KING OF ARMS CERTIFICATE

Following is the text of the King of Arms Certificate from the College of Arms which attests to the sole right of David L. Moody M. D. to the Armorial Bearings of Edmund Moody. Any male Moody who can prove to the College of Arms his line of descent from Richard Moody of Moulton, County Suffolk, may petition the College of Arms to amend these Armorial Bearings, which are painted on the Certificate from the description therein, and can be painted for him, from that description, by the Heraldic Artists of the College of Arms, 130 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4BT, United Kingdom. The original is framed and owned by David L. Moody, M.D.

“TO ALL AND SINGULAR to whom these Presents shall come Sir Alexander Colin Cole, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, upon whom has been conferred the Territorial Decoration, Garter Principal King of Arms, Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Clarenceux King of Arms and John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little, Esquire, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Send Greeting! Whereas it has been represented unto us by DAVID LEONARD MOODY of Skillman Lane, North Oaks, St. Paul, Minnesota in the United States of America, Doctor of Medicine and formerly a Captain in the Army of the United States of America That according to a pedigree of his family which has been ordered to be registered at Her Majesty’s College of Arms in London he is proven to be great-grandson of Warren Lyman Moody born 23 October 1838, son of Edwin Moody of the Town of Northfield in the County of Franklin and Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States of America which Edwin Moody in a further pedigree of the family Moody registered in Her Majesty’s said College of Arms has been entered as sixth in descent from John Moody of Bury St. Edmunds in the County of Suffolk in England and of Hartford, Connecticut, Massachusetts aforesaid, which John Moody was baptized at Moulton in the County of Suffolk aforesaid on the Fifth day of April 1593, grandson of Richard Moody of Moulton aforesaid who died on the Twenty-fifth day of April 1574, great-grandfather of John Moody of Ipswich, nephew of the said John Moody of Bury St. Edmunds and of Hartford. And whereas at the Visitation of the County of Suffolk conducted by Sir Edward Bysshe, Knight, Clarenceux King of Arms in the years 1664-1668 there was recorded for and in the names of the said John Moody of Ipswich and his forebears a certain Shield and a Crest the illustration or ‘trick’ of which may be described in terms of blazon as follows: Argent on a Chevron engrailed Sable between three Trefoils slipped Vert as many Lozenges Gold and on a Chief Azure two Clouds Argent and out of each an Arm issuant sleeved Gold the hands proper supporting a Rose Gules - the Crest being Upon a Helm on a Wreath Argent and Gules Two Arms vested Gules and Vert embowed in saltire the hands proper each holding a Falchion Argent hilts and quillons Gold, and whereas these said Armorial Bearings of Moody resemble and appear to be those which were given and granted unto Edmund Mowdye otherwise Moody of Bury St. Edmunds by Letters Patent of Thomas Hawley, Clarenceux King of Arms bearing date the Sixth day of October 1541 videlicet: Silver on a Cheveron engrailed sable betwene the Trefles vert iii Lozenges golde in chef asur two clowdes owt of every clowde an Arme yssuante sleved golde profled goules the sherte apparaunte at the hande silver supportyng a Rose goules traced and porfled and in the myddest the bud golde upon a helme on a wrethe silver goules Two Woodhowse Armes goules and verte in crosse holding in every hande a fawchyon silver hilted and hafted golde manteled goules dobled silver: And whereas neither the destination and extent of the said gift and grant of Armorial Bearings is specified in the record testifying unto the same preserved in the College of Arms nor is the name of the said Edmund Moody of Bury St. Edmunds included in the pedigree of Moody recorded as aforesaid at the Visitation of Suffolk in 1664 nor is he named in that headed by the said Richard Moody of Moulton, ancestor of the said John Moody of Bury St. Edmunds and of Hartford as also of our Petitioner David Leonard Moody it having been established nevertheless that in respect of the said former pedigree of Moody that the Armorial Ensigns of Edmund Moody were entered and allowed by Clarenceux King of Arms in 1664 and in respect of the latter pedigree the said Arms and Crest were annexed thereunto by the Kings of Arms in or about the year 1927 both pedigrees being genealogies of and comprising those descending from Richard Moody of Moulton aforesaid who died in 1574 it has been submitted by David Leonard Moody our Petitioner that the said Armorial Bearings have been confirmed thereby as the entitlement of the said Richard Moody of Moulton and of his descendants and he has requested of us accordingly that as such descendant his own right and entitlement to the Arms and Crest of Moody as constituted in 1541 be acknowledged and confirmed by us and that We do so certify and declare that is to say that the same do pertain and belong unto him and his descendants regard being had always to the Laws of Arms as the same in the United States of America do prevail and obtain. Now know ye therefore that We the said Garter Principal King of Arms and the said Clarenceux King of Arms and the said Norroy and Ulster King of Arms having duly taken into account And duly considered all that which has been represented unto and requested of us by David Leonard Moody our Petitioner do now confirm declare and certify that the Arms and Crest of Moody as hereinbefore last described and blazoned and depicted in the margin hereof do by right of his ancestry pertain and belong to David Leonard Moody and to his descendants and in the premises are appropriate to be borne and used by him and by them with their due and proper differences all being in accordance with the Laws and practice of Arms and in so far as the Laws of Arms which obtain in the United States of America do permit and allow. In witness whereof We have hereunto set out hands this Eighth day of January in the year of Our Lord One thousand nine hundred & eighty-seven.”

