Margaret Beaufort: Archaeological dig
In early July there was an archaeological dig in Collyweston with the intention of finding a lost royal palace that belonged to Margaret Beaufort – the grandmother of Henry VIII. The dig lasted over multiple weekends, I attended the first Saturday of the dig for five hours in the pouring rain.
Who was Margaret Beaufort:
Margaret Beaufort is, arguably, one of the most powerful women in history managing to stand out amidst the patriarchy within medieval England. She had a turbulent life containing four marriages. Beginning with a marriage to the infamous son of William De la Pole – John 2ndDuke of Suffolk – before she had even reached the age of ten. Before this marriage had been annulled, the King married her off to his mother’s eldest son with Owen Tudor: Edmund. Margaret was only twelve at the time with her husband doubling that age. One Year later she had given birth to Henry Tudor who would later take the crown. However, Edmund met an untimely fate the same year – 1456 – after falling ill with the plague. This left a young Margaret Beaufort to give birth with her brother in law as company. The birth was difficult, and she never had another child after Henry.
Her third husband was Sir Henry Stafford who she required a dispensation to marry and they were second cousins. He died in 1471 after the Battle of Barnet due to his infectious wounds. This left Margaret a third-time widow at the age of 28. Her fourth and final marriage was to Thomas Stanley, the man who would crown her son on Bosworth Field in 1485.
The Wars of the Roses proved troublesome for her and her son as Henry was constantly moved around for his own safety with him spending most of his time in France while the Yorkist King sat upon the English throne. Although Henry only carried the blood of the widowed Catherine of Valois – wife of Henry V – he was still deemed a threat and spent most of his time with Jasper Tudor – Edmund’s younger brother – rather than his mother. Beaufort spent her years in the court of Edward IV due to her husband. She became the godmother of one of Edward IV’s daughters.
When Edward IV died in 1485 his controversial brother – Richard III – took the throne and stripped Margaret of all her lands and gave them to her husband. One step shy of a full attainder. She then began plotting with the dowager Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, and was probably involved in a small rebellion.
The Stanley’s are renowned for the knavery as they were the turning favour in the Battle of Bosworth allowing Henry to take the throne. In 1485 Margaret was the King’s Mother and she insisted that they called her “My Lady the King’s Mother.” She wore purple – usually reserved for that of the Queen and King – and walked only half a pace behind the Queen. A clear figurehead in the court and palace, Margaret had cemented herself as one of the most powerful women in England.
In 1499 she took a vow of chastity, which was infrequent but there had been women recorded of doing so before, it was not unprecedented. The Countess then moved away from her husband to live by herself in the very palace this archaeological excursion set out to find in Collyweston. She died a decade later, on Henry VIII’s 18thbirthday. Her palace remains a mystery as the only edifice found was a barn that had been turned into a house, hence why this dig has gone ahead.
The dig itself:
I went to Collyweston on the 7thof July. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit summer dress and rained for the whole five hours that I was there for. I was instructed to take some gloves and a trowel and sift through the sporadic piles of mud that had been unearthed before I had arrived. The area at which we were digging was relatively small implying that if we did find anything of substance, it would be buried underneath the surrounding structures as well. I found many bits of slag mainly infused with metal and perhaps a bit of glass.
The sizes of these pieces of slag ranged from the size of a ping pong ball to the size of a hand. This along with bone shards – most likely belonging to a deceased sheep from within the last half-century – were taken away to be analysed at a later date. The archaeologists present were cleaning and digging away around a long stone structure which they, at the time, believed to be the remnants of a wall. Although none of this is certain to be from the palace or even within the same century, it is an interesting find that will hopefully reveal more than is on the surface. While the day was bleak and wet, it may produce results that could teach us more about this lost palace. The findings are going to be presented to the public during an open weekend in September 2019.
Freddie Pacey, Year 12.