A lock of Tudor hair returns to owner's home
Lyra
I wonder just which other items are out there somewhere -
I always like to hear of such discoveries
(quote)
Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 January 2008, 16:11 GMT
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Tudor hair is 'brought back home'
The lock of hair is thought to be about 500 years old
An almost 500-year-old lock of hair thought to have come from one of
Henry VIII's wives has sold for £2,160.
Its buyer, Charles Hudson, lives on the Wyke Manor estate in
Worcestershire, which he said was once home to the hair's original
owner, Catherine Parr.
The blonde hair, which is mounted in an oval frame, sold for almost 15
times the estimated price of £150.
Mr Hudson, 56, said he was "pleased to be able to bring it home".
Catherine Parr outlived her Royal husband.
He added that Wyke Manor had been given to Catherine, Henry's sixth
wife, as a present from her husband.
Mr Hudson said that after Catherine died, the estate passed to Anthony
Babington, who was later executed for treason after plotting to kill
Queen Elizabeth I.
The property then passed to Sir Walter Raleigh, who was also executed.
'Happy ending'
Mr Hudson's family have lived in the estate since the mid-18th
Century.
He said: "It was rather touching to be able to buy the hair and bring
some part of her back to a place where she had happier times.
"It's nearly 500 years old, which is really quite terrific."
Auction house Bonhams in central London held the sale.
Spokeswoman Charlotte Wood said the authenticity of the hair had been
checked and they believed it had belonged to Catherine Parr, even
though it had not had a DNA test.
She added: "It's such a happy ending to the story that the lock of
hair will return to her old estate, which is obviously seeped in
history."
Parr married Henry VIII in 1543 aged 31, and remained with him until
his death in 1547.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7189903.stm
Lyra
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The lock of hair in the picture is very blonde.
Katherine Parr's hair was described as auburn, with gold lights.
May 500 years, and/or chemical treatment of some kind,
have lightened the hair - I don't know.
There is an interesting chance of the hair belonging to another
Queen Katherine,
Katherine of Aragon.
This Katherine (Aragon) certainly qualifies as blonde,
and Katherine Parr's mother, Maud or Matilda Greene,
is described as a devoted lady-in-waiting to the Queen,
who may likely have owned a lock of the queen's hair
- maybe as a keepsake at her death.
This keepsake may later be amongst the daughter Katherine Parr's
belongings,
leading to a mistake as to which Katherine the hair had come from.
From Aragon, not Parr.
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Lyra
(quote, excerpts)
Mr Hudson, 56, who was involved in a competitive bidding war, said:
"I'm pleased to be able to bring it home. It's quite amazing really
that I'm walking around London with Henry VIII's wife's hair in my
pocket."
Mr Hudson paid £2,160 for the hair, mounted in an oval frame on ink-
inscribed paper which states "Hair of Queen Catherine Parr, Last
Consort of Henry, the night she died September 5th 1548 was in the
Chapel of Sudeley Castle".
Mr Hudson's family have lived in the estate - which fire crews saved
from going up in smoke after a fire in 2004 - since the mid 18th
century.
Bonhams spokeswoman Charlotte Wood said: "The provenance of the item
has been checked and we believe this is the hair of Catherine Parr. It
has not had a DNA test, though.
`````````
(Comment)
It would be interesting to see if it could indeed be DNA tested. I
didn't know hair stayed intact after that long.
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Mr Hudson, whose family have lived at the estate for last 250 years,
said he has grown up knowing the story of how Catherine used to live
at the estate and thought the idea of bringing a part of her back
again was amazing.
Mr Hudson, who makes real' confetti from delphinium grown at a nearby
farm, added: "It just seemed one of those things that I could not pass
by. It's almost like a holy relic. Its incredible and amazing to think
I have touched her hair."
http://www.eveshamjournal.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1969512.mostviewed.hairs_todays_history_news.php
Lyra
(quote, excerpts)
To the east of Pershore, connected with it by Pershore Bridge, is the
now separate parish of Wick, formerly a chapelry of St. Andrew.
Wick lies in a bend of the Avon, its southern boundary being Mary
Brook.
The land near the Avon bank is low, but the village is at a height of
about 100 ft. above the ordnance datum. It is situated to the north of
the high road from Pershore to Evesham. From this road a branch runs
south to Little Comberton.
Wick House is the residence of Lt.-Col. A. H. Hudson, J.P. It
contains a handsomely carved mantelpiece.
Near the churchyard is an ancient cross, the head of which has been
recently restored.
`````````
In 1086 WICK formed part of the abbey of Westminster's great manor of
Pershore.
With the rest of the abbey's estates it was granted in 1542 to the
Dean and Chapter of Westminster. (fn. 135) It was restored to the
refounded abbey by Queen Mary, (fn. 136) but on the accession of
Elizabeth, the abbey being again dissolved, Wick was granted once more
to the dean and chapter. (fn. 137) They remained in possession until
1650, when the manor was sold by the Parliamentary trustees to Sir
Cheney Culpeper of Hollingbourne, co. Kent. (fn. 138) At the
Restoration the manor returned into the possession of the dean and
chapter. (fn. 139)
Lawrence Abbot of Westminster, c. 1160, gave to Peter de Wick with the
vills of Upton Snodsbury and Bricklehampton 3 virgates of land in
Wick, one of the demesnes of the abbey, one which belonged to Lefward
and one which belonged to Gunter and Swen. (fn. 141) This estate seems
to have been the origin of the manor afterwards known as WICK
BURNELL.