A. Colin Cole, Garter J. P. Brooke-Little for Clarenceux J. P. Brooke-Little, Norroy and Ulster

In a letter sent to David L. Moody by Sir Colin Cole, Garter Principal King of Arms, The College of Arms, 130 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.4, England dated 5 August 1986 regarding the components of the Moody Arms and Crest, quote;

"the Chevron between three trefoils with as many lozenges on the chevron may be regarded as the Arms of Moody in the form in which they were devised as appropriate then to receive the ‘Augmentation’ of a Chief commemorative of the rescue or saving of the King, represented by his badge of a red rose of the Tudors. The Crest itself, of the falchions each held in the hand of a man of the wood, Vert etc., can be regarded as indicating that Edward [sic] was or became one of the household of King Henry and as such served and protected his Royal Master."

Other information that I have learned in my research on heraldry is: ®1551
1 The helmet indicates rank, by among other things, the direction it faces and whether it is gold or silver; Edmund's helmet is that of the lowest rank, that of a gentlemen, which Henry VIII bestowed upon him.
2. The trefoils slipped vert (green three leaved clovers) are the badge of Ireland, repeated three times, which is traditional.
3. The arms are embowed in the Saint David's Cross position.
4. The red rose, particularly if in a circle, is a famous Tudor device, and indicated Edmund was in service to the King Henry VIII of the House of Lancaster, who ascended to the throne in 1509. The War of the Roses culminated with the House of Tudor winning at Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485.

The Records of the College of Arms indicate that the Moody family motto is:

"THE REWARD OF VALOUR"

Moulton is a peculiar jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, rather than the Archdeacons of Sudbury or Suffolk. That is why Henry VIII was able to grant Edmund Moody land there; Moulton was the closest place in Suffolk to Edmund’s home which was entirely in Henry’s gift. The land was probably confiscated from a religious organization. Some parish records are extant from 1560, but land records may go back farther.


