Katharine of Aragon: Festival commemorates date when Henry VIII wife buried at Peterborough Abbey

Peterborough Cathedral has played host to a Tudor-themed festival commemorating the date in January 1536 when King Henry VIII’s first wife was buried at Peterborough Abbey.

The weekend events included a host of costumed reenactors at family drop-in days, with Henry VIII and Queen Katharine with their courtiers in the Cathedral for At Court with the Tudors, and skilled everyday Tudor folk such as cooks and armourers at the Museum for At Home with the Tudors.

The Very Revd Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said: “The Katharine of Aragon Festival is one of the key events in the Cathedral calendar and her place in the story of Peterborough and the Cathedral is really significant.

"A remarkable woman, honoured but wronged in her lifetime, her faith, courage and forgiveness continues to inspire people today.

"The festival is a special time to reflect on her story and the times in which she lived.”

The Festival also included a moving wreath laying service at which Katharine’s last letter to her husband was read, and dignitaries lay tributes on her tomb.

Reenactors from Regal Rose Historical Portrayal were dressed in the guise of key members of King Henry’s Court, to chat to visitors about their ‘character’ and their carefully researched period costumes.

There was also sixteenth century music.