CATHERINE PARR’S burial & SHOCKING CORPSE MUTILATION | First Protestant funeral for English royalty
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- A GROUND-BREAKING funeral and a SHOCKING CORPSE MUTILATION. That was the fate of Queen Catherine Parr’s body after her death in 1548. After being given the first Protestant funeral for English royalty in history, Catherine lay undisturbed in the Chapel of Sudeley Castle for over 200 years. Then her body was rediscovered by grave hunters and disinterred multiple times in the 1780s. One of these disinterments led to a disgraceful and gruesome case of grave desecration. By the time she was finally (badly) reburied, the remains of Henry VIII’s sixth wife were in terrible condition. In this six wives documentary from History Calling, we go back first to September 1548 to look at how Catherine’s body was handled and interred after her death from childbirth complications. She still had a funeral fit for a Queen, but it was very different to any of the ceremonies observed after the deaths of Henry’s other wives. We’ll learn about the actions of her chief mourner, who was Lady Jane Grey, see where she is buried and learn about the funeral procession and service which preceded her interment, for this was a funeral of a Queen which was like no other before it. The second part of the video will look at the events surrounding the rediscovery of this famous body and provide detailed, contemporary accounts of how she was mishandled and her eventual and final reburying.
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What you think of the treatment of Catherine’s remains in the 1780s and 1790s? Let me know below and check out my PATREON site for extra perks at www.patreon.com/historycalling and my Amazon storefront at www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling
It was incredibly disrespectful, not just for a royal, for any person.
If her coffin was inscribed with “KP”, was her first name spelled, “Katherine”, rather than “Catherine”? I’m curious, as I’ve seen different spellings for several other royals from around that time, such as Katherine vs Catherine, Anne vs Ann, etc.
Definitely disrespectful….
Absolutely. :-(
Yes, it could be spelt either way. I tend to go with Catherine simply to help to differentiate her from her immediate predecessor Katherine Howard, but either is acceptable, as is Kathryn/Katharine/Katheryn (and also spelt with Cs). Spelling was very fluid at that time. Ann/Anne/Anna is another good example.
Absolutely horrific. Catherine was a woman of intelligence and wisdom for the age she lived in. To have her mortal remains treated in such an undignified manner is disgusting. I'm at a loss for words. Honestly.
I know. I was thinking it was bad enough being dug up the first couple of times, but when I got to the drunks, my jaw dropped.
*Well said*
Considering you didn't know the broad, not sure how you can claim she was full of wisdom. Not smart marrying a man who already murdered 2 wives. Don't worry Lee, good try anyway
@@ptolemyglenn79 she outlived him and it wasn’t her choice she was engaged to someone else and couldn’t refuse the king. Nice try
Her last husband, Seymour, sexually abused her stepdaughter Elizabeth (aged 14!) and she participated in it.
It's crazy to think that her tomb was so easily accessible, she was a queen and you would think that English citizens would've treated her with more respect
I know. I couldn't quite believe it myself when I did the research for the video. I'd heard she'd been disinterred, but I didn't realise how badly her remains were treated.
@@HistoryCalling I was just disgusted by these people's disrespect for this Queen!
The problem was that she didn't die a Queen Consort but the wife of a man already under a shadow of suspicion and later executed for Treason and was not buried in one of the Royal Chapels or Abbeys but privately as described here. Of course the treatment was despicable. The comparisons I could think of were not royal but those of Marie Vetsera, the 17 year old lover of the heir to the Austrian Emperor killed in their dual suicide - her body was also desecrated; and Evita - whose body had a terrible wandering journey following her death if I recall.
I agree!!
Henry's other wives' burials were not treated with disrespect. So why did small groups of people desecrate Katherine's? It can probably be blamed on the same-old same-old thing that has been and remains the cause of so much conflict between people and nations: religion. Katherine was Catholic so the gangs were probably Protestant.
I'm a history lecturer and have been to Sudeley many times. I have always admired Katherine Parr and have some of her prayers and writings. What happened to Katherine was beyond belief. In the chapel, where she is buried, it is explained that her coffin was opened four times. The first time, two lady tourists apparently thought they noticed something unusual at the back of the chapel. They informed the minister, resulting in the coffin being opened to confirm it was Katherine. She was apparently wearing a costly dress and had red hair. The coffin was opened a further three times.The last person to see her stated that she was reduced to a small pile of brown dust. In the house, a piece of her burial dress, a lock of her hair, and one of her teeth are displayed. Katherine is now interred in a fine tomb in a place of honour in the chapel. Her effigy shows a petite woman with fine features. Admirers now visit the Queen from all over the world to pray and pay homage to a truly great lady.
My late husband was a student of (US) Civil War history and he told me the story of a general that was disinterred (I think because they had to move the cemetery due to construction). He had a lead coffin with a glass viewing window and was perfectly preserved. So preserved, in fact, that the police were called in because they worried there might be foul play involved. They ended up calling in an expert on that time period who looked at the coffin and grave and said no, that was a mid 19th century burial and that yes, 18th century embalming techniques, coupled with a lead coffin, would preserve a body indefinitely.
He got relocated and re-interred, but I don't think his coffin was ever opened because they knew that would ruin the body.
