A 1527 prayer book, otherwise known as the Book of Hours, that has been in Trinity’s possession since 1660 has been discovered to have been owned by Henry VIII’s chief advisor, Thomas Cromwell.

This follows Kate McCaffrey’s 2021 discovery that Henry VIII’s wives Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn shared copies of the same prayer book. McCaffrey, who is assistant curator at Hever Castle, has now found that the book’s third copy is in the Wren Library and belonged to Cromwell. A team of experts have confirmed her claim. The historian Tracy Borman, a member of the team, stated that this was the “most exciting Cromwell discovery in a generation – if not more.”

Unlike Anne Boleyn’s and Catherine of Aragon’s copies, historians believe that Thomas Cromwell’s prayer book is the only one in its original binding. This made the book identifiable to historians as it prominently features in Hans Holbein the Younger’s 1532-3 portrait of Cromwell that is currently displayed at the Frick Collection in New York. The book is therefore the only known object in a sixteenth century painting that still survives today.

The book was donated to Trinity College in August 1660, along with the famous Trinity Apocalypse, by Dame Alice Sadleir who was married to the grandson of Thomas Cromwell’s secretary. Her father was the barrister, judge and politician, Sir Edward Coke, who was a member of Trinity College.

Trinity librarian, Nicolas Bell, commented that: “This book of devotional prayers is remarkable for its unusually grand binding, covered with velvet, jewels and highly decorated silver gilt borders, all of which date from the time it was printed and illuminated. It has been enormously exciting to position this luxurious creation in the very centre of the court of Henry VIII, where we know that both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn owned copies of the very same edition.”

The prayer book will be on loan to Hever Castle until 10 November 2023 as a part of their exhibition Catherine & Anne: Queens, Rivals, Mothers, where it will be displayed next to Anne Boleyn’s copy. This will be the first time that Trinity will have ever loaned the book since receiving it in August 1660.