PEDIGREE OF MOODY OF COUNTY SUFFOLK, ENGLAND, AND NEW ENGLAND
1. Edmund Moody of Bury St. Edmunds, co. Suffolk, born probably about 1495, is the earliest person of the name from whom a descent has been proved in this particular family. All that is known of him is that in 1533 he was a footman ®1552 in the retinue of King Henry VIII, (had) saved the latter from drowning, and was rewarded for this exploit by a grant of a pension and a coat-of-arms, as shown by the following record in the College of Arms, London:
"The Armes & Crest of Edmund Moody of Bury St. Edmunds in the County of Suffolk, Gentlemen, granted to him appear to be those which were given and granted unto Edmund Mowdye otherwise Moody of Bury St. Edmunds by Letters Patent of Thomas Hawley (then Bluemantle, later Clarenceux King-at-Arms, of the College of Arms), 6th October 1541, in the 32 year of King Henry the Eighth (1540), for his miraculously saving his life (at Hitchin, co. Herts), when leaping over a ditch with a pole which brake; that if the said Edmund had not leapt into ye water and lifted up the King’s head, he had drowned; for which he was rewarded.”
After which he left the Court and lived at St. Edmunds Bury, as stated by Letters Patent in the Office. Also the deliverance is mentioned in the book called "Prince Protecting Providence”, set out in the year 1682, page 4.
Arms: Argent, on a chevron engrailed sable, between three trefoils slipped vert, three lozenges or; on a chief azure, two arms issuing from clounds, proper, vested bendy or and gules, holding in the hands a rose of the last. Crest: Two embossed arms in saltire, the dexter vested gules, the sinister vert, each holding a cutlas argent, hilted, or.” (Quoted by Davy, the Suffolk Antiquary, in his Manuscript Collections, Additional Mss. 19142, fol. 194, British Museum, London).

Children:
2 i. Thomas, born about 1520, became a clergyman; on 16 Dec. 1542 Thomas Modye was inducted rector of Lackford, co. Suffolk, and on 5 June 1545 he was inducted rector of Moulton, co. Suffolk. (Induction Book, Archdeaconry of Sudbury, Bury St. Edmunds). Later he was of Islington, co. Middlesex (now in London), where he was chaplain to Lady Worcester, widow of Henry, Second Earl of Worcester; the registers of St. Mary’s Islington, record the burial on 26 Aug. 1569, of "Mr. Modye, my Lady of Worcester’s priest”. On 26 June 1576, administration on the estate of Thomas Mody of Islington, co. Middlesex, clergyman, was granted to Edward Colte" of Moulton, co. Suffolk, Gentlemen, during the minority of George Mody, son of Richard Mody, late deceased, brother of said Thomas Mody, deceased. (Administrations in Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Somerset House, London, vol. 2, p. 102.)

2. ii. Richard, born about 1525. (see below)

This is a copy of the data collected by William R. Moody, East Northfield, Massachusetts, (son of Dwight L. Moody) and Donald Lines Jacobus after an extensive search in England and in New England.
March 1925 Leonard Warren Moody 1879-1946 (son of Warren L. Moody) (copy in David Moody file Edmund)


"Life of Henry VIII" by Edward Hall, or Halle, 1904

38 K1NG HENRY THE VIII
THE XVI YERE The jeoperdy the kyng was in.
(l524-25)
In this yere the kyng folowyng of his hauke, lept over a diche beside Hychyn, with a polle and the polle brake, so that if one Edmond Mody, a foteman, had not lept into the water, and lift up his hed, whiche was fast in the clay, he had bene drouned: but God of his goodnes preserved him.
(copy in David Moody file Edmund)

"PRINCE PROTECTING PROVIDENCE" by John Gibbon

Published 1682 London 10 pages (pages 10 and 11 are missing from the micro film collection)
Found in EARLY ENGLISH BOOKS 1641-1700 selected from Donald Wing’s Short-title Catalogue
Wing Number G652 Reel 1461 position 40 series 1641-1700 Micro Film AC 4 E16

The original work is located at HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Excerpt from page 4

Henry the Eighth, following his Hawk, leapt over a ditch with a pole, which
broke; so that, if Edmund Moody (a Foot-man) had not leapt into the Water,
and lift up the King's Head, which stuck in the Clay, he had been drown‘d (This
Foot-man was rewarded both with Means and Arms, speaking his Service done to his Prince). And the King lived to perform afterwards a Deed of grand Concern.
(Copy in David Moody file Edmund)

REALM No. 96 February 2001, page 40 ISSN 0950-5245.
"Henry VIII, too, was a keen and active falconer. He suffered a bizarre accident when flying falcons at duck. As he leaped across a brook his vaulting-pole broke, pitching the king head-first into the mud. A quick thinking cadgeman - the lowest-ranking servant of the hunt - jumped in and pulled the king out, otherwise history might have followed a different course.”