Wow thats amazing .. thanks for sharing that bit of history 🙂
I saw that story on faces of the forgotten
That’s really interesting. Thanks for the teaching lesson. 😊
Interesting! If only Katherine was treated with such care
In "Death's Acre" the story of the body farm, a forensics lab in Kentucky, one of the reasons the pathologist decided to found a forensics lab to study what happened to bodies after death was precisely because he misidentified a Civil War corpse as a modern murder victim due to the extraordinary preservation of the body. Fascinating read.
Oh god,I am shocked by this, I am an history student and I LOVE Catherine Parr, she was my favorite wife of Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn, she was sooo intellligent and even wrote books, she should have been treated with respect! Its shocking what they did to her body :( and taking teeth and her hair a souvenirs is just horrible , she deserved soo much better
I agree. People really are morbid and so disrespectful, especially with regards to famous people (dead or alive).
@@HistoryCalling very much agreed, as a history fan I understand the curiosity, but people need to start realizing that these were real people, and very IMPORTANT people, very big part of British history , people treat historic famous people like they are some kind of "mythological figures" instead of REAL people who literally changed the history . I am very shocked that something like this happened .btw, love your channel, you really gained a subscriber, I love that you take history seriously and your videos are very informative , keep yup the good job :)
Greetings from Northern europe :)
@@HistoryCalling l have a book on Sudeley Castle when working there if you would like one l will send you one.
Frankly, I'm horrified. I had no idea that Katherine's body had been so terribly treated - constantly being dug up, reburied, her embalming pierced, exposed to the elements. Then, a load of drunks pulled her apart and dumped her upside down in a grave?! Did they think she was a vampire or something? Just horrible.
Others have mooted the vampire theory. Personally I think they were just despicable drunks, but who knows. I don't even know if vampire lore was widely known about in England at the time to be honest. It was well before Dracula came out.
I almost hope they thought she was a vampire.
I find it somehow even more difficult to understand, how anyone could be such a bad judge of the characters of his friends, if the intent was to protect the body instead of destroying it.
I ceased to be horrified by human depravity decades ago. We are a cruel, barbaric lot, and thus we always have been.
If the person is decomposing, they're obviously not a vampire. Those people are so stupid. You can't use being drunk as an excuse for thinking a literal decomposing human is a vampire.
@@HistoryCalling King James and his demonology may have popularized vampires in England, before the publishing of Dracula.
Just hearing just how horribly her body was treated had me in tears. People can be so despicable. She was a good, intelligent woman, and Queen or not she deserved much more respect and peace. I can only hope that she can finally rest where she is now, I would love to one day visit her tomb. Thank you for providing such detailed videos, I appreciate all the thorough research you do❤️
She died, went out of body, became one with God and the cosmos. Let the human creeps continue to live on in this misery on planet Earth.
Thank you. I'd love to visit her grave as well.
Me too, Sophia. This beautiful woman was someone's child. She was someone's mother. She was a QUEEN and her body was horribly disrespected.
I was almost in tears too. 😭 I also wanted to vomit. 🤢🤮 The fact that she's dead and can't feel anything is irrelevant. The fact that humans are capable of desecrating a dead body at all is despicable and barbaric! I'm just at a loss for words. 😰
This is really a detailed account of the travesties performed on this women's remains. As outrageous as the acts are the story you've woven is fascinating. Thanks for another great episode. Lvya
Thank you so much :-)
Vultures
I am totally disgusted by what I just learned. I'm so sorry that happened. What happened to her body is absolutely horrific.
I know. I couldn't quite believe how bad it was either as I did the research. It took me a while to find the original description of what the drunk men did and once I had it, I was just in disbelief.
I had the privilege of getting to visit her grave at Suddley Castle in 2004. I am shocked. I had no idea all that happened. I can't imagine what these people's purpose was and why couldn't they just let her rest in peace?!?!
I'm jealous. I would love to go to Sudeley (and indeed Peterborough, where Catherine of Aragon is buried).
@@HistoryCalling I learned so much about Henry VIII's wives on that trip so being able to see her grave was so exciting! Suddley Castle is absolutely beautiful!
Was her plaque still there?
@@katiekat8329 I have to admit, I don't remember. I was there 18 years ago. Sorry!
Sad story, maybe some people felt that they needed to have revenge on the aristocracy. Since Obviously no one cared about her gravesite I find it strange that pomp and circumstance Is still the rage in great Britain. How this happened I don’t understand, sad
Despicable treatment of a lady! Nobody deserves that -whether a queen or not!
I completely agree. I hadn't realised either how bad it was until I did the research. My jaw was dropping at some of the indignities she suffered too.
There is perhaps no act more cowardly and brutal than the desecration of a corpse. Why would anyone ever do such a thing--to anyone, let alone a Queen. It truly boggles the mind. May she rest in peace at last.
I just found your channel and was very impressed by the way you handled this topic. Will watch more. I have subscribed. Cheers from New Jersey. Pat
Thanks Pat and welcome aboard :-)
Holy crap. Why the hell would anyone intending to disintere and then reintere a corpse get the people doing it so drunk that they pretty much nearly destroy the body they were supposed to be protecting. It is totally disgusting what happened to Katherine. It's amazing there was a body left to be finally FINALLY reburied again. I wonder why the landowner didn't try to make sure random people didn't break into and dig up the place. I do find it interesting that by the sounds of things originally Katherine had been essentially mummified.
I also think of another Catherine who had a pretty miserable afterlife: Catherine de Valois who apparently had her body just left out unburied in Westminister Abbey for 400 years. Samuel Pepys (eternal creep in my mind after hearing this) apparently kissed her corpse.
