Evan read one of the guide books laying on the kitchen table and said he wanted to go see Sudeley Castle. That was the first time any of us had heard of the place. The next day we ended up spending most of the day wandering the beautifully manicured grounds and learning about the history of this place. And watching a really hokey jousting tournament.
Vivian and Evan played hide and go seek like they were at the grandma's house. They seemed only slightly disturbed by the fact that so many people associated with the castle had ended up being beheaded. The castle was first built in the 10th century, and took it's modern form in the fifteenth century during the reign of King Henry VIII, whose last wife, Catherine Parr lived and died at Sudeley. Then during the English Civil War, Sudeley was used as a headquarters by the royalists, and when they lost, Cromwell had the castle "slighted". When the royalists returned to power, they in turn had Cromwell's corpse dug up from Westminster Abbey and the skeleton beheaded and hung from chains. Sweet revenge.
The broken remains of the slighted castle stayed unoccupied till 1837 when a rich glove maker bought it and started the process of rebuilding it under the guidance of Sir Gilbert Scott. Catherine Parr's coffin was found in a grave and when the chapel next to the castle was rebuilt, she was buried there.
Later that night, over a bottle of wine from the local Tesco, I wondered. A peek into the lives of the royals is always a bit shocking, even when I have heard the stories before. Tradition must carry a huge inertia that is impossible to stop. Why else would a somewhat modern and otherwise egalitarian country like Great Britain continue to adore its monarchy?
Vivian and Evan played hide and go seek like they were at the grandma's house. They seemed only slightly disturbed by the fact that so many people associated with the castle had ended up being beheaded. The castle was first built in the 10th century, and took it's modern form in the fifteenth century during the reign of King Henry VIII, whose last wife, Catherine Parr lived and died at Sudeley. Then during the English Civil War, Sudeley was used as a headquarters by the royalists, and when they lost, Cromwell had the castle "slighted". When the royalists returned to power, they in turn had Cromwell's corpse dug up from Westminster Abbey and the skeleton beheaded and hung from chains. Sweet revenge.
The broken remains of the slighted castle stayed unoccupied till 1837 when a rich glove maker bought it and started the process of rebuilding it under the guidance of Sir Gilbert Scott. Catherine Parr's coffin was found in a grave and when the chapel next to the castle was rebuilt, she was buried there.
Later that night, over a bottle of wine from the local Tesco, I wondered. A peek into the lives of the royals is always a bit shocking, even when I have heard the stories before. Tradition must carry a huge inertia that is impossible to stop. Why else would a somewhat modern and otherwise egalitarian country like Great Britain continue to adore its monarchy?
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