On this day in 1537, church bells pealed, Te Deumss were sung, bonfires lit, fruit and wine given out, and two thousand rounds were fired into the sky from the Tower of London.
A prince had been born and London celebrated.
Yes, on 12th October 1537 at two o’clock in the morning, Jane Seymour gave birth to a healthy baby boy, the future Edward VI. Her labour had been long, around thirty hours, and there had been a solemn procession at St Paul’s on 10th October to pray for the Queen. The prayers worked and both mother and baby seemed fine, that is until Jane started showing signs of childbed fever. She died on the night of 24th October 1537.
You can read more about Edward in my article Happy Birthday Edward VI.