Catherine of Valois is actually on my video list for January :-) I've already gathered up some of the sources for that video, including the infamous Pepys diary entry (he was a creep - don't get me started on what he got up to with his housemaids as well). I can't fathom why anyone would do this to Catherine Parr's body either and I was surprised there was anything left of her too. I would assume some people were just disgusting and others got carried along by peer pressure. I thought the landowner should have protected her better too, probably by reinterring her somewhere anonymous and very deep underground.
I had heard that her coffin was opened in the 1700s, and that her corpse was reported to be "still lovely"....also, that someone had cut off a length of her hair (how disrespectful). Supposedly (from what I had previously heard), her coffin was not properly sealed so that her body decomposed very quickly after that.
@@HistoryCalling perhaps a video on the real Pepys is in order? That might balance the historical perception.
@@leanie5234 Did you watch the video?
I cringed at every detail you described of the desecration of this incredible woman. She was a Queen consort to Henry the 8th and stepmother to his children who got to rule England. What they did was disrespectful. Once her grave was discovered, they should’ve protected her grave by reinforcing it so no one desecrates her body again. It boggles my mind how people resort to grave robbery for stealing.
Little Mary most likely died as a child. I wonder what happened to her and where’s buried.
Thank you for another great video. Have a nice weekend.
Yes, I'd be curious what happened to Mary Seymour too. Presumably she died under the care of the Duchess of Suffolk and she (Duchess) took care of the burial. I can't understand either why the grave wasn't much better protected much sooner. Maybe the landowner couldn't be bothered with the hassle and expense.
The only valid reason to open Catherine's grave would have been to bury her child with her.
Just....horrific. No one's body should be desecrated in such a way. It's vile.
I love this channel! This lady could recount the writing on a cereal box and I'd listen!
Poor Catherine! I'm totally shocked at the way her remains were treated for so many years after she died. WTH was wrong with these people? I honestly was nearly in tears and aghast at the amount of disinterments. I understand that over the years since she was buried and also because her tomb and grave was more or less not treated as a royal one even though she'd been married to Henry VIII it was much easier to access than a lot of other royal graves, but even that fact makes the way her remains were treated no less shocking (given the way trinket-hunters and such have treated places like the Phaoroh's tombs in Egypt). I have personally had nothing to do with what happened to Catherine's remains but that does not make me feel any less bad for the sacriligious and frankly disrespectful in the extreme treatment of the remains of what was a Queen of England and the place that was supposed to be her final resting place. Thank you for this video.
@@pbohearn Why are you trolling my comment?
You're welcome for the video and I agree that what happened to her was horrific. People just seem to have a morbid fascination with famous dead people, to the point of acting like this.
Merry
SHOCKING is the most befitting word to describe the agregious acts carried out on this lovely woman's body and resting place. Curiosity is NEVER an excuse to disentomb someone's final (or not so final in this case) resting place. How could anyone desecrate another's body in the way that those degenerate men did by taking her hair and decapitating her. I hope that they were haunted by their actions until their end came. She walks among the Angels now, head held high and surrounded by her loved ones as befitting a kind, gentle woman who just happened to become a Queen.
I know. Some people are just disgusting. I like to think that they were shunned by their neighbours for their actions, as it was obviously common knowledge at the time. I agree simple curiosity isn't enough to disinter someone.
The sickos throughout human history never cease to shock and sicken me. As usual though you put up another great video.
Sadly I have to agree with you. We're not always as evolved as a species as we'd like to believe. Glad you enjoyed the video though.
To treat any corpse the way that Queen Catherine's was, is in my view beyond appalling and disgraceful. I'm glad she finally rests in a tomb befitting a Queen. The only allowable reason to exhume her once more, would in my opinion be the transferal of her remains to either Westminster Abbey or St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Along with the tomb. After all, she is royal. The same goes for the remains of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.
Yes, she was treated very poorly. I think she was probably happy enough to be buried at Sudeley as it was her home with Thomas Seymour, but I'm sure she couldn't have foreseen how badly she would be mishandled there. We'll get to Catherine of Aragon's burial in the new year :-)
@@HistoryCalling Oh dear, that almost sounds as if that queen was treated just as badly... Well, looking forward!
i love these videos, your voice makes them so easy to listen to. it is absolutely disgusting to think they treated a body this way let alone a Queen of England. the depths that humans can sink to really never fails to shock me. so sad, hopefully she is at rest peacefully at last.
Its disgusting regardless of their social status, just because shes a queen doesn't make it worse than if it was a kid
@@theecologist10 I wasn't saying it was worse than anyone else just because she was a queen, I was just saying that unfortunately royal bones are normally moved with more reverence than us mere peasants so the fact it even had a chance to happen is surprising.
@@tramason1992 ah, thanks for explaining
queens, yes.. but what about the paupers'graves, whole cemetaries that are dugg over to build new houses? at some point the dead have to make room for the living, it's not as if they are still inhabiting the bodies after all.
should your status and priviledges n live even matter in death? Do poor people desrve less diginity than the rich?
Or is it all just a reflection of our own desires and hopes?
Does it hurt us more to see a queen's corpse defiled than a beggar's?
Remember the corpses stolen for the surgeons learning their trade?
it matters that we look inwards to see where our outrage comes from and how moral it really is.
While watching this I closed my eyes and listened, it was heartbreaking as, all I could think of is our own beautiful and gentle Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, relating her gentleness, to the Catherine who had been so brutally treated.
