ELISABETH WHEELER

[from Don Campbell - retired Civil Servant (see below), 10 February 2010]

Dear Elisabeth,

Thank you so much for the loan of your book. I enjoyed it and found it to be the most thoroughly researched book I have ever read. It stands on its own regarding the correspondence of the power brokers of that period.

I thought your defence of Catherine Howard a little muted yet think you were wise to show objectivity within the ‘perceived’ wisdom. Perhaps another book giving full rein to your personal thoughts of experience may prove a good ‘follow on’.

[from Don Campbell - 17 February 2010]

Thank you so much for the gift of your book and your kind comments. Please use my previous comments in any way you choose and do not hesitate to ask for any further endorsements.
I thought the cover design was excellent and pointed out the true darkness of power politics and the heads of two gentle ladies.

–

Don informed me of his career and status in the Prison Service when I asked him. He was firstly a Governer grade 3 in the North of England. When Don was made a Governer grade 1 he was seconded to the Home Office as HMI Prisons. Here he worked with the Chief Inspector Sir James Hennessy or the Home Secretary.

[from Bill Brocklesby - 26th Jan 2009]

Dear Elisabeth,

At last I have finished the book, and what a good read it was !
I congratulate you most heartily on your research and now I cannot stop thinking of your conclusions. I hope you don`t mind me pointing out one or two observations.

On page 124 line 9 you have Bosworth Field down as 1585 which is clearly wrong.
[now corrected to 1485 - cew]

On page 240 , at the bottom, you say that Elizabeth Tyrwhitt (wife of Sir Robert) was a zealous Protestant. I always understood that the Tyrwhitts were staunch Catholics. They were recusants and fined on more
than one occasion for none attendance at church etc.

Also on page 288 you say that Sir Philip was “clearly of Protestant leaning” and because he was on the jury at Lincoln in 1542 insinuate that the Tyrwhitts wanted rid of Catherine as the others did.

Elizabeth’s (dau of Sir Goddard Oxenbridge) niece , another Elizabeth (dau of Sir Thomas Goddard) who married Sir Robert Tyrwhitt (bc1520d1581), wrote a prayer book called “Morning and Evening Prayers with divers Psalmes, Hymes and Meditations”. There is just one in existence in the British Library. It is about 3″x2″ and the binding is covered in jewels.There is an eye on it so it could be tied around the waist.
Protestant or Catholic?

I am only a simple soul and still cannot work out exactly what the words “Trust Truth Only” actually mean. You say that Sir Philip had a “troubled conscience” and wrote the words when Henry and Catherine were at Gainsborough.

The two courts at Lincoln , the one at Doncaster and the others in the South are well documented as far as the members of the juries etc. but there is little about what they actually heard. Is this because the information is not available?
I did not realise that the Culpeper letter, suposedly written at Pontefract, was ever in doubt. What was supposed to have happened at Lincoln and Gainsborough and Pontefract?
Do we know?

Forgive me for going into the minutiae of this story but I find it so interesting.

Regards.
Bill

[from Paul Howitt-Cowan - 28th Jan 2009]

Dear Elisabeth,

I thoroughly enjoyed Men of Power. A great deal of research has gone into this book. Your central thesis is credible: that Catherine Howard, like her cousin Anne, was a victim of a power struggle. That i find compelling & Dr Starkey, i believe would concur.

I do find the vault, possibly containing Catherine very intriguing indeed & not worthy of dismissal, rather exploration. I cannot accept that Catherine was now buried in St Peter de Vincula.

Letters after your name – do not worry about that, some might, but they are not worthy of a thought. You can obtain a degree on the submission of your book to a university, without sitting for a degree!

Your must be justly proud after 10 years work & you have re-accommodated Catherine Howard. I see her in a totally different light. Thank you.

Best
Paul

My October 2004 GCDT research paper: Investigating Glastonbury can now be found on this site, using the following URI address:
http://ewheeler.co.uk/research/