Thetford Priory, Lost Resting Place of Henry VIII’s Illegitimate Son
The towering ruins of the Priory of Our Lady at Thetford recalls in the words of English Heritage, “one of the largest and richest foundations in medieval East Anglia,” yet the ravaged stones of Thetford Priory also stand as testament to the brutal efficiency of the English Reformation. The site is particularly famous for having housed the tombs of the notorious Howard family, including the first, second and third Dukes of Norfolk as well as that of Princess Anne of York, a daughter of Edward IV. It was also the burial place of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII by his mistress Elizabeth Blount. Henry VIII acknowledged Fitzroy as his son and heaped honors on him giving him riches such as his own London residence at Durham House and in addition to his Dukedom in 1525 he was made Lord High Admiral of England and President of the Council of the North. When Fitzroy died in July 1536 at St James' Palace, he was buried at Thetford Priory having been married to Lady Mary Howard, a daughter of the third Duke of Norfolk.
Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519-36), by Lucas Horenbout (Public Domain)
However even the presence of Fitzroy’s grave was not enough to save Thetford Priory from the Dissolution of the Monasteries, issued by his father King Henry VIII, and it was finally dissolved in 1540, being one of the last to be so. These notable burials however ensured that the site of Thetford Priory has remained of interest to historians and archaeologists ever since and in the 1930’s pioneering excavation was launched at the site.
