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William Sommers (or Somers; died 15 June 1560) was the best-known
court jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
of
Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
.


Early life

He was said to have been born in
Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
, and came to the attention of
Richard Fermor Richard Fermor (1480x84–1551), was an English wool merchant. His father, Thomas Fermor, was also a wool merchant in Witney, Oxfordshire. By 1505 Richard was a merchant of the staple at Calais. In 1509, he was one of the jurors who convicted ...
, a merchant of
the Staple In European historiography, the term "staple" refers to the entire medieval system of trade and its taxation; its French equivalent is ''étape'', and its German equivalent ''stapeln'', words deriving from Late Latin ' with the same meaning, derived ...
at
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
, who brought him to
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
in 1525 to present to the King. This comes from an 18th-century account; little is known for certain of his early life. He is first mentioned in the royal accounts on 28 June 1535.


Career

Sommers remained in service to the King for the rest of Henry's life. In the King's later years, when he was troubled by a painful leg condition, it was said that only Sommers could lift his spirits. The jester was also a man of integrity and discretion.
Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charge ...
appreciated that Sommers sometimes drew the King's attention to extravagance and waste within the royal household by means of a joke. Court jesters were permitted familiarities without regard for deference, and Sommers possessed a shrewd wit, which he exercised even on
Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...
. He did occasionally overstep the boundaries, however. In 1535, the King threatened to kill Sommers with his own hand, after Sir Nicholas Carew dared him to call Queen Anne "a
ribald Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy". Sex is presented in ribald material more for the purpose of poking fun at ...
" and the Princess Elizabeth "a bastard".Weir, ''Henry VIII'', p. 365.
Robert Armin Robert Armin (c. 1568 – 1615) was an English actor, and member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. He became the leading comedy actor with the troupe associated with William Shakespeare following the departure of Will Kempe around 1600. Also a po ...
(writer of ''Foole upon Foole'', 1600) tells how Sommers humiliated Thomas, the King's juggler. He interrupted one of Thomas's performances carrying milk and a bread roll. Will asked the King for a spoon; the King replied he had none. Thomas told him to use his hands. Will then sang:
This bit Harry I give to thee
and this next bit must serve for me,
Both which I'll eat apace.
This bit Madam unto you,
And this bit I my self eate now,
And the rest upon thy face.
He then threw the milk in his face and ran out. Thomas was never at court again. Sommers used his influence to compensate an uncle who had been ruined by an enclosure of common land, although it took a very subtle appeal by Sommers to Henry. In Thomas Wilson's ''Arte of Rhetorique'' (1553–60), Will is quoted telling the financially hard-up King, "You have so many Frauditors uditors so many Conveighers urveyors and so many Deceivers eceiversthat they get all to themselves."


Depictions

Sommers is believed to be portrayed in a painting of Henry VIII and family at the
Palace of Whitehall The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...
. It was completed around 1544–45 by an unknown artist. Sommers also appears with Henry VIII in the Psalter of Henry VIII that was made for the King and is now in the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
(MS Royal 2. A. XVI). A previously unknown picture in which Sommers appears was discovered in 2008 at
Boughton House Boughton House is a country house in the parish of Weekley in Northamptonshire, England, situated about north-east of Kettering. It is situated within an estate of . The present house was built by Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu (d.1709), ...
, Northamptonshire. Today, entertainers sometimes perform as 'Will' in Renaissance-themed entertainments such as Renaissance faires.


After Henry

After Henry's death, Sommers remained at court, eventually retiring during the reign of
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...
. Under
Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
, Will's role was mainly ceremonial, and as a sidekick to Mary's personal fool,
Jane Foole Jane Foole, also known as Jane The Foole, Jane, The Queen's Fool, "Jeannne le Fol" or "Jane Hir Fole" ( fl. 1543–1558), was an English court jester. She was the jester of queens Catherine Parr and Mary I, and possibly also of Anne Boleyn. Tod ...
. Will was reputed to be the only man who made Mary laugh, apart from
John Heywood John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no musical works survive. A devout ...
. Will's last public event was the coronation of
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...
.


