Henry VIII (1491-1547)
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King Henry VIII had a long and intimate connection
with Dover, having held the offices of Lord
Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover
Castle before he became king.
Henry did much to improve the Castle and the fortifications of Dover
itself by adding the Moat Bulwark on the north side of the harbour and
a similar bulwark (which developed into Archcliffe
Fort) on the south side. This provided shore batteries on either flank
of the harbour.
When Henry visited Dover he stayed in the Royal Apartments in the keep
and inner bailey of the Castle.
Records survive from 1513 of his orders to the Barons of the Cinque Ports
to fit out their fleet to convey him and his entourage to Calais (then
an English possession). He arrived at the Castle on 15 June and stayed
until 30 June when he embarked for Calais.
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Dover witnessed a splendid sight on 31 May 1520 when
Henry and his Queen, Katherine of Aragon, set off for
France to meet the French King at the 'Field of the
Cloth of Gold'. The Royal couple's entourage numbered
5,000 people with full equipage for living and feasting.
Henry’s dissolution of the monasteries
had an effect on Dover’s religious houses, resulting
in the destruction, or re-use for secular purposes,
of the Maison Dieu,
St Martin’s Priory,
St Edmund’s
Chapel and St
Martin-le-Grand.
'The Embarkation of Henry VIII at Dover'. Henry
sets off for France with Katherine of Argaon and
an entourage of 5,000 people.
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