Person    | Female  Born 1505  Died 13/2/1542

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford

Categories: Execution

Born Jane Parker, a distant relative of Henry VIII, she became a lady-in-waiting to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and to quite a few of those that followed.  Married Anne Boleyn’s brother, George, and later, when Anne was an unwanted wife and George and Anne were accused of incest, Jane gave evidence against her husband. Consequently George was beheaded on Tower Hill along with four other men also accused of adultery with Anne.  A few years later when Henry needed to get rid of another wife, Anne of Cleves, Jane again provided useful evidence.  When Catherine Howard (number 5) needed a go-between to facilitate her liaisons with Thomas Culpeper Jane stepped into the role.  But the affair was discovered and all involved and some that weren't, were imprisoned.  Jane appeared to suffer a nervous breakdown and was declared insane which ought to have saved her life but Henry changed the law to allow the execution of the insane and so Jane was beheaded at Tower Green, immediately after Catherine.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford

Commemorated ati

Tower of London execution site

Catling wrote the poem as well as creating the sculpture. Doesn't that cushio...

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Tower scaffold - 1946

See Anne Boleyn's plaque for when/how this plaque was displayed.

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Other Subjects

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk

Imprisoned by Elizabeth I for plotting to take Mary Queen of Scots as his fourth wife. His pro-Catholic activities led to his beheading on Tower Hill, just like his Dad, Henry Howard.  Father of Ad...

Person, Execution, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes

Born a protestant in York but became a Catholic when his widowed mother married a Catholic. A professional soldier, he fought for Spain but when he realised that Spain would not invade Britain and ...

Person, Execution, Nationalism, Seriously Famous

1 memorial
Walter Peerson

Walter Peerson

Lay brother at London Charterhouse. Taken Taken to Newgate Prison, chained and left to starve to death.

Person, Execution, Religion

1 memorial
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

Born Herefordshire.  Related via the Boleyn family to Queen Elizabeth I.  Married a daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham.  Became a favourite of the Queen.  However he performed badly as Lord Lieuten...

Person, Execution, Politics & Administration

2 memorials
Ensign Madeleine Léonie Zoé Damerment, Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre

Ensign Madeleine Léonie Zoé Damerment, Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre

From our Picture Source we learn that Madeleine Léonie Zoé Damerment was born on 11 November 1917 at Tortefontaine, Pas-de-Calais, France, the second of the three daughters of Charles Eugène Cyrill...

Person, Espionage, Execution, France, Germany

War dead, WW2
1 memorial