I can't fathom the depravity of men who could do such a thing!
May Catherine rest in eternal peace now.
Oh no. Now that's what I'm thinking too :-( Yes, let's hope CP is resting in peace now.
@@HistoryCalling heartbreaking!
I can’t believe how much disrespect these people treated Katherine’s body with. She was a Queen! Even if she wasn’t no matter if you were a great or terrible person nobody’s corpse should be treated with such disrespect! That isn’t just disrespectful to them but to their family members, and friends.
I was watching a NETFLIX show about a dig in Egypt on a "no one special"'s grave. The tomb included the bones of this unfortunate man's entire family (4 children [ages 4-17], the wife, and the mother). As I watched, I felt like a ghoul. Despite the fact that this family was buried +/-2000 years ago, they did not deserve to be gawked at by anyone....they certainly had not intended that anyone would dig them all up and play with their bones.
To be honest if the deceased weren’t dug up and have a examination we wouldn’t hold knowledge of illness, malfunctions of the body and the way off life in the past.
For example led poisoning, deformities of having children with close relatives as was common in that time .
Etc I do understand your point but I’m happy with those examinations so we can learn from the past.
When my daughter was 6, we went to the Smithsonian, the museum of natural history. There was skeleton of an australopithecus. Maybe 3 or 4 at the time of death. People were quietly reading the plaques and chatting. Usual museum behavior. My daughter, at the top of her lungs asked what was wrong with all of us because nobody was upset we were looking at a dead baby, amd then burst into tears.. The room cleared out fast. A worker tried to comfort my daughter by telling her all we had learned by studying it. I said, to be fair, this happened over a million years ago. We got her calmed down quickly, but we decided to avoid the Egyptian mummies. To be honest, she was wrong...
I agree about bodies on display for our amusement and don't like it myself, though I also take Aiyana's point about medical knowledge that can be gained. I think a more acceptable compromise might be to gather medical information where necessary, then rebury the individuals.
I can completely understand why your daughter was upset. Perhaps we're all just a bit too blasé these days about bodies in museums. If they were lying out on the streets, we'd be a lot more upset. Sometimes children see things more clearly than adults.
@@HistoryCalling absolutely. I see that autocorrect changed wasn't to was in my reply. We definitely need to respect that these are human beings. I'll be honest though, some of the earlier humans, I struggle with seeing them as like us
I've watched a few of your videos now, and I want to say how much I admire your careful, clear, and judicious use and assessment of primary sources. Very much appreciated. The aural and visual elements of your video are also very nicely done. Great work overall, and I'm grateful for your efforts.
I lived and worked at Sudeley Castle
an amazing place. The chapel is so beautiful and to see Katherine Parr’s burial place was very exciting. I been bless to see some wonderful thing in my life.
Get a UA-cam channel and share your stories.
I'm very happy to hear that nowadays that any openings of royal UK tombs and graves or analysis of remains are strictly prohibited by Her Majesty and that any emergency repairs must first and only receive her knowledge and approval and be strictly supervised by professional crews.
Yes, I can understand why she is so reluctant to allow any examinations of deceased royals.
Absolutely appalling! Makes one hope that there is an afterlife and that the men responsible for such babooneries paid for it. I live fairly close to Sudeley, and the next time I visit I shall place flowers on Catherine`s tomb - as a sort of apology. Excellent video, by the way!
I hope the men have to face and ask forgiveness from Catherine herself.
A kindness that I completely support.
That is an absolutely lovely idea. Bless you.
Thank you and the flowers sound like a lovely idea.
Please add one for me Mr. Spilsbury. I'm American, but also human, and am appalled at the treatment her body received.
I love your voice. Perfect for talking about history. Not sure why, but it is. Lovely to listen to these videos…
Thank you.
Aww, thank you. You wouldn't think it at the moment though, as I currently have a sore throat (not Covid thankfully) and my voice has gone all raspy. That's winter bugs for you 😭 I shan't be recording anything any time soon, but the next three videos are already done at least.
@@HistoryCalling That’s good to know! Hope your sore throat is gone soon. Have a great Christmas. A nice drop of whisky or port or something similar will help your voice 😉 🎄
My favorite of henrys wives she was such a wonderful mother to henrys children, Elizabeth adored Catherine even her chequers ring has a portrait of cathrine parr. Edward adored and called her mother his letters to her are precious 💗
Yes, they did all adore her. I'd like to do a video at some point on the images of Anne Boleyn and we can have a good debate about the Chequer's ring then. Catherine Parr is also a popular choice for the second portrait in it though.
@@HistoryCalling yes I would love for you to do that video please do
@@HistoryCalling I also was under the impression that they portrait was of Anne Boleyn .
Excellent description of some dreadful acts committed on this womans body. Thank for doing such an excellent piece of work.
Thank you :-)
It's terrible how they treated her remains. She was a kind person from what I have read about her. She deserves to rest in peace. and be honored for the Queen she was.
One of my favourite tudor queen's, her body should have been left alone and treated with respect, what these people did to her body was horrific and ghoulish to say the least, thank you historycalling a very gruesome video from you today, till next week stay safe and well.
Thank you :-) Til next time :-)
@@HistoryCalling always a plesure historycalling thank you 😊
As a history and politics student I absolutely love your videos 🥺 please don’t stop making them
Thank you :-) No plans to stop at the moment :-)
I love having my second coffee of the day to your videos. They come out mid-morning for me and I love it!
