# The Hampton Court Companion

> An independent guide to Hampton Court Palace


## Posts

- [The ghosts of Hampton Court Palace: the Haunted Gallery and other stories](https://hamptoncourt.com/hampton-court-ghosts/): Five centuries of royal births, deaths, scandals and executions have left Hampton Court with more ghost stories than perhaps any other royal palace.
- [The Hampton Court maze: history, tips and how to reach the centre](https://hamptoncourt.com/hampton-court-maze/): Of all the things to do at Hampton Court, the maze is the one people remember. It’s been confusing visitors since the 1690s.
- [How to get to Hampton Court from London: train, boat, bus and parking](https://hamptoncourt.com/getting-to-hampton-court/): Hampton Court Palace sits on the Thames at the edge of south-west London, about 12 miles from Charing Cross.
- [Hampton Court Palace tickets: prices, what’s included and how to save](https://hamptoncourt.com/hampton-court-palace-tickets/): A ticket to Hampton Court Palace is one of the better-value days out in London.
- [The Gardens of Hampton Court Today](https://hamptoncourt.com/gardens-of-hampton-court-today/): The dimensions are substantial: 60 acres of formal gardens and 750 acres of park, and eight thousand trees. The Great Vine has particular interest.
- [Hampton Court Gardens & Park](https://hamptoncourt.com/hampton-court-gardens-park/): Conduits were laid in to bring water from Coombe Hill.
- [King George III](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-george-iii/): King George III (born 4 June, 1738, ascended throne of Great Britain and Ireland 25 October 1760, died 29 January 1820) This George was the grandson of King George II; his father, Frederick the Prince of Wales, had died before succeeding to the throne, and the title of Prince of Wales was conferred on him three weeks later.
- [King George II](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-george-ii/): King George II (born 30 October 1683; ascended throne of Great Britain and Ireland 11 June 1727, died 25 October 1760) This sovereign holds a number of “last” records – the last British monarch to be born outside the country, the last to lead an army into battle.
- [King George I](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-george-i/): King George I (born 28 May 1660; ascended to thrones of Great Britain and Ireland August 1, 1714, died June 11, 1727) The Parliament of Great Britain had decided they would never again have a Roman Catholic sovereign.
- [Queen Anne](https://hamptoncourt.com/queen-anne/): Queen Anne (born 6 February 1665; ascended as sovereign 1 May 1707, died 1 August 1714) Anne was the second daughter of the Duke of York (who later became King James II) and younger sister of Mary (who later became Queen Mary II).
- [King William III and Queen Mary II](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-william-iii-and-queen-mary-ii/): King William III and Queen Mary II (William born 4 November 1650, Mary born 30 April 1662; joint sovereigns of England from 13 February 1689 until Mary died 28 December 1694, William died 8 March 1702) England feared further Catholic sovereigns, not so much a fear of Catholicism as a religion, but a fear of the Catholic countries which might take advantage of the English sovereign and come to dominate the country – Spain had tried it, and at the time Louis XIV of France was trying to take over Europe.
- [King James II](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-james-ii/): King James II (born 14 October 1633; ascended to thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland 6 February 1685, deposed 11 December 1688) Second son of King Charles 1st, James escaped captivity dressed as a girl and was brought up on the continent.
- [King Charles II](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-charles-ii/): King Charles II (born 29 May, 1630; ascended to throne of Scotland 30 January, 1649; ascended joint thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland 29 May 1660 until death 6 February 1685) Son of the beheaded Charles I, Charles II should immediately have followed his father to the thrones of England and Scotland; The Scots said he had, the English said he hadn’t.
- [Oliver Cromwell](https://hamptoncourt.com/oliver-cromwell/): Oliver Cromwell (born 25 April 1599; Lord Protector 16 December 1653 till death 3 September 1658) After the beheading of King Charles the Parliamentarians lost the central figure of hatred and so turned to bickering among themselves.
- [King Charles I](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-charles-i/): King Charles I (born 19th November 1600; ascended to throne 27th March 1625, till beheaded 30th January 1649) Charles started life as the second son, “the spare,” and hence was the Duke of York, the traditional English title for the second son.
