Genes Reunited Blog

This week in 1533 Henry VIII married his second wife Ann Boleyn; it became the most famous of all his six marriages and their daughter Elizabeth was one of the greatest Monarchs England has ever had.

The marriage received widespread condemnation from the public who believed that Anne Boleyn had bewitched the King; they had favoured his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.  Anne Boleyn then failed to produce a male heir which had angered the King and rumours spread through the palaces leading to an accusation against Anne of treason, adultery and incest.  Despite her pleas of innocence Anne Boleyn was found guilty and was beheaded on May 19th 1536.  A mere eleven days after the execution Henry VIII married Jane Seymour. 

The historical fiction film, The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) directed by Justin Chadwick, was loosely based on the 16th Century life of Anne and Mary Boleyn and their relationship with Henry VIII.  Whilst the film has been criticised for its historical inaccuracies, its success illustrates the public demand for historical drama.  Just this month we have seen the release of ‘The Kings Speech’, directed by Tom Hooper and staring Colin Firth it has already been nominated for 14 BAFTA awards and Firth has already won a Golden Globe for best actor for his role as George VI.  

‘The Kings Speech’ follows the life of Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor (son of King George V.) His older brother was crowned King Edward VIII but scandalously decided to abdicate less than a year later so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. King George VI was thrown into his role at a time where Britain craved a strong and powerful leader, but their new king suffered from a speech impediment which he needed to quickly overcome to enable him to lead and inspire his country through World War II.   His wife Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was his pillar of support.  They married in 1923 and you can see their marriage record image below.   The record shows that Albert F A G Windsor married Elizabeth A M Bowes- Lyon in April/May/June 1923 in the registration district of St George Hanover Square in London.

Soon Genes Reunited will be releasing FULLY indexed Marriages.  The Marriage records will now be faster and easier to search than ever before. You will also see information previously unavailable such as the surname of the spouse.  These extra clues may be exactly what you need to progress with your family history.