The Thurston and Ixworth Flyer May 2023 edition
Welcome to the May 2023 edition of The Thurston and Ixworth Flyer. In this May edition of the Thurston and Ixworth Flyer we have news and updates from local clubs and community news.
The Coronation of King Charles III – Royal connections in historic Bury St Edmunds
The Coronation of King Charles lll and The Queen Consort will take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023 with events taking place across the country. Suffolk’s cathedral town of Bury St Edmunds has more than its fair share of royal connections going back over the centuries.
King Edmund
As one of the most historic towns in the UK, Bury St Edmunds takes its name from King Edmund, the original Patron Saint of England and King of the East Angles. The legend of St Edmund, who ruled East Anglia from AD 855 to 869, tells of the brave King Edmund who was killed by the Vikings after refusing to denounce his Christianity.
Ravenwood Hall
Ravenwood Hall Hotel and Restaurant, near Bury St Edmunds, was built by King Henry VIII. The stunning country house that houses the hotel was originally built as a hunting lodge for Henry VIII, who was known for his love of hunting in the Suffolk countryside. Over the years, the property has been expanded and renovated, but it still retains many of its original Tudor features.
Clare Priory
Clare Priory, located in the medieval town of Clare, was once home to one of the richest women in history,
Elizabeth de Clare. The Priory was established 1248 at the invitation of Richard de Clare and was one of the first English monastic houses suppressed in 1538 during the dissolution of the monasteries. The graveyard is the burial site for some royals and British aristocracy.
Newmarket – a ‘Resort for Kings’
In 1605, King James I made his first visit to Newmarket. Previously described as a ‘poor little village’,
it was transformed after he built Newmarket Palace between 1606 and 1610. Now The National Horse Racing Museum, the royal buildings sprawled across an acre of land including a great presence chamber and long gallery as well as an elaborate range of outhouses, kitchens, stables, a brewhouse and
dog-kennel.
An even more splendid addition was made to the Jacobean palace in 1619 when the royal architect Inigo Jones was commissioned to build a new lodge for the Prince of Wales – the future Charles I. Newmarket was later involved in the events that led to the Charles l’s trial and execution after which the royal buildings fell into disrepair until the reign of Charles II, who built a further palace and visited the town every spring and summer until his death.
Mary Tudor
The younger surviving daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, became the third wife of Louis XII of France, more than 30 years her senior. Following his death, she married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.
Mary suffered multiple bouts of illness, requiring treatments over her lifetime and died age 37 on 25 June
1533 at Westhorpe Hall in Suffolk.
As an English princess, daughter of a king, sister to the current king, and a dowager queen of France, Mary Tudor’s funeral and interment was conducted with much heraldic ceremony. She was buried in Bury St Edmunds Abbey but five years later, when the monastery was dissolved, her body was moved to St Mary’s Church, Bury St. Edmunds where it remains today.
Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll came to Bury St Edmunds several times over the years, including a visit to St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
For more information about Bury St Edmunds royal connections and Coronation events, as well as where tostay, visit www.visit-burystedmunds.co.uk/coronation-of-king-charles-iii.