Thanks to Caroline Holden for this picture above.
Barefoot
By Henry Tudor

By throwing away my wrist watch and my tie
By wearing only shorts, caps am I
Leaving my past life behind to be lost
I march forward, alone at my own cost.

I now wear sandals all the year round
No socks, no protection from cold and the ground
It seems to be natural for me to rebel
To avoid the commuters, the traffic, the smell.

I now live at my speed, no boss for me now
No expert who watches and telling me how
I breath now more easy, more time to explore
I work when I want to, no stress to endure.

To my past workmates, I thank you again
You helped me discover, its good in the rain
No matter the weather, I love every day
I live out my new life my own special way.

I now am an actor, I play my own role
I dress up and speak out, I relive a soul
I give much more pleasure to many a crowd
You can hear me from out there, I’m shouting it loud.

So if you need comfort in your horrible job
Change now, become active at being a slob
Be just what you want to, be only yourself
You’ll find a new heaven, a barefoot clad wealth.

Just how accurate is Ray?


Lots of people have asked how I take my Vespa Scooter with me on my trips?
Easy really, the Hampton Sport GTi has a garage!

Now that's cool!

Behind the Scenery
By Henry Tudor

Creating the illusion of age
Is why I receive my wage.
Bring the Tudors alive to you
Means building a castle too.

Not in stone and glass and mud
But in composite glue and wood.
It called scenery, and it must look real
It must convey that actual feel.

Of Castles grey, cold and old
Of leaded windows to unfold.
Of course the weight and size depend
Upon the carriage’s, van end.

So a folding scene I designed
Five panels so refined.
It took two days to make and paint
And I’m not claiming the saint.



Lots of lead and black duct tape
Brought out Tudor, for a landscape.
Now I can erect the backdrop in place
And create my own Palace space.

The school’s will love it so
And I’ll ship it to and fro.
From Cornwall to northern part
This scenery will form my art.

The red carpet, throne and cape
Will enhance this great landscape.
So here’s a picture, before you ask
How Henry Tudor goes about the task.



This is Ray Irving with his only one Wife (She is worth 6 others).

Hey! There's a McDonald's in the background.
It should be BurgerKING.



In the Red!
Be aware of the amount of information in the following websites, a world of Tudor at your finger tips.

Website 1: The biggest interactive website ever on the most famous King in English History, our very own King Henry VIII.

You are on it!

Website 2: The Tudor Dynasty's own monthly magazine. If you dare to write for it send your articles to:
HenryTudor@Blueyonder.co.uk
Be accurate, be literal, be soulful, remember Tudors say it as it is.

www.TudorDynasty.co.uk

Website 3: King Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth, a Tudor through and through, quite a formidable Queen you might say.

www.ElizabethTudor.co.uk

Website 4: How many pictures do you have of Historical British castles? 10, 50, 100? Well there are 10,000 on this website and all taken by the Society so there's no copyright problems.

www.TheCastleKeeper.com

Website 5: Poor old Edward, dominated by his Uncle Seymour and carrying the weight of the Tudor line of succession.
See his life on

www.EdwardTudor.co.uk

Website 6: She is a stange girl that Mary, after losing her Princess title to plain old Lady Mary, she has turned nasty.

www.MaryTudor.co.uk

Website 7: A innocent girl trapped in a political turmoil. No Happy ending here.

www.LadyJaneGrey.co.uk

Website 8: Off to Bonny Scotland, no sorry, off to Fotheringhay and death.

www.MaryQueenOfScotland.co.uk

Website 9: Join the Tudor Society worldwide

www.TudorRoyal.com


.........I will certainly keep your website on file and recommend it to any students asking about the Tudors.

Mary Walsh
Parliamentary Education Unit

A retired AST Teacher (Advanced Skills Teacher) of 22 years experience, Ray works now as a professional Actor and is a member of Equity. He works from home and from his mobile Castle , a converted Caravan for gigs too far away to return in the evening. His costume was hand made by a professional Theatrical Costumier and follows the actual King Henry VIII design as closely as possible.

Who am I?