- [King James I](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-james-i/): King James 1 of England, VI of the Scots (born June 19, 1566; ascended throne of Scotland 24 July 1567, throne of England and Ireland 24 March 1603; till died 27 March 1625) James was in many ways an enigma.
- [Queen Elizabeth](https://hamptoncourt.com/queen-elizabeth/): Queen Elizabeth (born 7th September 1533; reigned November 1558 till death March 1603) One of England’s favourite and longest reigning monarchs, Elizabeth was born in Greenwich Palace, although her mother’s images adorned various parts of Hampton Court it was not long before Henry shed Anne Boleyn.
- [Queen Mary](https://hamptoncourt.com/queen-mary/): Queen Mary (born 18 February 1516, reigned July 1553 till death November 1558) It can reasonably be said that Mary’s was not a happy life.
- [King Edward VI](https://hamptoncourt.com/king-edward-vi/): King Edward VI (born October 12th 1537; reigned January 1547 till death July 1553) Born in Hampton Court Palace after a difficult labour which resulted in the death of his mother, Jane Seymour, Edward was everything his father wanted – a legitimate male heir to continue the Tudor line as sovereigns of England and to stave off the intentions of France, Spain and the Pope in Rome.
- [Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond](https://hamptoncourt.com/henry-fitzroy-duke-of-richmond/): Henry’s mother was the teenage Elizabeth Blount, one of three names known as mistresses to Henry VIII, who, as recorded, had fewer mistresses than wives.
- [The Death of King Henry VIII](https://hamptoncourt.com/the-death-of-king-henry-viii/): In the last months of 1546 it was apparent to everyone that Henry was nearing his end.
- [Catherine Parr](https://hamptoncourt.com/catherine-parr/): Catherine held several records as Queen of England – the Queen most often married, and more important to her, the reigning Queen who survived marriage to Henry, and the first English Queen also to be Queen of Ireland.
- [Katherine Howard](https://hamptoncourt.com/katherine-howard/): Before the issue of Anna of Cleves was settled, Henry was falling passionately for one of Anna’s attendants, a young girl of uncertain birth date, and a poor relation of the powerful Howard family, in fact first cousin to Anne Boleyn.
- [Anna of Cleves](https://hamptoncourt.com/anna-of-cleves/): To fill the vacancy at court, discussions were held regarding which princesses were available and what political benefits might be obtained.
- [Jane Seymour](https://hamptoncourt.com/jane-seymour/): Jane is of particular importance to Hampton Court for it was here she gave birth to Henry’s only surviving male heir who was to become Edward VI.
- [Anne Boleyn](https://hamptoncourt.com/anne-boleyn/): Anne’s date of birth is remarkably uncertain, somewhere between 1501 and 1507.
- [Catherine of Aragon](https://hamptoncourt.com/catherine-of-aragon/): Was she Catherine or Katherine? Confusing in any index, but in fact she was neither.
- [Hampton Court under King Henry VIII](https://hamptoncourt.com/remodelling-and-extension/): Wolsey had 400 in his staff, Henry had more than twice that many, and if he had visitors, there was no telling how many would be there to empty the larder and fill the garde-robes.
- [Acquisition and Rebuilding of Hampton Court](https://hamptoncourt.com/acquisition-and-rebuilding-of-hampton-court/): One supposes Wolsey knew what was in the wind, promotions of the kind he experienced don’t happen in secret, nor overnight.
- [The Problems of Catherine of Aragon](https://hamptoncourt.com/the-problems-of-catherine-of-aragon/): Daughters of the aristocracy were until fairly recent times considered as properties to be used by their parents to the best advantage of the family.

## Pages

- [Stories](https://hamptoncourt.com/stories/)
- [About this site](https://hamptoncourt.com/about/): The Hampton Court Companion is an independent guide to Hampton Court Palace: its history, its stories and how to visit.
- [Tour Hampton Court with us](https://hamptoncourt.com/tours/): From Wolsey’s courtyards to the kitchens, the Great Hall and the gallery Katherine Howard is said to haunt: the palace as Henry and his six queens knew it.
- [Plan your visit](https://hamptoncourt.com/visit/): Take a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo to Hampton Court, the end of the line.
- [Hampton Court under King Henry VIII](https://hamptoncourt.com/hampton-court-under-king-henry-viii/): Wolsey had 400 in his staff, Henry had more than twice that many, and if he had visitors, there was no telling how many would be there to empty the larder and fill the garde-robes.
- [The Wolsey Era](https://hamptoncourt.com/the-wolsey-era/): One supposes Wolsey knew what was in the wind, promotions of the kind he experienced don’t happen in secret, nor overnight.
- [Hampton Court: an introduction](https://hamptoncourt.com/introduction/): The Vikings used the River Thames to reach and raid London.


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