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burial mounds and barrows dating from the 6th century are still
to be seen in Greenwich Park.
Village life, which survived the Romans' departure and the
coming of the Jutes in the mid 5th century, was predominantly that
of men whose business was with the sea and ships with the trade
of waterman as their most important occupation. Indeed, even
up to 100 years ago, fishing smacks were sailing regularly from
Greenwich, a busy attractive little Thames-side town, to the North
Sea, Iceland and Greenland. This was hardly surprising for here
the river affords an excellent roadstead for shipping. So much so
that in the time of King Ethelred (1011 A.D.) the whole Danish
Fleet lay off Greenwich for three or four years whilst the army
was for the most part encamped on Blackheath. This army ravaged
the whole country and sacked the City of Canterbury from whence
they brought Archbishop Alfege to his martyrdom at Greenwich
on April 19th, 1012. Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 records
the existence at that time of a church on this site, a situation which
has continued to the present day.
Although efforts to obtain a Royal Charter have so far been
unsuccessful, Greenwich is unquestionably royal by association.
It seems clear that the early Norman kings preferred Winchester
but, at the time of St. Alfege's martyrdom, the English king was
resident and had a Royal Treasury at Greenwich. However, it
was not until the reign of Henry IV that Greenwich was regarded
as one of the seats of government, at which time Henry was
building himself a house in the south-east corner of Blackheath,
probably on the site of the present Morden College.
Years later the Tudors came by river from Westminster to
the Palace of Placentia, their best loved home, built during the
15th century by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, brother of
Henry V of Agincourt fame. Originally called Bella Court, this
fine red bricked edifice was re-named Palace of Placentia by
Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI, who spent large sums
of money on beautifying it, tiling the floors and filling the
windows with glass. At this munificent palace lived Henry
Tudor (Henry VII), the victor of the Battle of Bosworth Field
(1485) and the true founder of English maritime power and he
it was who began the Tudors' long association with Greenwich.
It was here that Henry VIII, his daughter Mary and her half
sister Elizabeth, were born and spent much of their time, and
where Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, died at the early age of
16 years. At this palace the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, second wife
of Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, was arrested
and taken by barge to the Tower of London to be beheaded.