Thanks Audrianna (and greetings from the other side of the world as I'm guessing you're on the west coast of America!)
@@HistoryCalling Northwest Canada! 🇨🇦 I've heard the ordeal Catherine Parr's remains went through before but I always love your presentation and perspective of these events 😊
Ah, apologies. I think you might have mentioned that before. Glad you enjoyed the video, gruesome as it is :-)
@@a.munroe San Francisco bay area in my case. Yep, that second cup goes down better with History Calling without a doubt.
Oh my gosh! Poor Catherine Parr........She did not deserve such disrespect to her remains. 😢 I'm absolutely horrified and disgusted by this vile mutilation! 😰🤢 Queen or no queen, a lady should be allowed rest in peace after she's passed away. The same goes for a gentleman, King or no king. I knew we humans can be barbaric, but this is next level despicable! ಠ︵ಠ
This is truly disgusting to treat anyone's grave that way, let alone a Queen of England. Honestly, all of these mutilations made me sick to my stomach. Truly horrific. Think of how preserved she would have been up to this point if she had just been left alone.
This is so fascinating and i truly appreciate your research and presentation! So sad what happened to her corpse when she was so perfectly buried at first!
Thank you. Yes, it is terribly sad. It was never necessary to disinter her in the first place even, let alone what happened later :-(
I don't condone it, but I have seen what the rage of the poor looks like, and it seems logical that it would be directed toward the priviledged and the things they hold most dear. After all, in those days the poor suffered way worse in life than that queen suffered in death.
In my opinion, Catherine Parr played a great role as far as protestantism is concerned. She was a scholar, tried to reconciliate Henry with his daughters and managed to stay alive until Henry's death.(surely an achievement !) I can't understand why all this happened, it is like a horror story... Thank you for this information, I really enjoy your videos.
Thank you for making this terrifying history of my ancestors remains to the vast public Yours Sir Kevin
Birth certificate or it never happened
It makes me sad to think that a lady of such dignity, intelligence, and compassion for others would be treated in such fashion. Perhaps curiosity (archaeologist?) for the queen of an infamous and tyrannical king of England, but there is NO excuse for the crude and disgusting abuse of earthly remains. A very ugly testament of those who saw fit to even think it much less do it…
Yes, it made me sad too. Ghoulish curiosity is the only thing that explains it, but they weren't even learning anything about her, except at what stage of decomp she was in. I like your description of them as ugly. Very apt.
Thank you for this. Such an appalling thing to happen to anyone, let alone a Queen.
I know. It was horrible.
What an extraordinary story. Sad and disturbing indeed. Thank you for the incredible research and for sharing it with us.
I first came across this heartbreaking story in one of Alison Weir's novels and further research confirmed it but not to THIS degree. I am absolutely HORRIFIED at this. I mean, hopefully Queen Katherine is at peace with God, but for her body to be mistreated so...it's soul wrenching.
The treatment of Catherine's body was unbelievably brutal . A great video congratulations
Thank you and I agree about Catherine's treatment. :-(
This poor woman. I'm absolutely indignant over what was done to her. I hope she haunted each and every one of those creeps. People can be such monsters.
Yes, if anyone deserved a good haunting, it's them.
Unbelievable! Years ago a friend of mine opined, "You rarely get in trouble if you UNDERestimate humanity." I'd already read a bit about the desecration of poor Catherine's body (your videos have really piqued my interest) but these details are horrific. I agree that gore can be a macabre attraction to viewership. Regardless of the content, your videos remain the high point of my Fridays. Coincidentally, I had already begun searches on Sudeley Castle. When and if Lena and I undertake international travel in these uncertain times, visiting the castle and viewing Catherine's tomb is on my bucket list. Thank you again and stay safe.
Yup, I think your friend was sadly correct. Anything horrible we can imagine has probably been done at some point by someone :-( I haven't been to Sudeley myself, but would also love to go. Stay safe too :-)
It’s unbelievable that anyone could be so depraved as to carry out such vile acts. I really appreciated the history of your story Thankyou
Women really can never have a moment’s rest, can they?
This is awful. However, at least the corpse was not lost. The tombs of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart were looted during the French Revolution and the rioters scattered their bones hither and yon. They never found them and their tombs in Fontevraud Abbey lie empty to this day.
It's amazing there was anything left of her to bury. You make me think a video on lost royal bodies might be a good idea though...
What an abhorrent thing to do to those who are supposed to be resting in peace. Absolutely inhumane and barbaric; this just confirms that whenever my time comes, I'd rather be cremated. Poor lady... Just as bad as Catherine of Valois' remains.
I think CP had it even worse than CV myself, however CV is on my list of videos, so we can certainly debate it in the comments there when I get it done. :-)
What a horrible story to be told about a young queen. Final resting place today is beautiful .Thank you for all you do.
Being from New Orleans, the desecration of Graves is almost a sport. Shocking, no. Shameful absolutely. Sad that curiosity is so easily used to justify terrible actions.
Actually I think the desecration of bodies is extremely shocking.
That's interesting (in an unpleasant way). I've never heard that before about New Orleans. I wonder why it's so prevalent there?
@@sassytbc7923 I agree 💯%...any corpse degradation or abuse is not normal behavior, nor should it casually be accepted in any way.
Paganism. I am from New Orleans and I can say I personally saw and heard some of these disgusting practice's
@@elainemoreland3908 Christians carry around and display body parts as religious relics so, maybe don’t blame pagans.
