The Mystic Nun Killed By Henry VIII
episode
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
49 min
3 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Why does the host ask listeners to vote for the Podcast Awards at the start of the episode?
Fantastic news, Betwixters. Thanks to your votes, we are through to the final 20 of the Listener's Choice Awards at this year's British Podcast Awards. We still need your help, though. Of course we do. We've got to keep those votes rolling in. And if you voted before, apparently you have to vote again. It wasn't my idea. But this time, follow the link in the show notes to the British Podcast Awards Spotify playlist on your mobile app, where you can cast up to three votes for Betwixt the Sheets, but only in the Spotify mobile app. I'm sorry it is a bit of a pain, but your vote would mean the world to us. Thank you so much. Hello, my lovely Betwixters. It's me, Kate Lister. Welcome back once more to Betwixt the Sheets, the smutty historical podcast.
Huh. Yeah. Yeah. I know what you're here for. I'm here for it, too. So let's not beat around the bush for much longer. But before we can go any further into said bush, I do have to tell you, this is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adulty things in an adulty way, covering a range of subjects used to be an adult, too.
How did Elizabeth Barton go from a humble servant girl to the ‘Holy Maid of Kent’?
Because if you weren't already aware of the fact that this podcast can get a little bit naughty. But I suspect that's why we're all here in the first place. Right. Let's crack on. This story begins in a small village near Canterbury in England in the 16th century with a servant girl called Elizabeth. She has no noble birth, no fortune, no political ambition that we know of. She was just an everyday background grunt. But then almost overnight, Elizabeth came to national importance. There was a mysterious illness, a series of visions, and suddenly bishops, pilgrims, and even the King and Queen of England are desperate to hear what she says. I mean, that's a hell of a career trajectory, isn't it?
What inspired author Hayley Nolan to write *Notorious Anne Boleyn and the Great Tudor Hoax* about Barton?
But as Elizabeth will learn one fundamental rule, what goes up must come down. So who helped Elizabeth on her way up and who was there to greet her on her way down? I am ready to find out if you are.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome back to Betwixt the Sheets, the history of sex, scandal and society with me, Kate Lister. Long before social media influencers were selling protein powder and suspiciously effective teeth whitening kits, Tudor England had Elizabeth Barton, the so-called Holy Maid of Kent. And she didn't have followers so much as, well, pilgrims. And she was even epically cancelled. Not online, she ended up being hanged by the king, the only nun to be executed in England, in fact. Elizabeth's tale is one of belief, abuse of power and one woman's extraordinary rise and fall from obscurity. Joining me today to tell us more about this extraordinary woman is the fabulous author and historian Hayley Nolan.
Rosary beads are the ready, everyone. Let's do this.
MUSIC
Well, hello and welcome to Betwixt the Sheets. It's only Hayley Nolan. How are you doing? Very hot, but happy to be here. Sweating already, but you know. Trying to do history in a heatwave.
What were the nature and impact of Barton’s visions and miracles on Tudor society?
You just reach critical temperature mass, don't you? And you're just like, I don't care anymore. I don't care about history. Leave me alone. At least we're not on bake-off on ice cream week. Yeah, all right. Yeah. Think of those poor souls. Absolutely. But you have a new book coming out, don't you? Yes. Notorious Anne Boleyn and the Great Tudor Hoax. What could be more intriguing than that? Well, that's a very good title. That's a good, not clickbait, read bait. I went for that. I wanted people to go, ooh, hoax, you say? Tell me more.
What made you want to write this book? The question that we ask of everyone with a new book.
How did Barton manage to secure an audience with Henry VIII and what did she say to him?
But what's the origin story? I came across this snippet of information that said, so I'd heard of, this is the Holy Nun of Kent, and I'm sure any Tudor fan will know of her or heard of her in passing. She was basically, she did the great Tudor hoax. But I'd always dismissed her as a sort of crackpot person. And I shouldn't have. That was my own mistake, but I did. And then I came across one piece of evidence that said that Anne Boleyn offered her a place in her household.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why does the host ask listeners to vote for the Podcast Awards at the start of the episode?
0:00–0:56
2
How did Elizabeth Barton go from a humble servant girl to the ‘Holy Maid of Kent’?
0:56–1:41
3
What inspired author Hayley Nolan to write *Notorious Anne Boleyn and the Great Tudor Hoax* about Barton?
1:41–3:24
4
What were the nature and impact of Barton’s visions and miracles on Tudor society?
3:24–4:04
5
How did Barton manage to secure an audience with Henry VIII and what did she say to him?
4:04–5:02
6
Why was Barton ultimately condemned for treason and how was she executed?
5:02–5:37
7
What is Elizabeth Barton’s lasting legacy and how have historians reassessed her story?
5:37–7:00
8
How does the episode wrap up the discussion and what final question does the host pose to listeners?
7:00–49:08