| Boleyn | |
| Type: | Noble house |
| Coat Of Arms: | Arms of the Boleyn family of London.png |
| Coat Of Arms Size: | 200px |
| Coat Of Arms Caption: | The arms of the Boleyn family, showing three bull's heads on a white field |
| Country: | Kingdom of England |
| Origin: | Norfolk |
| Founder: | John Boleyn |
| Final Head: | Thomas Boleyn |
| Seat: | Hever Castle |
| Titles: | |
The Boleyn family was a prominent English family in the gentry and aristocracy. They reached the peak of their influence during the Tudor period, when Anne Boleyn became the second wife and queen consort of Henry VIII, their daughter being the future Elizabeth I.[1]
John Boleyn of Salle, Norfolk first appears on the register of Walsingham Abbey.[2] There is a possibility that John Boleyn had a father by the name of “Simon de Boleyne” who purchased lands in the aforementioned village of Salle, Norfolk in 1252.[3]
Due to the irregularity of English spelling at this period, the name in documents is also spelled Bulleyn or Bullen. It has been suggested that the surname "Boleyn" was originally pronounced as "Boulogne", owing the idea of a French origin for the family.[4]
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales and King Charles III are descendants of Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn's sister.[5]
Hever Castle in Kent was the family seat of the Boleyns and the childhood home of future queen consort Anne Boleyn.[6] Sir Geoffrey Boleyn bought Hever Castle in 1462 and Blickling Hall in Norfolk in 1452.[7] [8] The Boleyns lived off the profits of the estates, only visiting them occasionally, but Hever Castle was home when they were not at court or on the king's missions.[9]