Thanks for the time you spent on detailing this. I love history. ❤ RIP C Parr. 🙏
Much appreciated :-)
Goodness gracious, how unfortunate was she, to suffer such indignities! I hope she finally rests in peace today.
I know, I couldn't believe it either. It genuinely is one of the worst cases of royal body desecration I've come across (and it's not like she wasn't popular either - had it been Henry VIII it might have been a bit less surprising).
The narrated introduction of "corpse desecration" followed by the cheerful, jaunty music... putting the fun back in history of burials! 😁👍
I aim to please :-) On a serious note though, it does seem to be these rather dark videos that do better. I did a more cheerful one last week on Victoria's comical coronation and it basically tanked. People seem to love the gory stuff!
😂🤣
@@HistoryCalling I did like last weeks - thank you for taking the time to do the video and this week's video too.
You're welcome. Glad you liked it :-)
Me too (though I should tell you that other than my Christmas video, the next few weeks are a bit more on the icky side!)
I have always liked Catherine Parr, and it is shocking to hear how her corpse was abused.
Yes, I found it horrible to read about too.
Came across this story some years ago but never as detailed as this. Thank you! Reminds me of the account concerning the exposed remains of Robert Braybrooke, Bishop of London in the late 13th century. When the original St. Paul's was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 his remains from the ruined crypt were discovered along with several others from centuries earlier. Braybrooke's remains were reported to have been "perfectly intact, with teeth, red hair and beard and skin like leather". He and at least two other mummified corpses were placed upright in the Convocation House Yard where the public including the Duke of York & Samuel Pepys paid the very late Bishop of London a visit. In 1675 when the cornerstone of the current St. Paul's was laid. Braybrooke was still on display!
That's so interesting (in a gruesome way). I've never heard that story, though I will be discussing Pepys' unhealthy fascination with famous dead people in a video on Katherine of Valois next month.
@@HistoryCalling Looking forward to next month's premier video! The account concerning Robert Braybrooke's mortal coil display can be found in the book "By Permission of Heaven. The True Story Of The Great Fire of London". The author is Adrian Tinniswood. 2003. Other accounts of Royals being disturbed in their final rest is "The Oxford Book Of Royal Anecdotes". Edited by Lady Elizabeth Longford. 1989. Westminster Memorials published in the 1880's also contains accounts of run ins with long dead royals. The remains of Henry VI at Canterbury Cathedral, as well as Henry VIII & Charles I were "examined" in the 19th century according to the Oxford book. An account of the discovery of the final resting place of Edward VI in the Henry VII Chapel is recounted in "Westminster Memorials". I viewed this book in a private collection. Many thanks from Massachusetts!
It's disgusting how badly Catherine's remains were treated 🙁
I just found your channel and now I’m binging on your videos 😁 So wonderful, thank you. I wonder if you could make a video on how royal processions including funeral processions were created and who designed and their histories? They are so complex and intricate and as you were describing Catherine Parr’s funeral procession I was just fascinated by its complexity and I started to wonder who had come up with all of it. Would love to find out more.
Study it now because Prince Charles will surely change protocol then leave it for Prince William to deal with and carry it into the future. I hope I live long enough to see King William. I feel Charles will not live long after his mother passes.
These atrocities carried out against queen Catherine's remains are unforgivable, wicked and vile, I struggle to express how distgusted I feel about the treatment of Catherines remains, it is inhuman and goes against any sense of decency.
I appreciate your attention to detail. Since I live in America, I am unable to research in the places you have access to. You answer a lot of my questions. The channel is under-appreciated.
That was a very well told but horrific story of how badly Catherine Parr's earthly remains were treated hundreds of years after she died and was buried. Such ghoulish savagery for no good reason.
As with Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Elizabeth and others, I wish they would get some pictures of the skull and recreate their faces so we can see once and for all what they REALLY looked like. Really sad what happened to C/Katherine Parr's body. I hope the people who did that are in Hell as we speak. What can be said about the mentality back then?
I'm on the fence about facial reconstructions myself, as they have a margin for error. You're unlikely to know their exact weight, skin tone and complexion for instance. Regarding Jane Seymour at least, I would also say that her Holbein portrait is probably better than any reconstruction we could ever get. He was just that good of a painter. I agree though that the fate of Catherine's body was so sad. I can't fathom the mindset of the people who did that to her.
They have
this absolutely blows my mind, such an incredible amount of disrespect to do something like that to a grave especially in this circumstance, it’s just so sad. and for it to happen so many times to one persons remains!? it’s scary but makes you wonder if people would still behave that way today. 🤔
Sadly I think if they though they could get away with it, some of them would. I'm not sure we're all as evolved as we like to think we are :-(
@@HistoryCalling my thoughts exactly! 😢 very interesting topic though i enjoyed the video very much!
It makes me think that people just didn't care back then about anything or anybody. It always appeared to me that once you were dead, you were just a thing, and your body was treated with callousness. I couldn't believe that when Mozart died, he was thrown in a common grave. The mentality back then was just appalling but thank God, that was in the past.
Sadly when you see the horrible things on the news happening in some parts of the world today, it makes me think not everyone is better now than our ancestors were hundreds of years ago. I like to think humanity is on a generally upward trajectory though :-) I haven't read about Mozart, but I shall do so now.
