Henry VIII - Divorced, Beheaded, Died: Behind the Rhyme - Southwell Library - Adult Learning

Southwell Library, Southwell

Date	17 September - 15 October 2026
Sessions	Thursdays: 10am - 12pm
No. sessions	5
Venue	Southwell Library, Southwell View venue details
For ages	19+
Group size	5 - 12
Cost	FREE - £40

About this course

We are all familiar with these women, or are we?

This course will look at their lives and experiences from their perspective.

You will discuss and assess whether they were helpless tools in the hands of ambitious men; or whether they played a significant role in their own destinies

Come and examine the lives of these very different women and make your own mind up.

Throughout the course, we will look at:

An introduction to 16th century England and the role of women.

Learn about the lives of these six women, the families they came from, their education, and their beliefs.

The impact the women had on the wider political, social and religious spheres in the world they lived in.

Discover what impact, if any, did the new ideas of the 16th century have on them.

Several sources, primary and secondary, to examine how they have been portrayed through different mediums through time

Resources Required:

Pen and paper/notebook

Booking your place and fee information

Funding and Fees

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to take the course for free.
If money is stopping you from enrolling, please visit our funding page to see what help is available.

Living in England

To book and join one of our courses, you must live in England permanently and either:

Live inside the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) area (Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire)

Live outside the devolved areas listed below

You cannot enrol if you live in these devolved areas:

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
North East Combined Authority
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Tees Valley Combined Authority
West Midlands Combined Authority
West of England Combined Authority
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Hull and East Yorkshire
Greater Lincolnshire
Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority
Cornwall Council
Lancashire Combined County Authority
Buckinghamshire Council

Residency Requirements (Additional Information)

If you live in the UK on a visa, we’ll need evidence of your visa to confirm funding. You can upload this when applying, and you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire.

Some exceptions include:

Your visa must last until after your course ends.
Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for at least 6 months while their claim is being processed.
You are supported by your local authority under Section 23C or 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or under the Care Act 2014.

Anyone who does not meet the funding criteria would need to pay full course fees.