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Mary Tudor

Richmond Palace, 27 Mar 1496 – Westhorpe Hall, 1533

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born27 Mar 1496, Richmond Palacenot verified1 source
  • TitleQueen Consort of Francenot verified1 source
  • Died1533, Westhorpe HallRecords disagree1 source
  • FatherHenry VII of Englandnot verified1 source
  • MotherElizabeth of Yorknot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 27 Mar 1496

    Born in Richmond Palace

  2. 1533

    Dies in Westhorpe Hall

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

She lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Richmond Palace.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1490s · Mary is born in Richmond Palace

What people wore

Around 1500–1524

Limited wardrobes for the commoners

Many ordinary people owned only one set of clothes for daytime wear and lacked dedicated sleepwear, opting to sleep in their smocks and nightcaps.

Daily life

Around 1500–1524

Inexpensive rushlights versus luxury beeswax

Rushlights, made from dried plant pith dipped in tallow, were a common and inexpensive light source for the poor. In contrast, beeswax candles were luxury items, costing up to six times more than tallow.

Work

Around 1500–1524

Workdays started before daybreak

The working day typically began before daybreak, often around 4 or 5 a.m., and lasted until sunset.

Music

Around 1500–1524

Street Dancing in London

In London, apprentices and girls frequently danced in the streets after shops closed to the music of the pipe and tabor.

At the table

Around 1500–1524

The poor used acorns to make bread

When flour was scarce, the very poor would grind acorns to make bread as a desperate substitute.

Getting around

Around 1500–1524

Walking was the primary way to travel

Most ordinary people traveled on foot, as walking was the standard mode of transport and carriages were exclusive to the elite. A trip to the local market town often required an entire day to walk there and back.

What it cost

Around 1500–1524

Cost of Basic Food Items

A loaf of bread (24 oz) cost 1 penny, and 1 pound of cheese cost 1 1/2 pence. A skilled worker could buy a dozen eggs for 4d and a pound of cheese for 1 1/2d with their daily wage.