Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 12 minutes ago
Does the famous CHEQUERS’ RING show a double portrait of Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn, her mother? Certainly it is widely accepted as being one of the few pieces of Elizabeth I’s jewellery collection to have survived the centuries, but debate continues to rage as to whether this mother of pearl locket ring, which has a capital E picked out in diamonds on its front and rubies decorating its band, actually open up shows Henry VIII’s second Queen, or if the woman depicted alongside Queen Elizabeth is someone else important in Gloriana’s life. Perhaps it is her step-mother, Catherine Parr, some commentators say, or her governess Kat Ashley (or Astley), or even a young Elizabeth Tudor herself? In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling I’ll take you through the known history of the ring, who might have given it to Elizabeth and why it is and isn’t likely that the second sitter is Anne Boleyn. We’ll look at other portraits of the Queen and her mother and step-mother for comparison and think about what the style of the mystery woman’s clothing, especially her French hood, can tell us about her identity. We’ll also examine how this beautiful piece of jewellery came into Elizabeth’s possession and if it’s really the ring taken from her finger at death and carried north to Scotland. Was it a gift from a member of the Seymour family, as the phoenix on its reverse side might suggest, or is this symbolism merely a coincidence? Furthermore, was this the very ring taken the dead Queen’s finger and carried to Scotland so that King James VI would know she was really gone and how did it get to its present home? Its name stems from the fact that it is now held at the country residence of the British Prime Minister (Chequers Court), but it only arrived in the 20th century and its earlier provenance is somewhat murky.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Hb5Wjykc2hBrBddQYXDUqU
TREASURE PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0ExMFIdms9p5lOj7W7coGo9
FASHION AND JEWELLERY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0H2taj_rXWmqyI3BoTbQfFn
ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE
youtu.be/RrODYM4mRdM
TUDOR QUEENS’ CONSORT NECKLACE
youtu.be/Yrs5FvcDlvs
WAS ANNE BOLEYN A MISTRESS OR A WIFE?
youtu.be/Zapc16plH_A
BURIAL & MUTILATION OF CATHERINE PARR’S CORPSE
youtu.be/p6lPB4uzmwI
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
LEARN MORE
Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)
amzn.to/3xLivgr
Susan Bordo, The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen (One World Publications, 2014)
amzn.to/3zznLY1
Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn (2013)
amzn.to/2W9oJct
Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) amzn.to/36IqD5r
David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004)
amzn.to/3wImKIh
BUY OR RENT:
The Tudors, season 1
amzn.to/2VCwQ0j (US link)
The Tudors, season 2
amzn.to/2VMPnHw (US link)
The Tudors, season 3
amzn.to/3BijsPB
The Tudors, season 4
amzn.to/3z16S58 (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3jiCkag
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3wH2mr2
DVDS:
The Tudors complete collection: amzn.to/3gWs4Ty (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z3Ef7n (US link)
Henry VIII (2003) amzn.to/2ZrjK4U (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z73ndj (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3gXU4GH
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3h7Qh8z (UK link) OR amzn.to/3xKuBGA (US link)
Thumbnail: Chequers’ Ring. Photo by Jonathon Vines, accessed on the British Library website and used under Fair Use.
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
Does the famous CHEQUERS’ RING show a double portrait of Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn, her mother? Certainly it is widely accepted as being one of the few pieces of Elizabeth I’s jewellery collection to have survived the centuries, but debate continues to rage as to whether this mother of pearl locket ring, which has a capital E picked out in diamonds on its front and rubies decorating its band, actually open up shows Henry VIII’s second Queen, or if the woman depicted alongside Queen Elizabeth is someone else important in Gloriana’s life. Perhaps it is her step-mother, Catherine Parr, some commentators say, or her governess Kat Ashley (or Astley), or even a young Elizabeth Tudor herself? In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling I’ll take you through the known history of the ring, who might have given it to Elizabeth and why it is and isn’t likely that the second sitter is Anne Boleyn. We’ll look at other portraits of the Queen and her mother and step-mother for comparison and think about what the style of the mystery woman’s clothing, especially her French hood, can tell us about her identity. We’ll also examine how this beautiful piece of jewellery came into Elizabeth’s possession and if it’s really the ring taken from her finger at death and carried north to Scotland. Was it a gift from a member of the Seymour family, as the phoenix on its reverse side might suggest, or is this symbolism merely a coincidence? Furthermore, was this the very ring taken the dead Queen’s finger and carried to Scotland so that King James VI would know she was really gone and how did it get to its present home? Its name stems from the fact that it is now held at the country residence of the British Prime Minister (Chequers Court), but it only arrived in the 20th century and its earlier provenance is somewhat murky.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Hb5Wjykc2hBrBddQYXDUqU
TREASURE PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0ExMFIdms9p5lOj7W7coGo9
FASHION AND JEWELLERY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0H2taj_rXWmqyI3BoTbQfFn
ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE
youtu.be/RrODYM4mRdM
TUDOR QUEENS’ CONSORT NECKLACE
youtu.be/Yrs5FvcDlvs
WAS ANNE BOLEYN A MISTRESS OR A WIFE?
youtu.be/Zapc16plH_A
BURIAL & MUTILATION OF CATHERINE PARR’S CORPSE
youtu.be/p6lPB4uzmwI
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
LEARN MORE
Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)
amzn.to/3xLivgr
Susan Bordo, The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen (One World Publications, 2014)
amzn.to/3zznLY1
Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn (2013)
amzn.to/2W9oJct
Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) amzn.to/36IqD5r
David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004)
amzn.to/3wImKIh
BUY OR RENT:
The Tudors, season 1
amzn.to/2VCwQ0j (US link)
The Tudors, season 2
amzn.to/2VMPnHw (US link)
The Tudors, season 3
amzn.to/3BijsPB
The Tudors, season 4
amzn.to/3z16S58 (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3jiCkag
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama)
amzn.to/3wH2mr2
DVDS:
The Tudors complete collection: amzn.to/3gWs4Ty (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z3Ef7n (US link)
Henry VIII (2003) amzn.to/2ZrjK4U (UK link) OR amzn.to/3z73ndj (US link)
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3gXU4GH
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docu-drama): amzn.to/3h7Qh8z (UK link) OR amzn.to/3xKuBGA (US link)
Thumbnail: Chequers’ Ring. Photo by Jonathon Vines, accessed on the British Library website and used under Fair Use.
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