I always thought I was just a good teacher, never needing help to calm classes of rebellious students, never needing to shout to overcome the morning chat in the room, I just thought I have something that gives off a personality not to be messed with. The year is 1996 and I’ve managed to get out of the school for a day by volunteering to take ten 15 year old girls to Liverpool’s Walker Art gallery to help them in their History studies. Not an easy task really, as these girls are out to get the male of the species, especially with 35 years between our outlook on life and being bald thus requiring a trilby hat to keep out the cold Lancashire air. My jokes fell flat, my knowledge of pop music was nil, and my understanding of the boy/girl partnership now it seems zero, so I was struggling to join in their conversations. So I decided to shut up, drive and just be a taxi for the day.
At the art gallery, I thought I would try to give them my view of the history they viewed as we slowly walked around the fantastic portraits. The fact that they did not even glance had me beaten before I even started to speak, until that is when we reached the end of the second floor gallery, I stood there in front of a full size pictures and ordered the girls to come over and discuss where we were to go next. I had a great idea of leaving the gallery and walking over to the Beatles museum near the waterfront, the white piano of John Lennon, the left-handed bass guitar of Macca all entered my head as something I could talk about that entered their world slightly.
However the girls all stood there, silent, shocked as if someone had flashed them or something like that, I asked them what was the matter but they still stood there silent. The gallery attendant approached to see what was going on with the crowd in the corner who seemed to be having a problem. He stood there silent too. Then the silence was broken at last, after only say about 20 seconds which seemed like 2 hours, by the mouth of the group who declared that I was in the portrait behind me. Obviously I turned around and announce that she was in dream land as it was a Holbein copy of King Henry VIII and whilst he had some of my features I was in no way his double.
This is where we teachers go wrong; we only see the facts our way and try to deliver the massage back to our classes. They were seeing Henry and Me together the right-way round, I couldn’t see me and Henry was not a mirror image for me to recognise. One girl passed me a mirror, clever girl that she had realised my stance and solved the equation with her compact. I looked through the mirror at Henry, my God! They were right, I was the double of the King everyone in England recognised, this spectacle came over me like the solution to all the questions I had ever asked about my background, my personality and my gift of being in charge of large groups. I look like King Henry VIII.
Well the word got around the other 2,000 students at my school and within a week all kids were calling me Henry and the other 120 teachers too were in on the joke. Not a joke really, quite embarrassing really.
Now it’s 2006, I retired from teaching 18 months ago, I began my own theatre company “Henry Tudor” straight away and have been working full time ever since. My knowledge of Tudor history is second to non, not just reading the best, but living the best as I’ve worked in Hampton Court, Trafalgar Square on BBC TV, in a documentary with Discovery Channel and an Advertisement which goes out in the UK and on the internet, go see it www.mrsite.co.uk.
I now own 8 websites all to do with Tudor History, I write for newspapers and magazines and my cartoon series is taken by three newspapers. I work 200 days per year in costume and earn much more than a teacher.
The trip home from Liverpool that 1996 day, was very interesting, I had become worth talking to, I was a celeb to the girls and they had discovered me.
How accurate am I in looks to King Henry VIII? Now that’s where I know the answer, because the BBC were to film live in Trafalgar Square a tribute to Hans Holbein, where a famous artist in England called Rolf Harris would paint the King with 100 other artists. I was the culmination of a worldwide search for the closest look-alike to Henry, except they got more than they bargained for because during a pre-shoot they brought in an anthropologist who checked me out and discovered that I was 100% accurate. She then took it upon herself to check my genealogical background and was shocked to find the name Fitzroy in common. I was not in the dark by this time because of my fantastic memory for detail I remembered who Fitzroy the royal was. Fitz means “Illegitimate son of” and Roy is Royal, Henry had a son with Elizabeth Blount and named him Henry Fitzroy. He was married off to a daughter of the Lancasters and they had a child, Henry Fitzroy died in mysterious circumstances at the age of 18 and was buried in a lead lined coffin in an obscure grave.
I am a native of Lancashire whose capital city is Lancaster, my Father was Scottish, he married my Mother Margaret Firth. The Firths were an old family from Lancaster and started as Fitzroy over 500 years ago. Fitz cannot be used unless illegitimate, so it would have been changed to another similar name. So you genealogists out there do Firth belong to the Tudors or not? Am I a descendent of Henry Fitzroy? Or am I the 1:40 Billion coincidental people who is 100% the double of the most well known man in English history?
I still don’t know who I am.

Ray Irving alias King Henry VIII


Cruising.

You have just got to see Henry draw! he specialises in speed drawing "after teaching Graphics for 22 years I always start with a blank board and produce accurate 3D pictures in less than 1 minute". His party piece is to draw 6 pictures at once, randomly moving between them every 5 seconds, until all pictures are finished at the same time!

If you want to be put in touch with the maker of this fine costume then contact King Henry VIII himself.

The "Hilliard" Chain of office was especially hand-made in America with the Tudor colours of Emerald green and Cream Pearls.


Ray.

Before Ray was a Teacher, he managed an Electronics factory in Hong Kong and has always had difficult, stressful, design orientated positions which he successfully undertook. He is married with three daughters and two grand children, unlike the character he plays he is a very happily married family man!


Here's Ray teaching in a Girl's Highschool in Tokyo, Japan!

"Being King Henry is wonderful, fifteen minutes of fame every week!"
Sometimes however being Henry is overpowering and I need to revert to Ray.