Given the autopsy and body bag pictures available online, things are worse than ever. I'm sure that if the internet and photography etc had been around back then, the people who desecrated various tombs would have proudly shown off the pictures to the world.
Every now and then you will find yourself in a moment when you find that you have absolutely no words.
This is awful nobody should be able to do this. I'm disgusted by the people who dug her up and messed with her remains. Shame on them.
I have seen the castle and grave site. I have many photos, including of hair and accounts of her body rediscoveries. I didn’t see the alibaster behind the metal grate. Pretty sure it wasn’t there in the church. Maybe it’s in a museum somewhere or I entirely missed it. There is also some fabric other than the gauze she was wrapped in. The coffin fabric I believe. Beautiful with metallic thread and pink and cream! The castle, grounds and church are beautiful! I will go back again sometime!
Wow! I had no idea that Katherine Parr's corpse had been dug up and abused in such a repugnant, horrific way!
Whoever abused Her body in such a foul manner had to be psychopathic!! Normal people would not see Any "fun" in hacking the head off a corpse and decimating the rest- Queen, or not! I'm utterly shocked this happened to poor Katherine's body. Shame on the drunken buffoons that done this! Poor Woman
R.I.P Katherine Parr
I know. I can't wrap my head around such disgusting behaviour either. I think for any normal person, it wouldn't even enter their minds to behave like this.
@@HistoryCalling oh, I fully agree! Their actions on Katherine Parr's remains were atrocious!! Great video though. You explained the scenario very well H.C!
Very well done. The stories about the desecration are shocking. Sadly, I've heard of this kind of behavior before and it sickens me. You did an excellent job of detective work and conclusions. Thank you!
Poor lady. It wouldn't matter to me if she was royalty or not. That isn't how you treat a body. :( I hope her soul is at least at peace.
I completely agree. No one should be treated like this.
Great video….looking forward to more like this one…have a great week!
Someone mentioned recreating what they really looked like. I find this fascinating as it’s been done with Nefertiti and her brother. Or at least they studied his bones and saw he had many deformities. I actually find this respectful to look at them and admire what they really looked like.
I'm really on the fence about that myself. Of course as an historian, I'm interested in what people looked like, but I don't know that I could justify to myself digging someone up, just to answer that curiosity, especially when we have portraits and descriptions of them. It's certainly an interesting debate though.
Maybe this is a case for cremation. At least the corpse cannot be desecrated. The disgustingly vile behaviour of humans never ceases to shock me. But a Queen of England being subject to this! Her fame obviously was the draw. But apparently respect and honour mean nothing when you are dead, no matter who you were in life. 🥺
@@deannagoldston4276 Things like this was the reason my grandmother wanted to be cremated. She said she wanted no one to play with her skull, the way she had heard some children had played with a skull they found on a graveyard.
In the early 1980s I was stationed at a join international services command in London England. A group of Brits were trying to recruit some young USA troop to go out "Exploring Tombs" when I got wind of it I called all my troops in even the ones who were off. I laid it out to them that any of my troops involved in this ... I would see to it that they were written up. Charged , busted and dishonorable discharged for desecration of a corps and that they would serve British prison time... I was told by a different department head that I could not threaten the troops... not one of my troops were involved in any way but this other department head had 3 of his troops get involved. That depart head was demoted in rank, and transfer to an Air Craft Carrier and his 3 troops were dishonorable discharged, spent time like 3 years in a British Prison and once released were deported out of Britian... My troops thanked me for showing the error of their ways... I was always firm but fair with my troops and they knew if they were honest with me I would help them in any way I could... but there were lines that I would not allow them to cross... the British involved got dishonorable dischared, and 5 years prison time.
I'm not so concerned over her intelligence and royal status as much as doing this to any corpse. Grave robbing later became an actual trade to supply medical colleges with fresh corpses that they designed iron cages to be put over tombs to prevent that kind of desecration. But Catherine's case was just plain abuse of a corpse for entertainment purposes....which is incomprehensible.
I agree with you. And also, why the frequent references to her having blonde hair? - it goes to show that not all blondes had more fun 🤩
THank you.
auburn hair has particles of different colours so looks different in different lighting. mine used to be anything from dark brown, through red to dark golden blond. occasionally it had a strange green tinge but only ever when i had decided to wear a black jumper or blouse - just for spite :)
Yes, it could be that portrait painters simply saw her hair as different colours, especially as most of it will have been covered by a hood. I hope you were able to photograph the green tint somehow, as that sounds very unusual.
@@HistoryCalling definitely no photos of that because i was annoyed about it as i was usually ready to go out before i noticed it and so had to change out of my black/jumper/blouse because it accentuated the green. :D
This is disgusting! Thank you for exposing this disgusting treatment!
People who desecrate graves -- of whatever person or era -- are a particularly loathsome species of sub-human. (This does not include archeological study nor legitimate reasons for moving graves.) This poor woman should have been left in peace.
I just love this channel. Well written and presented.
Thank you very much :-)
I already knew some of this as I’ve read Antonia Fraser’s book on the six wives and she covers these events in the epilogue. She left out the bit about Katherine’s body being stabbed with metal poles and having the arms cut off though. Maybe she thought it was too gruesome to include.
Yes, perhaps she thought it was too gruesome, or she just needed to keep the word count of the book down (it's sitting next to me as I type this and it really is huge, so I can understand her editor saying that something had to give). She wrote it in an era before the internet too and maybe struggled to get a hold of the relevant primary source. Even I had a job tracking it down as other sources simply said something horrible happened that was too gruesome to explain in detail. For a while I thought I wasn't going to be able to find it.
