Throughout the two day festival the Companye of Merrie Folke, a Tudor living history group, will set up their own period tents and will be portraying common folk working skills such as charm making, scribes, weavers and present characters such as the barber surgeon, cunning man, alchemist and cooks. There will be men at arms with armour and weaponry and a scattering of gentry folk.

With your tickets you will be able to wander round and chat to the various characters and take part in their activities. They will be settled for the full festival weekend.

LAYER MARNEY TOWER HISTORY FESTIVAL 2027

THE LEAD TO THE BREAK WITH ROME
organised by Estelle Paranque

SATURDAY 15 MAY

               – included in your Day Pass or Festival Pass 

10.00    Doors open

10.30 Dr Serena Dyer: The Secret Lives of Tudor Clothes: Religion, Intrigue, and Petticoats

What could clothing reveal about life in Tudor England? Dr Serena Dyer explores the secret lives of Tudor clothes, from petticoats and precious fabrics to the religious, political and social meanings woven into what people wore. Discover how clothing could communicate status, belief, ambition and identity in a world where appearances mattered enormously.

12.00   Professor Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch: Henry VIII: Architect of the English Reformation?

Henry VIII’s break with Rome changed England forever. But how much of the English Reformation was really Henry’s creation? Professor Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch explores the King’s role in one of the most consequential transformations in English history, examining the politics, personalities and religious tensions that turned a royal marriage crisis into a revolution.

1.30 to 2.15    Tower Talks; this give you a chance to wander the magnificent Layer Marney Tower and chat to those in the know who will be stationed at various corners of the buildings

2.30    Dr Elizabeth Norton: Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon

sponsored by Simply Tudor Tours

Two queens. One king. A struggle that helped transform England. Dr Elizabeth Norton explores Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn during the extraordinary years in which Henry VIII sought to end his first marriage and marry again, examining the women themselves and their places within the dynastic, political and religious crisis unfolding around them.

4.00    Kate Lister, Gareth Russell and Estelle Paranque: Discussion on Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn has gone down in history as the other Boleyn girl, remembered above all as Henry VIII’s mistress. But how much do we actually know about their relationship? Dr Kate Lister, Gareth Russell and Dr Estelle Paranque examine the evidence, the myths and Mary’s reputation, asking what we can really say about the woman behind one of Tudor history’s most persistent stories.

5.00    Main festival programme ends

5.30    Heritage Circle extra:       

Tudor Clothing with Dr Serena Dyer

An intimate experience exclusively for Heritage Circle guests. Join Dr Serena Dyer for a closer exploration of Tudor dress, materials and clothing, discovering how garments were made, worn and understood in the sixteenth century and what they can reveal about the people who once inhabited the Tudor world.

7.00   Marney Dinner

This is a delicious candlelit three course meal for a limited amount of people in the Long Gallery. Each table will have one of the speakers from the Festival.

Menu:
Wild Mushrooms, Herb Crust,   Braised Beef with Ale, with Boulangère Potatoes,   
Red Wine Poached Pear, Sweetened Mascarpone
Vegetarian option: Goat’s cheese, Spinach, and cous cous Strudel.
Includes Red and White Wine

SUNDAY 16 MAY

              – included in your Day Pass or Festival Pass 

10.30    Gareth Russell: From the Tudors to the Windsors – The Scandals and Splendour of Hampton Court

Hampton Court has witnessed five centuries of royal ambition, politics, scandal and spectacle. Gareth Russell takes us from the palace of the Tudors to the world of the Windsors, exploring the extraordinary personalities and events that have shaped one of Britain’s most famous royal residences.

12.00 Dr Estelle Paranque in conversation with Adam Pennington:  Lady Margaret Pole: An Enemy of the Boleyn Faction?

As Henry VIII’s relationship with Anne Boleyn transformed the politics of the Tudor court, where did it leave Lady Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury? A Plantagenet Princess by birth, former governess to Princess Mary, and the most powerful women in her own right in England, Margaret belonged to a very different political and religious world than the one now engulfing the royal court. Dr Estelle Paranque and Adam Pennington explore Margaret’s position during the rise of the Boleyn’s, her relationship with Catherine of Aragon and Mary, and what her story, as blood kin to the King, reveals about the alliances and divisions emerging on the eve of the Break with Rome.

1.30 to 2.15   Tower Talks; this give you a chance to wander the magnificent Layer Marney Tower and chat to those in the know who will be stationed at various corners of the buildings

2.30     Lauren Smith, Dr Kat Marchant and Dr Estelle Paranque: Was the Split with Rome the Church’s Fault or Henry’s?

Why did England break with Rome? Was Henry VIII’s determination to end his marriage the decisive factor, or were deeper problems within the late medieval Church already pushing England towards religious upheaval? Lauren Smith, Dr Kat Marchant and Dr Estelle Paranque close the festival with a lively discussion of responsibility, religion, politics and the forces that transformed Tudor England. Where would you place the blame?4.00 Festival closes

Explaining the Ticket Types

Day pass is for the specific day

Festival Pass is for both days but does not include the 5.30pm talk on Saturday with Serena Dyer

Heritage Circle is an exclusive ticket to the early evening talk given by Serena Dyer on Saturday at 5.30pm

Marney Dinner is for the Dinner alone. The Dinner will be held in the Long Gallery on tables of 8 and each table will have at least one speaker. The price includes Red and White Wine

Menu:    Wild Mushrooms, Herb Crust

Braised Beef with Ale, with Boulangère Potatoes

Red Wine Poached Pear, Sweetened Mascarpone

Vegetarian option: Goat’s cheese, Spinach, and cous cous Strudel.