Discussion: Anne's Ghost?

"The only DNA we'd have from AB would be skeletal; no blood, hair or flesh, which quickly degrade. Bones and teeth last, so we could glean some interesting data. Another idea: if we have a cast of the skull, it would be possible to reconstruct the face. We'll never be able to analyze the remains, though, as they'll never again be exhumed. The report of her bones is thorough; best possible for 1876.

As for me and my memory, thanks! Most of this all comes from being at this for forty years now; my profile on this site covers my background. I'll send you a PM for your other questions. Forty years of informal study (on my own), plus years in undergrad and grad. studies at university.

We all start somewhere - for me, it was seeing "Anne of the Thousand Days" (1969) when it was first released.

As for travel, I've been to England many, many times, the first in 1973. London has few remnants of the Tudor era, as the Great Fire destroyed most of the city in 1666 - but major arteries follow the same routes, and if one digs, it's possible to see earlier structures (a few parish churches). Museums are overwhelming for artefacts. Hampton Court was rebuilt by Henry VIII and subsequent monarchs (note Wren's contributions), Hever by the Aster family (exterior is good, interior is iffy), Greenwich is gone, as is Whitehall palace. But Westminster Hall still stands.

Thanks to Queen Victoria, not much remains of the original Tower complex. AB's apartments are long gone, as is the Great Hall (late in Elizabeth's reign, both were in ruins and had to be razed), etc. The Queen's House (erroneously identified by some[!!!] as housing AB), was not built until 1542 - but does contain some scavenged architectural features of the coronation apartments.

Paris has the same issue - little remains of the medieval/Renaissance city. But the Cluny Museum is stunning."

"I was just talking with people yesterday about the phenomenon of the internet, how there is all of this energy in the universe and it has always been there, as the ages go on, we tap into more of it. I am talking to you now, and you are all over the u.s. and europe. It makes perfect sense that the souls of human beings do not "die" but are assimilated into a being where they are part of our every day lives. Whether people believe in heaven, or the communion of saints, or whatever, the simple fact of turning on a light switch and having instant daylight should convince us that there is more than we "see" all around us. Maybe someday they will come up with a "ghost modem" and if we get the right cable, we can talk to Anne and find out just how she has been making her mark in the spirit."

"Wouldn't that be cool?
I heard in passing on TV someone saying that you can take a cup and break it, but what it was is still there. I also heard somewhere that we are still breathing the same air our andcestors breathed. Things change form, but they still exist, or as it says on the pediment of the mausoleum down the road "Vita mutatur non tollitur" "Life is changed, not taken away". "

"Robert Dudley... i'd ask was there more of a relationship between him and Elizabeth than met the eye!"

"Margaret Pole would not be a ghost for she was venerated as a catholic martyr she is two steps away from being recognized as a catholic saint first the beatification and then being actually canonized no she is heaven "

"Whether or not you believe in ghosts,there are too many stories all thru the centuries of people seeing apparitions;great sorrow was one reason given why a ghost would always be seen in one area. The Tower has been soaked in blood thru the years,and if anyone had a reason to walk it was Anne Boleyn. A ghost is just a remnant,a memory if you wish. While I said Anne had reason to walk,I believe she had made her peace at the end and went to her reward. It's Henry who should be walking for eternity."