The grant to Peter de Wick was confirmed to his son Robert, (fn. 142)
and the manor apparently remained in this family until about the
middle of the 13th century. Peter de Wick, who seems to have been the
last of the name to own Wick, was a man of some consequence in
Worcestershire, acting as one of the collectors to raise an aid in
1237 (fn. 143) and as a collector of a thirtieth in 1240. (fn. 144) He
died before 1258, when his widow Christine granted her manors of
Snodsbury and Upton to William Beauchamp. (fn. 145)
Wick seems to have been acquired by William Beauchamp at the same
time, and it apparently passed from him to a younger son Walter, (fn.
146) whose widow Alice still held a life interest in the estate in
1281-2, when Peter de Lench and his wife Margery sold the manor to
Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells. (fn. 147) The manor was
evidently held in right of Margery, who may have been the heir of
Walter Beauchamp. The sale was possibly necessitated by Peter's
financial difficulties, for in 1290 he was pardoned 200 of the 300
marks which he owed the king, a debt which he had perhaps incurred
while acting as justice of the forest. (fn. 148)
Though the manor is not mentioned in the inquisition taken on the
death of Robert Burnell, possibly because it was then still held by
Alice Beauchamp, (fn. 149) it evidently followed the same descent as
Kidderminster Burnell to Sir Hugh Burnell, (fn. 150) who in 1417 sold
the reversion after his death to Joan widow of William Lord
Bergavenny. (fn. 151) Though Lady Bergavenny was distrained in 1429
for suit at Binholme due for this manor, (fn. 152) the estate does not
seem to have passed to her heirs, but reverted with many other of Sir
Hugh Burnell's estates to the Lovels, descendants of Maud sister and
heir of Edward Burnell by her first husband John Lovel. (fn. 153)
John Lord Lovel in 1461 obtained a ratification of his estate in the
manor. (fn. 154) He died in 1465, (fn. 155) and on the death of his
widow Joan in the following year the estate passed to his son Francis
Lord Lovel. (fn. 156) Francis fought at Bosworth on behalf of Richard
III, and was attainted by Henry VII in 1485 and lost all his estates.
(fn. 157) The manor of Wick Burnell was granted in 1486 to John
Mortimer and his heirs male. (fn. 158)
In 1507 it was granted to Giles Greville for thirty-one years, (fn.
159) the reversion being given in 1515 to Sir William Kingston, (fn.
160) and confirmed to him and his son Anthony in 1528 apparently for
their lives. (fn. 161)
In 1556-7 William Babington obtained a grant of the manor for forty
years, (fn. 162) and in 1575-6 it was granted to John Fleming, as a
late possession of John Duke of Northumberland, for twenty-one years
from March 1596. (fn. 163) In the following year the site of the manor
was granted to Richard Williams for nineteen years. (fn. 164) This
grant was cancelled in 1580 and a lease for sixteen years made to
Peter Lockey. (fn. 165)
In 1590-1 the manor was granted in fee to Fulk Haselwood. (fn. 166) He
died about 1597, (fn. 167) and his son Thomas had livery of the manor
in 1606. (fn. 168) Thomas, his wife Elizabeth and his son Francis were
brought before the Council in 1622 as rebels, they having resisted
apprehension by the serjeant-at-arms. (fn. 169) Thomas was succeeded
in 1624 by Francis, (fn. 170) who was fined in 1630-2 for not taking
knighthood. (fn. 171) He complained in 1651 that, though he had always
adhered to Parliament, he had been accused of going to Worcester and
sending there a horse and provisions while it was the king's garrison
and of going with the king's forces to Evesham, and that his estate
had therefore been sequestered. (fn. 172) He was Sheriff of
Worcestershire in 1663, (fn. 173) and had been succeeded before 1675
by his son Thomas Haselwood, (fn. 174) who was knighted in 1681 (fn.
175) and acted as Sheriff of Worcestershire in the following year.
(fn. 176) The manor passed with that of Bengeworth to the Rev. Bernard
Wilson, (fn. 177) who died in 1772.
It was sold in 1776 by Wilson's nephew Robert Wilson Cracraft to
Richard Hudson of Wick House, (fn. 178) and passed on his death in
1804 to his son Richard. The latter was succeeded in 1850 by a son
Richard who sold the manor in that year to his father's nephew Alfred
Ricketts Hudson. Lieut.-Col. Alfred Henry Hudson, son of the latter,
is the present lord of the manor. (fn. 179)
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42874
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>
> (quote, excerpts)
>
> Mr Hudson, 56, who was involved in a competitive bidding war, said:
> "I'm pleased to be able to bring it home. It's quite amazing really
> that I'm walking around London with Henry VIII's wife's hair in my
> pocket."
>
> Mr Hudson paid £2,160 for the hair, mounted in an oval frame on ink-
> inscribed paper which states "Hair of Queen Catherine Parr, Last
> Consort of Henry, the night she died September 5th 1548 was in the
> Chapel of Sudeley Castle".
>
> Mr Hudson's family have lived in the estate - which fire crews saved
> from going up in smoke after a fire in 2004 - since the mid 18th
> century.
>
> Bonhams spokeswoman Charlotte Wood said: "The provenance of the item
> has been checked and we believe this is the hair of Catherine Parr. It
> has not had a DNA test, though.
>
> `````````
>
> (Comment)
>
> It would be interesting to see if it could indeed be DNA tested. I
> didn't know hair stayed intact after that long.
>
> `````````
>
> http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/display.var.1967777.0.sold_a_lock_of_h...
>
> ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
>
> Mr Hudson, whose family have lived at the estate for last 250 years,
> said he has grown up knowing the story of how Catherine used to live
> at the estate and thought the idea of bringing a part of her back
> again was amazing.
>
> Mr Hudson, who makes real' confetti from delphinium grown at a nearby
> farm, added: "It just seemed one of those things that I could not pass
> by. It's almost like a holy relic. Its incredible and amazing to think
> I have touched her hair."
>
> http://www.eveshamjournal.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1969512.mostviewed.ha...