Drake, rightly, remains a legendary hero of British history, but the story of Buckland Abbey reveals how much of his fame and success was a question of luck and timing, as well as of character and courage. Born around 1540 of humble yeoman stock, Francis Drake’s life at se...
At 2 p.m. on 7 January 1536, Katherine of Aragon died. Hers had been a relatively short illness, which modern commentators have deduced to be stomach cancer. She had been in very great pain over the course of five weeks, having first been reported sick in early December 1535. It was thought serio...