Category: British History

I think it is fair to say that “Anne Boleyn” and the name “Boleyn” itself has had many historians, researchers and bloggers like me awake on many a night trying to find answers to the tragedies, twists and turns that befell this fascinating family that rose to fame during the Tudor era. What is more interesting and, certainly kept my midnight oil burning was to find consensus on the origins of the family, the Boleyn lineage, and how the present royal family are the direct descendants of the Boleyn family.

I must admit that I am no where near to accomplishing all the materials available on this subject as yet, to present a complete set of findings to you on the origins of the Boleyn family and the wider Boleyn lineage. However, I was much inspired by the recent television documentary on the Boleyns and to cement my curiosities as to how the present royal family are the direct descendants of the Boleyn, I narrowed my research to this particular part of British history.

The Boleyn Lineage – An easy overview on Where the Boleyn descendants are today

There is much to learn about the Boleyn family but I can now present an overview on the Boleyn lineage as from 1300s, and from post Anne Boleyn’s execution. I must say, I am pleased with my research and the incredible discovery of where the Boleyn family is today. I can now see how the Boleyn lineage is related to the House of Windsor.

What to expect from this article on the Boleyn lineage

This article is an overview of what I now know about the Boleyn lineage in relation to the present royal family. As it is an overview, I have eliminated historical details to keep it simple but have included basic information to keep the subject matter in context. This helps us see how the Boleyn lineage had flowed through the centuries.

In this article, I have included a section on the numerous variations and the much debated spelling of the Boleyn family name, and why I opted for ‘Boleyn’ instead of other variations. Along with this, is a recap of who the Boleyn family were in history, although there is no consensus on the origin of the Boleyn family.

Links to resources are appended at the end of the article.

What was the Boleyn real surname – Boleyn, Bullen, Bolan or something else?

Many questions has been raised on the Boleyn surname. Is it Boleyn, Bullen or Bolan? A reader of my previous article on “The Boleyns, Who were they and what happened to them after Anne’s death” kindly wrote in to let me know that the original spelling was ‘Bullen’ and that there are still people with this surname in the Norfolk area. In fact, Thomas Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s father has his tombstone engraved with ‘Bullen’ and is buried at Hever. This inspired me to research further.

Variations of the surname ‘Boleyn’

My research led me to discover that there are a number of variations in the spelling of the surname Boleyn – Bullen, Bolan, de Boullan, Bolen, Bulleyn, Bullaygne. I append a few examples below:

In 1509, during the funeral of Henry VII, “Bolan” was used to address Sir Thomas. In the very same year of 1509, an invite to Sir Thomas and his wife Elizabeth, for the coronation of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon reads “Boleyne” and “Bolen” respectively. Sir Thomas’ brother, James went by his surname spelt as “Bulleyn”. In fact, Anne Boleyn herself, signed off as “Anna de Boullan’ in a letter she wrote to her father in 1513 when she lived in Austria.

These variations and more of the surname ‘Boleyn’ existed during the Tudor period. The primary reason cited for the variations in the spelling of the surname is the inconsistencies of Tudor words and spellings. Having said that, the inconsistencies also existed way back in the thirteenth century.

In a research carried out by Rev. Canon Parsons, who authored “Some notes on the Boleyn Family” in 1935 concluded that whilst the surname was spelt in various ways: “…Boleyn, Buleyn, Bolen, Bulleyne, Boleyne, Bolleyne, Boyleyn, Bowleyne, Bulloigne, and the modern form Bullen” , the spelling, “Boleyn” was the most common of the medieval forms.”

Popular and accepted spelling of the surname ‘Boleyn’

Therefore, given the variations and the non-standardised spelling of the surname, along with the popular acceptance by historians and writers of the surname spelt as “Boleyn”, I shall also accept this and use this spelling in my articles on the Boleyn lineage and related articles on the Boleyns.

Note: The city of Boulogne in France was written as “Boleyn” in the Chronicles of Calais. There are also other documents that refer to Boulogne as Boleyn. Historians belief that the Boleyn family originated from here and made their way to Norfolk during the Normans invasion in the 11th century. This opens up a whole new world of discovery for me, and I hope one day, will be able to investigate further.

A recap of earlier history of the Boleyn family

The earliest recorded history of the Boleyn family in England begins in the thirteenth century and surrounds humble beginnings.

There are mentions of a John Boleyn acting as surety for a William Boleyn in the local register of Walsingham Abbey, Norfolk in 1283.

According to wikitree geneology on the Boleyn family, one Ralph Boleyn was born roundabout 1260 in England. He had one child, John Boleyn, born around 1300. John Boleyn had one child, Thomas Boleyn, born around 1350. There are no records of the spouses to Ralph and John Boleyn.

Thomas Boleyn was a farmer in Salle, Norfolk. There are some mentions of him having descended from Nicholas Boleyn but I could not find information on Nicholas Boleyn to confirm.

Where do we begin…

Therefore, it is with Thomas Boleyn, born roundabouts 1350 where we will begin to trace the Boleyn lineage in this article.

To reiterate, this article on the Boleyn Lineage is intended as an overview. I have not included details of events and background information but have provided recommended reads and links.

Follow the highlights in red…

The Boleyn Lineage – from 1300s to 1603

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Are there any direct descendants of Anne Boleyn?

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The Boleyn Lineage – after Anne Boleyn – from 1536 to present day, 2021

As we know there are no direct descendants of Anne Boleyn. However, research has shown that the Boleyn lineage can be traced to the present day royal family. Whilst this article is not designed to trace the wider lineage of the Boleyn family, it will give you an overview of how the present day royal family is connected to the Boleyn family.

For ease of understanding, we shall return to Anne Boleyn’s family and begin the Boleyn lineage from one of Thomas Boleyn’s children.

We know that Anne Boleyn was one of three siblings born to Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and Elizabeth (Howard) Boleyn. Anne’s older sibling was Mary Boleyn (mistress to Henry VIII for some time) and her younger sibling, George Boleyn (who was executed on May 17, 1536, 2 days before Anne Boleyn’s execution). There are no other surviving children of Thomas Boleyn. This means Mary Boleyn was the only survivor of the Thomas Boleyn’s children.

Recommended read: Anne Boleyn – The most magnetic and enduring of Tudor Queens.

Follow the highlighted trail from Mary (Boleyn) Stafford, the older sibling to Anne and see where it leads…

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The Boleyn Lineage – Catherine Carey

Follow the highlighted names from Catherine Carey’s daughter, Lettice Knollys and see where it leads…

From 1750s – 1900s

The Boleyn Lineage – Mary Boleyn > Catherine Carey > House of Windsor

Conclusion on the Boleyn Lineage

There you have it – the Queen Mother and HM Queen Elizabeth II are the direct descendants of Mary Boleyn. You may also wish to know that not only the young royals, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are direct descendants of Mary Boleyn through Prince Charles, they are also descendants of Henry Carey (son of Mary Boleyn) on the Spencer side of the family, their mother Diana, Princess of Wales (July 1961 – Aug 1997).

In writing this overview on the Boleyn Lineage, I came across lots of resources and opportunities to delve deeper into the origins of the Boleyn family, but it shall be left to some time in the future. As always, I find History to be an incredible tapestry of humanity and hope to bring them to you whenever I can should it relate to and add value to our travels.

Recommended read

To add value to our travels and on the Boleyn trail, you may wish to read the following articles also:

Articles and resources on British History