Henry VIII moved Heaven and Earth to marry Anne Boleyn, even going as far as to completely reform the Catholic Church to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. He was desperate to have her. More importantly, he was desperate to have a son.
After all, Catherine had only given him a daughter–a woman who would later become Queen “Bloody” Mary I of England. Anne also only gave Henry a daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I.
With no son from his second wife, the only logical conclusion would be to marry another. Naturally, you would assume that Anne Bolelyn would be given the same “eloquent” divorce as Catherine.
Henry instead had Anne executed for high treason. Not exactly eloquent.
Henry would go on to have four more wives: one who died through illness, another who was divorced, another who was executed, and the last who survived Henry.
The aftermath of Henry’s reign and the marriage of Anne Boleyn can still be felt to this day. Not only because of the radical changes to state and country, but also the fact that Anne Boleyn still walks among us frome beyond the grave.
And she certainly knows how to get around.
Many sightings of Anne Boleyn have been made at the Tower of London, which is understandable. This was where Anne was imprisoned and executed whilst Henry VIII was courting his future third wife Jane Seymour. It would make sense that part of Anne remains in those stone walls.
One of the more well-known sightings happened in 1864 when a guard saw the former queen as a figure in white. Thinking she was an intruder, he rushed at her with his bayonet in tow to strike her. But instead of striking flesh, he went straight through her.
Realizing this was an apparition that he tried to attack, he promptly fainted. Perhaps if he had seen that her figure was floating above ground then maybe the situation wouldn’t have been so dramatic.
Another sighting tells of a guard noticing lights flickering from the locked Chapel Royal. In order to deduce what could be making the lights, the guard took a ladder and climbed to one of the windows to get a better look.
What he saw was a sight that could scarce be believed.
In front of him was a procession of lords and ladies happening inside the chapel, all donning 16th-century clothing.
And who would be leading this procession other than Queen Anne Boleyn herself?
It was only after recognizing her face in several portraits that the guard understood who that was. Yet, all the more interesting that he saw several dozen spirits in this bizarre event besides Anne.
There is a long-standing rumor that Anne Boleyn was buried at Salle Church in Norfolk after her execution, which would be a satisfying explanation as to why her spirit can sometimes be seen roaming the grounds.
Yet, history tells that Anne was buried at the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula where many Tower of London prisoners were buried.
It’s possible that at some point in history, Anne was moved from St. Peter to Norfolk or vice versa. After all, Norfolk is where Anne was born and raised. Though any genuine answer to this old riddle may have been lost to time centuries ago.
Perhaps the least believable yet most believable of ghost sightings is at Norfolk’s Blickling Hall. It’s plausible that Anne Boleyn would be seen here since it’s the home that she was born in and spent much of your youth.
What is less plausible is the story connected to her ghost.
The story goes that every year on the anniversary of her execution, May 19th, a carriage being pulled by four headless horses and being driven by a headless driver stops at the entrance of the hall. Anne Boleyn steps out of the carriage, decapitated head being held under her arm, and spends the day roaming her former home until sunset.
It’s safe to say that’s a tad bit silly.
Hever Castle was where Anne Boleyn spent the other half of her childhood.
It’s also where she and her husband-to-be Henry VIII spent many hours courting. They could often be seen sitting underneath a large oak tree, hand in hand.
With all of the fond and warm memories that Anne had of this place, it’s no wonder that her ghost is often seen on grounds and in the halls of Hever Castle.
A large portion of sightings tend to happen around Christmas time. It was Anne’s favorite time of the year. Often, she can be seen either sitting under the oak tree where she once sat with Henry. She can also be seen walking on the bridge across Eden Lake.
This is most likely Anne’s spirit at her happiest–forever in moments of heart-filled memories. Before her marriage and before her death.
One wonders if she ever has an inclining of what has occurred in her life, the pain and betrayal.
Perhap she does. Perhaps it’s why she’s fragmented across the country. It’s a pain too great for one spirit to bear. These aren’t even the full extent of where Anne Boleyn has been seen. Perhaps she’s in so many places in an attempt to run away from her pain.
Or, perhaps this is the only way for her to live with it in the afterlife, bit by bit and fragment by fragment.
Henry VIII moved Heaven and Earth to marry Anne Boleyn and she has moved Heaven and Earth because of it.