WOLF HALL, Mantel, Hilary, 2009, Picador, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
p. 235 “One year later, Henry is following his hawk-it’s that cut-up sort of country, flat, deceptive, you know it-he comes to a ditch, he drives in a pole to help him cross, the infernal instrument breaks, God rot it, and there’s His Majesty facedown and stunned in a foot of water and mud, and if some servant hadn’t clawed him out, well, gentlemen, I shudder to think.”
p. 237 “That good man who pulled the king out of the ditch, what was his name?” Norris says, drily, “Master Cromwell likes to hear of the deeds of those of low birth.” He doesn’t suppose any of them will know. But Norris says, “I know. His name was Edmund Mody.”

DAVY’S Suffolk Collections Pedigrees of Suffolk Families;“ In 1524 Edmund, a footman, saves the life of King Henry VIII. Near Hitchins, possibly at or near Purwell Ninesprings.” ®1486

“DARNLEY”

CHAPTER IX.

GLOUCESTER.—Talking of hawking, nothing else, My Lord. SHAKSPEARE.
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On arriving at the palace, Sir Osborne found that he had been sent for by the King, and hurrying his steps towards the privy chamber, he was met by Henry himself, bearing a hawk upon his hand, and
armed with a stout leaping pole, as if prepared for the field. ”Come, Sir Knight," cried the King, " if you would see sport, follow quick. Bennet has just marked a heron go down by the side of the river, and I
am resolved to fly young Jacob here, that his wings may not rust. Follow quick !”
Thus speaking, the King made all speed
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out of the palace, and cutting partly across the park, and round the base of the hill, soon reached the edge of the river; where slower progress became necessary, and he could converse with the young Knight, without interrupting his sport. Their conversation, however, was solely about hawking and its accessories, and winding along by the side of the sedges with which the bank was lined, they tried to raise the game by cries, and by beating the rushes with the leaping pole.
For a long way no heron made its appearance, and Henry was beginning to get impatient, just in the same proportion as he had been eager in setting out. Unwilling, however, to yield his sport, after persisting some time in endeavouring, with the aid of Sir Osborne, to make the prey take flight, he sent back the only attendant that had followed him for a dog, and went on slowly with the Knight, pur-
suing the course of the river. When they had proceeded about two hundred yards, and had arrived at a spot where the bank rose into a little mound, the Knight paused, while Henry, rather crossed with not having instantly met
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with the amusement he expected, sauntered on, bending his eyes upon the ground.
”Hist, your Grace ! Hist !” cried Sir 0sborne: ”I have him !" " Where, man? Where?” cried Henry, looking round without seeing any thing. ”God's life, where?” -
" Here, your Grace! Here !” replied the Knight. " Do you not see him ?--with one leg raised, and the claw contracted, gazing on the water as intently as a lady in a looking-glass,--by that branch of a tree that is floating down.”
”Ha ! Yes, yes !" cried Henry. ”The long neck and the blue back ! 'Tis he--Whoop! Sir Heron ! Whoop ! Cry him up, Maurice ! Cry him up !"
Sir Osborne joined his voice to the King's, and their united efforts reaching the ears of the long-legged fowl they were in search of, he speedily spread his wings, stretched out his neck, and rose heavily from the water. With a whoop and a cry the King slipped the jesses of his falcon, and flew him after the heron, who, for a moment, not perceiving the adversary that pursued him, took his flight over
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the fields, instead of rising high. On went the heron, on went the falcon, and on went Henry after them; till coming to a little muddy creek, which thereabouts found its way into the river, the King planted his pole with his accustomed activity, and threw himself forward for the leap. Unfortunately, however, at the very moment that his whole weight was cast upon the pole, in the midst of the spring, the wood snapped, and in an instant Sir Osborne saw the King fall flat on his face, and nearly disappear in the ooze and water with which the creek was filled. Henry struggled to free himself but in vain, for the tenacity of the mud prevented his raising his head so that in another minute he must inevitably have been drowned, had not Sir Osborne plunged in to his aid, and lifted his face above the water, thus giving him room to breathe. Short as had been the time, however, that respiration had been impeded, the King's powers were nearly exhausted, and even with the Knight's assistance, he could not raise himself from the position in which he had fallen.
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Though an unsafe experiment for both, considering the mud and slime with which they were entangled, nothing remained for Sir 0sborne, but to take the King in his arms, and endeavour to carry him to the bank: and this at length he accomplished, sometimes slipping, and sometimes staggering, with the uncertain nature of the footing and the heavy burden that he carried; but still supported by his vast strength, he contrived to keep himself from falling, proceeding slowly and carefully forward, and assuring himself of the firmness of each step before he took another."
With a feeling of inexpressible gladness, he seated Henry on the bank, and kneeling beside him, expressed his hopes that he had received no injury. " No,” said the King, faintly: " No--but, Maurice, you have saved my life. Thank God ! and thank you !"
A pause now ensued, and the young Knight endeavoured, as well as circumstances would

