THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDAR - Door 19 - The Christmas Visits of Anne Boleyn

Originally built in 1270 as a walled bailey with a moat, Hever Castle gained extensive additions and renovations in Tudor times, when one Henry Bullen, a wealthy merchant, bought it to be his dwelling. Henry's son, Thomas changed the family name to Boleyn and married into the nobility, wedding Elizabeth Howard, the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. The couple had several children, one of which was - as no doubt you've guessed - Anne Boleyn. While historians are not sure if Anne was actually born in the castle, she certainly grew up there. And it was here that she first met her future husband, Henry VIII. 

And according to local lore, Anne's ghost haunts her childhood home. She is reportedly seen wandering through the gardens, and beneath an old oak tree where according to legend the lusty king first courted her affections. And tradition holds that she usually appears on Christmas Eve to walk around her old home, frequently being seen drifting silently over the picturesque bridge that spans the River Eden, in the grounds of the home where she knew much happiness. 

However over Christmas time Anne may also manifest at another grand old house Rochford Hall. This manor house in Essex also makes the claim that Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn there, with local tales alleging that it was here that the king first clapped eyes on the young Anne. Originally built in 1216, the hall passed into the hands of Sir Thomas Boleyn in 1515, and later he was made Viscount of Rochford in 1525. And it is thought that Anne Boleyn spent a good deal of her childhood here too. According to legend, the manor contains a network of secret passages in which Henry and Anne would meet secretly - for remember Henry was at the time a married man! 

Naturally having such a close association with Anne Boleyn, Rochford Hall has its own tales of hauntings. It was said that the walls and floor of the nursery ran red with ghostly blood on the day of her execution. And down the years, a ghostly figure of a woman has been seen in various places. Local legend claims that twelve days after Christmas, a headless woman in white can be seen walking through the manor grounds... 

DIRECT DOWNLOAD - Door 19 - The Christmas Visits of Anne Boleyn

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