On this day in Tudor history 1534 Queen Anne Boleyn spent
her first full day in confinement. Confinement, in the historical sense, meant
that a woman had retreated to her chamber for the remainder of her pregnancy. She
would be attended only by her ladies in waiting and close female relatives; no
men would be admitted other than the Queen’s priest who stood behind a screen
to preach and hear confession. The amount of time spent in confinement ranged
anywhere between four and eight weeks. Surprisingly, in Anne’s case, she
retreated into her chamber just two weeks before daughter Princess Elizabeth
was born. This could be because she calculated her dates incorrectly, easy to
do in Tudor times when prenatal care was virtually non-existent, because she
purposefully altered the time of conception or because Elizabeth was premature
(unlikely as she would have been weak if born nearly a month early)
On August 26th the Queen had made a great ritual
of the “taking to the chamber ceremony which took place at Greenwich palace.
The pregnant queen attended a special mass at the Chapel Royal and then went
with her ladies in tow, to the Queen’s chamber. Refreshments were served before
the chamberlain prayed with the Queen and her maids for the safe delivery of a
healthy baby prince. In Tudor times there was stringent restrictions on women
after they entered the birthing chamber, as well as how the room should be set
up.
According to the Royal Book, which dictated decorum (largely edited by Margaret Beaufort) the room must:
§
Be carpeted
§
Have its walls, ceiling and windows covered with
arras, the tapestries should depict calming images
§
Have one window slightly uncovered to let in
fresh air when necessary.
§
Be furnished with a large bed for the queen to
recover in and a pallet at the foot of the bed which is where the queen would
actually labor and give birth.
§
Have a font was required in likely case of a
sickly child who would need immediate baptism
§
Have soft furnishings of dark crimson satin
embroidered with the Queen’s respective arms
§
Have a cupboard specifically to hold the
birthing equipment and swaddling bands
The room was kept dark and shut up
against fresh air, it was thought by Tudor midwives that creating an atmosphere
reminiscent of the womb would keep the baby from becoming sick as well as keep
away evil spirits. Confinement was often a social time for the women involved.
There would have been drinking, embroidery, gossip and much prayer. Despite the
company and rest, I can only imagine Anne would have been hot and bored in the
chamber where she was required to stay for a month after the Princess’ birth.
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