2014 marks the bi-centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent and the centenary of Sulgrave Manor’s purchase to serve as a symbol of continuing friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States.
For a hundred years the Manor has been supported by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America and on the weekend of 7th/8th June, 120 Dames and their husbands visited the Manor to celebrate this event. Despite torrential rain on Saturday morning, the weather relented during the afternoon to give bright sunshine for the reception, the afternoon picnic with villagers, the Tudor performance and the parade of the Grafton hounds.
Perfect English summer weather continued on Sunday for morning service at the Church of St James the Less led by the Bishop of Peterborough followed by lunch at the Manor attended by Earl and Countess Spencer and the American Ambassador.
Photographs of these events can be seen on the following pages.
FRIDAY 6TH JUNE – PREPARATIONS

Whilst the preparations go forward, the Manor’s main function of entertaining paying guests continues unabated.
SATURDAY 7TH JUNE

Martin Sirot-Smith, former resident director at the Manor, instrumental in establishing the educational programme.

Manor staff arrive to take the parts in the Tudor history re-enactment usually played by visiting schoolchildren

Henry’s first wife Catherine of Aragon is crowned as queen but she fails to produce a male heir and…..

A royal messenger (aka the Blacksmith) goes to Rome to seek the approval of Pope Clement VII to a divorce….

…..but this is not forthcoming and so Henry breaks with Rome, establishes the Church of England with himself at its head, approves his own divorce and makes Anne his queen.

Anne falls from favour, is found guilty of treason and beheaded. Henry makes Jane Seymour his new queen….

….and becomes Henry’s fourth wife and queen. However, Henry clearly considered that the portrait “flattered to deceive” and she is soon divorced.

And so finally to Catherine Parr, who has the good fortune to survive the king, who died in 1547. Note: There is a neat little rhyme which serves to remind of the fate of the six wives: “Divorced, beheaded, died – divorced, beheaded, survived”
SUNDAY 8TH JUNE

Another very fine summer’s day as the congregation emerges from morning service at the Church of St James the Less…..

…..to be greeted by the Bishop of Peterborough, the Right Rev Donald Allister and churchwarden Shrimp Christy.

The formal speeches begin with a welcome by Norman Hudson as acting Chairman of the Sulgrave Manor Trust.

….Mrs Tenny Marshall, the Dames senior representative to the then Sulgrave Manor Board from 1997 to 2003.
The website editor apologises for any errors or omissions in this account of the “Dames’ Day Weekend”. Corrections and additions will be acknowledged and inserted as appropriate.