"I find being King Henry VIII very easy once the costume is on. It's as though it compliments my looks and puts me instantly into character."



It’s my left eyebrow you should worry about!
I know I’ve confused you and your mind is wandering about your head to figure it out. Now you have to be Henry’s look-a-like to understand it straight away.
Henry VIII had a series of looks that only he could use, servants and courtiers had to learn them in order to keep on his good side and know when the King was in a foul mood or upset. Here they are straight from the face of King Henry VIII.

1. Tightly close mouth and slightly pursed, staring straight with a frown.
This mood is bad, the King should be avoided.
2. The left eyebrow lifted, lips tightly sealed, head turned slightly to the right and the stare to the left.
Your head is about to roll.
3. The right eyebrow lifted, the lips slightly closed, the head to the left and slightly upwards, the stare to the right.
Henry fancies the wench in his stare.
4. The head facing downwards, the eyes forward, the lips clenched.
Henry likes what you are proposing but wants to be the one who thought of it first.

Try these for yourself and see how the man thinks.

Children love King Henry, even though at first they are a little scared that he is so much like the real King. They soon warm to his easy going nature and lose their shyness. Their parents or teachers are also fairly apprehensive at first, and as soon as they confirm their belief that its not the real Henry they join in the fun.

I sent a speculative email to various Education departments around the country. First of all, the general public never see this side of the Education System in the UK, but working hard to provide a great service are hundreds of people who provide resources and IT support for all schools. Here are a few of the answers I received, remembering how hard it is to get answers from Castles, Publishers and businesses this response just shows how our Education system cares about the people at the end of a phone line or email letter. To you all I thank you.

“Ray, as a one time Head of History I really enjoyed your site, great stuff. I have passed it on to the school improvement service…….”
Director of Children,
Family & Adult Services
East Riding of Yorkshire Council

“Thanks for the link to your impressive website. I have added it to our list of useful websites in our Education section.”
 Kevin Moore - Web Author
Sustainable Communities - "Connecting people to Services"
Community and IT Services
Tameside MBC

“I’ve had a real good look at the hard work you have put into building this website. The site is very engrossing and informative. I’m sure you have been told a thousand times over that you really do look like King Henry VIII …….”
Content Liaison Officer
Knowsley Education and Lifelong Learning Department

“Links to this resource have now been added to the Luton Learning Grid website. It will appear in appropriate sections of the site including the Key Stage 2 pupil section.”
Web Development Officer
Children & Learning
Luton Borough Council

What is the name of your company?

I own the website HenryTudor, also the email for that address, my stage name registered with Equity is Henry Tudor. Therefore, I work for myself as Henry Tudor actor and webmaster for the 7 Tudor websites.

Can I link to your websites?
Yes if you send me the link for approval first.

Can I advertise on your website?
No. This website primarily is free for any educational study and I do not want to make it commercial. I get most of my bookings from word of mouth and from Samlesbury Hall.

The King's Board.
Welcome all merry makers, here's your chance to dine with King Henry VIII in the Medieval great Hall of Samlesbury.
Good food, music, entertainment and the gracious company of the great man himself. Did you know that King Henry VIII has a great sense of humour? The King will make merry with you throughout the meal, you do have to laugh at his jokes if you value your head!

See this BBC website.
www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/going_out/2005/06/30/henry_tudor.shtml

Just ring Lyndsay on 012454812010 for details of cost and dates.

Meeting the Boss of Hampton Court Palace.