The brutal desecration of Queen Catherine's Corps was upsetting. She was such a gentle Lady.
I hope the memory of what was done came to haunt those who had performed the savagely disrespectful acts and caused them remorse, but I doubt it.
I found a man laying dead in the street last year. He was fresh but was obviously deceased. I called the police but I didn’t (even though morbid curiosity my whole life) I didn’t stare and prayed for him. My fiancé used to pick up dead bodies and bring them to the funeral homes and you could feel something in the van he would use. We were both very interested in it but it changed him till he died a few years later. I didn’t even like the fact that one time he stole the pillow that was supposed to be for the corpses and put it in our bed I said “you’re cursing us that not for us!” I cannot fathom Digging up a corpse and being so disrespectful. It angers me. Very bad juju. Trust whatever my fiancé did I am still paying for.🤬
After she managed to survive HenryVIII, she gets treated like this! Disgusting!
I know. It's a sick irony :-(
I love listening to your storytelling, your voice is calming.
Oh thank you :-) My friends tell me I have a 'UA-cam voice' mind you and that I'm not all that calming in 'real life' :-)
@@HistoryCalling That's somehow reassuring:)
Morbid curiosity with 'celebrity' and easy access and opportunity to the grave site of a Royal contributed to this disrespectful treatment. Perhaps it would not have happened in a larger city. Thank you for your research and interesting presentation.
How about a history of Brian Boru, the last great High King of Ireland! Sláinte
Yes, there definitely is a morbid fascination with dead royals. Had she been a 'nobody', then nobody would have cared. I would love to do more Irish history. People just seem very focused on the Tudors. It's hard to get them to watch something else :-(
Pretty crazy stuff! An unattended tomb and adults start acting like poorly adjusted children..
I know, I was just saying to someone else here in the comments that I'm not sure we're all as well evolved as a species as we like to think we are sometimes. Some people are definitely still just animals.
As always I'm amazed at the scholarship, but I was wincing throughout. When I thought I had reached peak levels of horror in came the drunks with their metal poles...I think that in addition to the Romanovs, there were the French royal corpses during the French revolution as well as Katherine de Valois wife of Henry V that suffered similar indignities. Still. Poor Kate. I don't know what motivates people to treat other human beings like that after death. There's such a forgetting of the fact that royalty or not this was a person like us who didn't deserve to be handled and abused like trash by a group of hammered morons. It's all so sad.
I have a Katherine of Valois video in the works. She was badly treated too, but I don't think even she suffered as much post-mortem as Catherine Parr. Yes, some of the French tales are horrible too. The Princess de Lambelle springs to mind ...
i had heard of people finding her body but never these details - super horrific!
i also saw in one of the comments that you thought about doing a video of lost royal bodies and i very much second that!
Yes, it really was horrific. Yes, I think I like the lost bodies idea. I've added it to the list I keep in a book by my computer :-)
Per my ancestry Catherine PARR is wife of a 2nd cousin 16x removed. I am planning on visiting England one day and some of the churches where ancestors are buried. I am definitely visiting her. This really saddens me that anyone would be treated this way in death. Thank you for story.
That was fascinating. I love these not-so-well-known bits of history.
Thank you. Me too :-)
I had not heard this before. Eye opening and quite sad. Well done however on you end. Thank you
Thanks Jean :-)
Grave desecration is one of the most vile things imaginable. Just saw another one where the body of a young woman had her grave opened and her body was violated. Special place in hell for people like this.
A great and extremely well narrated insight to Queen Catherine Parr. I am a history fan of this period. So I thank you for the wonderful in-depth sight to this dreadful and horrible happenings. Sad so-so sad. I enjoy visiting castles so this will surly be on my list.
It actually makes me feel physically sick to think of the way this poor woman's remains were desecrated and disrespected . Absolutely despicable behaviour .
I can't even understand how all these people looked at and touched the body without being sick (as that's what my reaction would have been), never mind the horrible things done to her.
All together over a few centuries, and changing politics, the Brit Royals were disrespected, hated for their evil deeds, and their graves received desecration, etc. I can see that as natural bit if payback
This was a sad and dreadful account of the desecration of Katherine Parr. I really don't understand why people would want to interfere with her remains.
Anyone looking for a good novel about Katherine and Henry VIII, I really enjoyed "The Making Of The Queen" by Philippa Gregory.
I think some people are just sick in the head to be honest. I couldn't understand their behaviour either.
A thorough and excellent presentation of post-mortem misadventures of Queen Katherine’s corpse.
Thank you :-)
Wow that was disturbing af. I've always hoped that the royal family would finally allow science to try to determine if the bones found at the tower are the princes but after seeing this I understand why they would rather leave it be.
Yes, I can understand the reluctance to allow any further disinterments too, though the so-called Princes are one of the few exceptions I would make (in order to establish identity) if the whole thing was done as quickly and respectfully as possible and they were reburied without being put on display.
Yes I feel that obviously if they would allow it the upmost respect would be taken but since it’s not something we must know life or death it’s likely never to. It think most people think it’s totally them anyway. And the evidence is strong. There will just always be that room for doubt.
What a story? Poor Catherine. What her body went through after death? Discusting! The lady telling the story has a gentle and beautiful voice. A great video. Watching from Australia
Thank you so much and greetings from the UK :-)