Death

He was probably the William Sommers whose death is recorded in the parish of St. Leonards,
Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...
, on 15 June 1560. A modern plaque in the church commemorates his burial there.


In culture

William Sommers made a number of appearances in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century drama and literature: for example,
Thomas Nashe Thomas Nashe (baptised November 1567 – c. 1601; also Nash) was an Elizabethan playwright, poet, satirist and a significant pamphleteer. He is known for his novel ''The Unfortunate Traveller'', his pamphlets including ''Pierce Penniless,'' a ...
's ''Pleesant Comedie called Summers last Will and Testament'' (play first performed in 1592, published in 1600),
Samuel Rowlands Samuel Rowlands (c. 1573–1630) was an English author of pamphlets in prose and verse which reflect the follies and humours of lower middle-class life in his day. He seems to have had no literary reputation at the time, but his work throws much ...
's ''Good Newes and Bad Newes'' (1622), and a popular account, ''A Pleasant Historie of the Life and Death of William Sommers'' (reprinted 1794). See also John Doran's ''History of Court Fools'' (1858).
Howard Goorney Howard Jacob Goorney (11 May 1921 – 29 March 2007) was a British actor who starred in such programmes as ''Only Fools and Horses''. He was one of the founder members of Joan Littlewood's 'Theatre Workshop', and wrote ''The Theatre Workshop Story ...
played Will Sommers in two episodes of the 1970 BBC mini-series '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII''. In
Margaret George Margaret George (born 1943) is an American historical novelist specializing in epic fictional biographies. She is known for her meticulous research and the large scale of her books. She is the author of the bestselling novels ''The Autobiogra ...
's 1986 fictional ''The Autobiography of Henry VIII'', Will Somers protects the manuscript from Queen Mary, who would destroy it. "Somers" adds observations in his own hand that throw light on the old King's hypocrisies and failings. On 14 August 1995, comedian
Roy Hudd Roy Hudd, OBE (16 May 1936 – 15 March 2020) was an English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment. Early life Hudd was born in Croydon on 16 May 1936 to Evalina "Evie" (née ...
played Will Sommers in "Fourth Wedding and Some Funerals", the second episode of the
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
series ''Crowned Hudds''; the episode and series have since been re-broadcast on BBC Radio 7 and
BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...
. Will Sommers has a major part in the plot of ''
The Queen's Fool ''The Queen's Fool'' by Philippa Gregory is a 2003 historical fiction novel. Set between 1548 and 1558, it is part of Philippa Gregory's Tudor series. The series includes ''The Boleyn Inheritance''. The novel chronicles the changing fortunes of ...
'', a 2004
historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
novel by
Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...
. That book's protagonist is Hannah Green, a fictional jester at the court of
Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
. Sommers is shown as Hannah's very sympathetic mentor, training her in the art of being a jester and unstintingly sharing his professional secrets with her. David Bradley played Will Sommers in the fifth episode of the third season of the Showtime series ''
The Tudors ''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...
'' (2009). The real Sommers was younger than Henry VIII but in this series he is portrayed as an elderly and sardonic attendant who provides the grieving king with consulation following the death of
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...
. In April 2016, Ottawa actor and playwright Pierre Brault premiered his solo show entitled ''Will Somers: Keeping Your Head'', speculating on Sommer's life and the role of comedy has in speaking to power. Will Somers is the main character in the historical novel ''The Last of Days'' by
Paul C. Doherty Paul Charles Dominic Doherty (born 21 September 1946) is an English author, educator, lecturer and historian. He is also the Headmaster of Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green, Trinity Catholic High School in London, England. Doherty is ...
. He is also the main character and narrator of the historical novel ''Fall of the House of Queens: Book One of The Shattered Rose Series'' (2017, ) by Shelly Talcott; in this fictional autobiographical account, while he is depicted as a hunchback (which historically he was not), he becomes a trusted confidente of not only Henry himself but also many of the important personages at court and all but one of Henry VIII's wives.


References


Notes


Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sommers, William 1560 deaths Jesters Somers, Will Year of birth unknown 16th-century English businesspeople Merchants of the Staple English courtiers Court of Henry VIII Court of Mary I of England