNOTE1ENDNOTE, Bishop of Ely, was attached, summoned to London, accused concerning certain charges brought against him, and fined.

Item dominus Johannes de Hothome, episcopus Eliensis, attachiatus, Londonias vocatur et super quibusdam sibi objectis arguitur et multatur.

Note 1. John of Hotham, died 1337. He was consecrated as Bishop of Ely in 1316 and appointed Lord Treasurer a year later. In 1327 he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Annals Londonienses. "In the year of our Lord 1316, and still in the ninth year of the king's reign, Sir John [Ketton], monk and Bishop of Ely, died [on 14th May], and John Hotham succeeded him. In the same year, on 3 June, Louis, King of France, died. In the same year, Henry Woodlock, monk and Bishop of Winchester, died on the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul [29th June]. He was succeeded by John Sandale, Chancellor of the lord king. In the same year, on the feast of St Donatus, Pope John was elected at Lyons, being the twenty-second pope of that name. In this same year the aforesaid terrible famine and mortality continued, together with very great intemperance of weather, and there was a great scarcity of salt, so that eight bushels were sold for forty shillings. In the same year, on the vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary [13th August], John, the king's second son, was born at Waltham."

Anno Domini MCCCXVI, et anno regis adhuc nono, dominus Johannes monachus et episcopus Eliensis obiit; successit Johannes Hothum. Eodem anno, tertio nonas Junii, rex Francorum Lodowycus obiit. Eodem anno Henricus Wodelok, monachus et episcopus Wyntoniensis, obiit, die apostolorum Petri et Pauli; cui successit Johannes Sendal, cancellarius domini regis. New pope. Eodem anno, die Sancti Donati, Johannes papa fuit electus, qui est XXII nomine Johannes, apud Lugdunum. Isto adhuc anno duravit prædicta dira fames et mortalitas et intemperies permaxima; et magna caristia de sale fuit, ita quod octo busselli vendebantur pro XL solidis. Eodem anno, vigilia Assumptionis beatæ Mariæ, Johannes, secundus filius regis, apud Waltham natus est.