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.

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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

125 deaths on Tower Hill

125 deaths on Tower Hill

Wikipedia lists only 36 (in 2011).  Most of the victims that we have researched are recorded as having been beheaded but A London Inheritance, quoting John Stow (c. 1598), refers to "a large scaffo...

Group, Execution, Law

1 memorial
Henry Adlington

Henry Adlington

Burnt at the stake in Bow (or possibly Stratford) for his Protestant beliefs.

Person, Execution, Religion

1 memorial
Major-General Thomas Harrison

Major-General Thomas Harrison

Executed for regicide.  In the civil war he fought on the side of Parliament against King Charles I. Close to Cromwell, he was elected to the Long Parliament, sat as a judge in the King's trial and...

Person, Armed Forces, Execution, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Ensign Eliane Sophie Plewman, Croix de Guerre

Ensign Eliane Sophie Plewman, Croix de Guerre

Elaine Sophie Browne-Bartroli was born on 6 December 1917 in Marseille, France, the daughter of Eugene Henry Browne and Elsa Francesca Browne née Bartroli. In addition to the information shown on ...

Person, Espionage, Execution, France, Germany

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Henry Courtenay, Earl of Devon

Henry Courtenay, Earl of Devon

Grandson of King Edward IV. 1st Marquess of Exeter.  Accused of Catholic loyalties when this was not in favour.  Executed by decapitation with a sword on Tower Hill.  We have taken his dates from t...

Person, Execution, Politics & Administration

1 memorial

Previously viewed

St Barnabas war memorial

St Barnabas war memorial

E3, Grove Road, St Barnabas Bethnal Green

This is a very unusual memorial to be found on the outside of a church - lovely art nouveauish design, a vanquished dragon, and rich blue...

2 subjects commemorated
Southgate District Civic Trust / Southgate Civic Trust / Southgate Voice

Southgate District Civic Trust / Southgate Civic Trust / Southgate Voice

Founded in response to the threat to demolish the Georgian cottages on Southgate Green. In 1993 its name was changed to Southgate District Civic Trust, in order to reflect the wider area of its int...

Group, Community / Clubs

4 memorials
Lady Kathleen Scott

Lady Kathleen Scott

Sculptor. Born as (Edith Agnes) Kathleen Bruce, in Nottinghamshire. Married Captain Scott (of the Antarctic) in 1908 and was given the title Lady which she would have received, had he returned ali...

Person, Sculpture

2 memorials
St Benedict's Hospital

St Benedict's Hospital

Hill House, built in 1802, was the manor house on this site. It was bought by St Joseph's Teaching Brotherhood and they built a Roman Catholic school, St Joseph's Roman Catholic College, in 1887. T...

Building, Medicine

2 memorials
Donald Swann

Donald Swann

Composer, pianist and entertainer. Born Donald Ibrahim Swann at 27 Coleshill Terrace, Llanelli, Wales. His mother was a Muslim Azerbaijani. He is best remembered for his partnership with Michael Fl...

Person, Music / songs, Theatre, Wales

2 memorials