You may have seen that Winchester Cathedral recently uploaded a video on their YouTube page about Queen Mary I’s chair. Traditionally claimed to have been the chair upon which Mary sat on July 25, 1554, during her wedding to the future Philip II of Spain, it does – at first glance – look truly early modern.
But did you know that this chair maybe isn’t Mary’s at all? Written records don’t give details of Mary’s use of the chair until well after her wedding, so it’s very difficult to determine provenance (where the object comes from and how it’s been passed down to us). All this is perhaps set to change, though, given the conservation work recently completed and the opportunities this has provided for greater research. Upholstery conservator Heather Porter, ACR, with the generous funding of the Aurelius Trust, Idlewild Trust, and Leche Trust, undertook this work from October of last year and is at the heart of this new research.
As we wait for more information to be released about Mary’s chair, did you know that I’ve covered Mary I and her relationship with Winchester and Winchester Cathedral quite a bit? In collaboration with Winchester Cathedral, I was honoured to host their YouTube series on Mary and Philip’s wedding and marriage, released in 2022 to coincide with their wedding anniversary. Alongside Aisha Al-Sadie, I also spoke to Dr Daniella Gonzalez of the Hampshire Archives Trust about this project and about the Winchester’s importance to Mary.
During my PhD, I spoke extensively about Mary and her connection to Winchester. I was privileged to present a two-part podcast episode/online talk for Winchester Heritage Open Days about how Mary I is remembered at important English religious sites as well as heritage sites she would have known well. I also had the pleasure to speak to the Friends of Winchester Cathedral about Mary’s wedding, her marriage, and her legacy and to the History Indoors community on how Mary’s memory has been created and manipulated since her death. (The latter was even featured on History Hit’s website!)
While we wait for answers – and even more questions – to come out of the recent work on Mary’s chair in Winchester Cathedral, I look forward to the day when the chair can be back on permanent display!
Dr Johanna Strong 