18 May – Anne Boleyn’s Execution is Postponed

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Most people know that Anne Boleyn was executed on 19th May 1536, but not many realise that her execution was originally scheduled for 18th May at 9am.

Anne had prepared for her death. She had been praying since 2am with her almoner (some sources say Anne’s almoner, John Skip, was with her and others  say that it was her confessor, Father Thirwell) and she celebrated mass with Archbishop Cranmer just after dawn. She asked Sir William Kingston to be present while she took the Sacrament, so  he would hear her swearing on the Blessed Sacrament that she had not been unfaithful to the King and pass the information on to Cromwell and the King. She swore on it twice, once before she took the body of Christ and once after.

Anne then made arrangements for the customary distribution of alms using the £20 given to her by the King for this purpose, and then prayed as she waited for Kingston to escort her to the scaffold that had been built within the grounds of the Tower but 9am came and went.  A worried Anne sent for Kingston to inquire whether her execution would be at noon instead. Kingston knew, by now, that the execution was postponed until the next day, he had received orders from Cromwell to clear the Tower of foreigners, but he did not tell Anne. He tried to comfort her, explaining that her execution would not be painful and that the blow was “so subtle”. To this, Anne replied with characteristic black humour, “I heard say the executioner was very good, and I have a little neck”, after which she put her hands around her throat and laughed heartily. Kingston reported Anne’s composure to Cromwell, saying that “thys lady hasse mech joy and plesure in dethe”.

Anne spent the morning praying with her almoner and when noon passed without incident Kingston informed her that her execution had been postponed until the following morning.  Lancelot de Carles, secretary to the French ambassador, wrote that Anne was sorry she had not died that day, “not that she desired death, but thought herself prepared to die and feared that delay would weaken her”. According to him, she then “consoled her ladies several times, telling them that was not a thing to be regretted by Christians, and she hoped to be quit of all unhappiness, with various other good counsels.”

She would spend another night praying and preparing for her death.