21st November was about to become a significant date in my life, more so the 22nd but that was not in the same league and a date I would like to forget. I had been in email contact for a number of weeks with the boss of Hampton Court Palace; he had been impressed with my characterisation of Henry from the national broadcast of Rolf on Art the Holbein big event in Trafalgar square. I had been told before that only large, subsidised theatre groups such as the Tudor Group ever got an audience with Historic Royal Palaces HRP to you and me. For me to get an email from HRP who seemed to be more talkative than in the past, gave me the confidence to answer as an accepted accurate re-enactor. I arranged that when I go down to Sussex and Kent on one of my History expeditions. This expedition was going to be a corker, Hampton Court, Hever Castle and Leeds Castle all in a three day trip with the caravan. My companion for the trip would be Bill, a retired history teacher and college principle. I openly informed the HRP people that Monday 21st November I and Bill will arrive at the check in office at 2.30pm. Leaving the car and caravan in the coach park. The plan was a two hour stay and then try to beat the M25 traffic to our caravan site near Maidenhead. How many plans do you know that go right?
We arrived at 1.30pm and went in the Tiltyard restaurant for a lunch. Bill and I were enjoying the trip and a little anxious about the type of reception we upstarts might receive. We took some great pictures of the gardens and wrought iron gates, pleasantly noticing that the lack of children made the visit much more comfortable than if with a class and on duty. Bill found a new Gentlemen’s toilet block to make sure he didn’t need to ask during the HRP meeting. I waited outside, smiling as a coach-load of school kids arrived next to the toilet block. The male half of the party, about 30 of them all ran into the block changing if from a quiet zone suddenly into an erupting bunker. Bill eventually came out, a little bit ruffled and still smiling, “How on earth did that happen?” was his ironic comment about his life in general.
It was nearly time to meet our new contact in the arrival office so we walked briskly over to the reception area. The Boss, as I shall call him, met us with a positively happy expression. I felt small though as he was about 6ft 4” tall, as is Bill. It is really off putting to always be the tallest in your family and in company but to be the short guy in the party takes some getting used to. We were given Identification badges and taken on a behind the ropes tour of the Palace seeing the things only ever seen in video’s and books and hearing the truth about Henry. Happily the truth is exactly the way I believed Henry to be. A fussy man who experimented with fashion and ordered seemingly impossible tasks to be done by frightened individuals. A man often conned by unscrupulous people who had the gift of the gab and took money for little work. The best example being the removal of Ann’s initials from the Great Hall upper perimeter before Jane would see them. The craftsmen were paid excess amount to do the work over night so they cheated. They only changed the initials in view and left the ones behind wall hangings. Nowadays the hangings have gone and the mixture of initials is quite revealing. Further on in the tour we came to the real Holbein portrait where I stood next to the painter’s view of Henry just to prove how accurate I did resemble the man. Lots of smiles and nods later I knew I had hit the mark. So much so we diverted from the expected “behind the ropes” plan and went to see the new Wolsey archaeological working of an old wall that has been in the press of late. Painted bricks show the cutting of costs that Wolsey was doing to make a Tudor pattern in the side of a building, even painted brick lengths to give a more even pattern from the misshaped bricks they had on offer. The Kitchen’s and wine cellars were so revealing about the quantity of food and drink consumed, the bread making ovens were so big and numerous that the poor cooks were providing meals for hundreds of people each and every day.
The tour over we were taken to a suite of offices in the old Soldier barracks to talk actors and education, you see I have certain qualifications that other look-alikes would kill for. Not only am I very accurate in looks, mannerisms and Tudor period knowledge, I am also a retired advanced skills teacher who can talk to large groups well and plan educational events to national curriculum specifications. My website was discussed and the nature of my belief that all on it should be free, including the eKits. The eKit method of giving away a model electronically was thought a great new direction for teaching and I should have a go at making a Hampton Court Model.
Having seen the complications of the place first hand I knew that the model was going to be a great challenge but one I could do.
We said our goodbyes and headed for the coach park, a good day about to turn sour.
The traffic had become so bad we took 20 minutes to turn out of the coach park, nobody down there has manners. It took another ninety minutes to find the caravan park, only to be greeted by the rudest manager I have ever come across. “Whatever you do, do not drive on the grass!” he pointedly aimed his instruction at me three times. I was on the point of telling him to talk to me as if I was an adult when Bill noticed my displeasure and dragged me out into the foggy dark arrivals bay. The caravan space was tight, dark and the lights did not work. I did touch the grass a bit, but didn’t care as I was now in the mood to bite his head off. We eat and slept and planned the visits to the other tow castles.
07.30 My daughter rang me up; my Brother in law, and best of mates, John was in hospital with the cancer that was eating his body away. Come home as soon as you can was the message as he did not have a lot of time left.
We forgot our planned trip and made the caravan ready for the 312 mile journey back home, our expected time of arrival being 3.00pm. We did arrive at 3.00pm as we had taken the toll road on the M6 to save precious minutes and I was next to John’s bed by 4.00pm.
John died at 8.14pm that day and I than God he waited for me, I said goodbye to my soul brother whilst he was alive and watched as his breath slowly stopped.
All this was two weeks ago, and now John has been buried in his hometown of Tydesley, in a new grave in the open grassy area he would have loved. I spoke about my friend in the service, how we had gone on Henry jobs in London and how his character made the journey so much fun. He would have been with Bill and me at Hampton Court if he did not have that terrible disease that took his life at 60 years of age, he would have loved to see what we had seen, hear the stories see the people.
Now I am getting over the death of John, the funeral was the closure I sought and now I am planning the trip again, this time Kent and the Castles, thought not that caravan site.
Look out for King Henry VIII in future public enterprises with HRP both at Hampton Court and The Tower of London. I informed my agent in London about my trip and its outcome, they did not know how I had pulled it off, the impossible gig. I’m not glowing about the HRP visit as I should be; the events of the day after have cut it out of my heart.

Ray Irving