Hall gives an account of this event with very little variation in the circumstances, stating that only a footman was with the King, one Moody; but, of course, Vonderbrugius may be relied on as the most correct.

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permit, to cleanse the countenance and hands of the Monarch from the effects of the fall. While he was thus employed, the King gradually recovered his breath and strength, and from time to time uttered a word or two of thanks, or directions, till at last Bennet, the attendant, was seen approaching with the dog.
"Stay, stay, Sir Osborne," said the Monarch, " here comes Bennet. We will send him for fresh clothes. --Where is the falcon ?--By my faith, I owe you much--Ay, as much as life !--Whistle for the falcon, I have not breath."
Sir Osborne uttered a long falconer's whistle, and in a moment the bird hovered above them, and perched upon the hand the Monarch extended for it, showing by its bloody beak and claws that it had struck the prey. Nearly at the same time came up Bennet, who, as may be supposed, expressed no small terror and surprise at beholding the King in such a situation, and was preparing to fill the air with
ejaculations and lamentations, when Henry stopped him in the midst.
"No, Bennet, no !" cried he, "keep all that for when I am dead quite! Ha, man ! t'will be
190
time enough then. Thanks to Sir Osborne, I am not dead at present. Here, take this bird. I have lost both hood and jesses in that foul creek. --Hie to the manor, Bennet, and fetch me a large cloak with a hood, and another for Sir Osborne. --We will not return all draggled with the ooze, ha, Maurice ? Quick, Bennet ! But mind, man, not a word of this misadventure-, on your life!"
"Ah ! your Grace knows that I am discreet," replied the footman.
"Ay, as discreet as the babbling echo, or a jay, or a magpie," cried Henry; "but get thee gone, quick! and return by the path we came, for we follow slowly. Lend me your arm, Sir Osborne. We will round by yon little bridge--A curse upon the leaping pole, say I.--By my fay, I will have all the creeks in England
stopped.--I owe my life to you, but hereafter we will speak of that --I will find means to repay it."
"I am more than repaid, your Grace," said Sir Osborne, " by the knowledge that, but for my poor aid, England might have lost her
191
King, and within a few hours the whole realm might have been drowned in tears."
"Ay, poor souls: I do believe they would regret me," said the Monarch; "for, Heaven knows ! it is my wish to see them happy. A king's best elegy is to be found in the tears of his subjects, Sir Osborne, and every king should strive to merit their love when living and their regret when dead."
Strange as it may seem, to those accustomed to picture to themselves Henry the Eighth, as the sanguinary and remorseless tyrant which he appeared in latter years; yet such were the sentiments with which he set out in his regal career, while youth, prosperity, and power, were all in their first freshness --twas the tale of the spoiled child, which was always good-humoured when it was pleased. Now the first twelve years of Henry's reign offered nought but pleasure, and during their lapse he appeared a gay, light-hearted, gallant monarch, fit to win and rule the hearts of a brave people, for nothing
