This Day in History: 1541-11-01

On 1st November 1541, Henry VIII was made aware of Queen Catherine Howard’s supposed infidelity with Thomas Culpepper, a courtier, at Pontefract Castle. A letter to him written by the queen and signed ‘Yours as long as life endures’ was believed to have been sent during this stay at the castle. Not only was the letter interpreted as evidence of an affair but also of Culpepper’s machinations to gain power and control over the queen, with the king in a poor state of health. On 7th November, Archbishop Cranmer led a delegation of councillors to Winchester Palace, Southwark, to question her.