The Greensleeves Project: Clothing in Early Modern Music and Dance

The Greensleeves Project: Clothing in Early Modern Music and Dance

Come join us at St Andrew’s Church, Thornhill Square for a unique event exploring the intersection of clothing, music, and dance in the early modern period.

This lecture will provide a detailed examination of the many, often unsung, verses of the well-known Tudor ballad, Greensleeves. All the gifts presented to My Lady Greensleeves by her would-be lover are listed. Often associated with Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Greensleeves is told from a man's point of view, but how might the woman have felt -bombarded with expensive and unasked-for presents. The first reference to Greensleeves is in 1580, during the reign of Elizabeth I.

The Greensleeves Project was funded by the Janet Arnold Award from the Society of Antiquaries. Under Tamsin Lewis’s direction, a superb team of makers and historians produced a video recording a recreation of My Lady Greensleeves' clothing, accessories, food, and other gifts as accurately as possible.

Tamsin Lewis studied violin at the Florence Conservatoire and read Classics and Italian at Oxford. She has consulted for film and tv, worked on many productions at the Globe, the Rose and Hampton Court, and provided reconstructions of masque entertainments for Historic Royal Palaces and other heritage sites. Her books and articles are published by Rondo. Tamsin is a member of The Lion’s Part Theatre Company and appears in their Globe-based festivals as a violin-playing bear.

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