yet had arisen to call into action the mighty vices that lay latent in his nature. Gradually,
192
however, luxury produced disease, and disease pain, and pain called up cruelty; while long prosperity and uncontradicted sway, made him imperious, irascible, and almost frantic under opposition. But such was not the case now, and it was only the close observer of human nature, that could at all perceive in the young and splendid Monarch the traits that promised what he would afterwards become.
Discoursing on the unlucky termination of their sport, Henry proceeded with Sir Osborne into the Park, and there awaited the coming of the servant with their cloaks; feeling a sort of foppish unwillingness to enter the Palace in the state in which his fall had left him, his whole dress being stiff with mud, and both face and hands in any thing but a comely condition. Many men might have taken advantage of Sir
Osborne's situation, to urge their suit; but notwithstanding the very great claim that the accident of the morning had given him upon Henry, the Knight was hardly satisfied that it had occurred. He deemed that, in common decency, he should be obliged to delay the communication which he had proposed to make that very
193
evening, and thereby allow Wolsey to arrive before the event was decided, which for every reason he had hoped to avoid. Were he to press his suit now, it would seem, he thought, surprising, from the King's gratitude, what his justice might have denied, and indelicately to solicit a high reward for an accidental service. His great hope, however, was, that in the course of the evening the King might himself renew the subject, and by offering some token of his thanks, afford an opportunity of pleading for justice for his father and himself.
The discomfited falconers waited not long in the park before they were rejoined by the servant bearing the cloaks, which the King had commanded, but not withstanding that they soon reached the palace, the clammy wetness of his whole dress caused several slight shiverings to pass over the limbs of Henry,
and after some persuasion by Sir Osborne, he was induced to ask the counsel of his surgeon, who recommended him instantly to bathe, and then endeavour to sleep.
This was, of course, a signal for the young Knight to withdraw, and taking leave of the
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King, he retired to his apartments to change his own dress, which was not in a much more comfortable state than that of the Monarch.

(Copy in David Moody file Edmund)

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
WEST ROAD CAMBRIDGE
ENGLAND CB3 9DR
Telephone Cambridge 0223 333000 Telex 81395

12 January 1989

Dr. D. L. Moody
4213 Sea Pines Court
Capitola, California 95010
U.S.A.

Dear Dr. Moody,

Thank you for your letter of 10 December. On examining the 'Darnley'
novel again, it is clear that 'Vonderbrugius' is an invention of the
author, and not a genuine historical source. So there is no question of
the version of the story given in 'Darnley' having any authenticity.

The reference to 'Hall' is to the Life of Henry VIII by Edward Hall,
or Halle, of which I have consulted the 1904 edition. He gives a very brief
account of the incident; I enclose a photocopy.

Yours sincerely,

Nicholas A. Smith,
Under-Librarian.
(Copy in David Moody file Edmund)


CHRONOLOGY OF THE TUDORS
1485 War of the Roses. At the battle of Bosworth, Henry VII wins the crown for the Tudors and begins the Tudor dynasty.
28 Jun 1491 Henry VIII is born, the second son of Henry VII.
21 May 1509 Henry VIII, age 17, becomes King of England upon the death of his father Henry VII.
7 Jun 1509 Henry VIII marries Catholic Princess Katherine of Aragon (Spain), his older brother Arthur’s widow.
18 Feb 1516 their first child, Mary I, "Bloody Mary”, is born to Katherine at Greenwich.
1525 Edmund Moody saves the life of Henry VIII.
25 Jan 1533 Henry VIII , at age 32, secretly marries his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Lady Katherine is still alive, but Henry is trying to divorce her. This leads to the schism with Rome and The Act of Supremacy.
23 May 1533 Archbishop Cranmer rules that the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine is invalid.
1 Jun 1533 Anne Boleyn, six months pregnant, is crowned Queen.
7 Sep 1533 Henry VIII’s second child, Elizabeth I, is born to Ann Boleyn, at Greenwich.
1534 The Act of Supremacy establishes Henry VIII as head of the Catholic Church in England.
8 Jan 1536 Lady Katherine dies (poison?).
19 May 1536 Anne Boleyn is executed.
1536 Henry VIII starts the dissolution of the monasteries. Land and rents are confiscated by Henry VIII.
1536 Henry Fitzroy, King Henry VIII’s bastard son, dies.
1537 Henry VIII marries third wife, Jane Seymour, 10 days after the execution of Ann Boleyn.
12 Oct 1537 Henry VIII’s third and last legitimate child, Edward VI, is born to Jane Seymour, at Greenwich.
24 Oct 1537 Jane Seymour dies from the complications of childbirth.
Jan 1540 Henry VIII marries his fourth wife, Princess Anne of Cleves (Germany). Henry VIII has a 54 inch waist by now.
July 1540 Henry VIII annuls his marriage to Anne of Cleves, because she was ugly. The marriage was never consummated. She outlives Henry’s death in 1547.
1540 Henry VIII, 49, marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, 17, cousin of Ann Boleyn. She had had an affair with her music master at age 11, and a second affair with Francis Derham, before marrying Henry VIII.
6 Oct 1541 Edmund Moody is granted lands, a pension about £6 per year and a coat of arms by Henry VIII. He then leaves the Court to live on his lands in Suffolk.
13 Feb 1542 Catherine Howard is executed, because of an affair with Thomas Culpepper. She had no children.
1543 Henry VIII marries his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, twice widowed, who survives his death in 1547 to marry her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour, in 1547. She had no children.
28 Jan 1547 Henry VIII dies at age 55. He had an ulcerous leg and may have died of a pulmonary embolism. He was buried in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
28 Jan 1547 Edward VI becomes King at age 9.
1553 Edward VI dies age 15. He never married and had no children.
1553 Lady Jane Grey becomes Queen.
1553 Lady Jane Grey executed.
1553 Mary I (Bloody Mary) becomes Queen at age 37.
1554 Mary I marries Phillip II of Spain. She had no children.
17 Nov 1558 Mary I dies at age 42.
17 Nov 1558 Elizabeth I becomes Queen at age 25. She never married.
1603 Elizabeth I dies at age 70.
The Tudor reign of 118 years ends.

If Edmund Moody had not saved the life of Henry VIII in 1525, Mary I (Bloody Mary) would have become Queen at age 8. She was devoutly Catholic and England would probably have remained Catholic as long as she reigned, presumably until 1558. Neither the Act of Supremacy nor the dissolution of the monasteries would have occurred.

“LETTERS AND PAPERS, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, OF THE REIGN OF HENRY VIII.” University of California, Berkeley Library compiled by Doug Hickling <dhhic at comcast dot net>

Vol. 5, page 305, dated 1528.

Quarter's wages due at Christmas-- . . . Edmond Mody, footman, 15s. 2d.

Vol. 16, page 704, dated 1541.

Quarter's wages at Lady Day-- . . . Edm. Moudy (Mody) footman, 15s. 2d.

Vol. 17, page 478. dated 1542.

Quarter wages for Midsummer-- . . . Edm. Modye, footman, 15s 2d.

Vol. 20, Pt. 2, page 515, dated 1545.

Quarter wages at Cristemas-- . . . Edm. Mody 15s, 2d.

Vol. 21, Pt. 2, page 152, dated 1546.

47. Edm. Moodye. Annuity, G. 17 Oct.* The footnote says that this matter was
"Preferred by Mr. Secretary Paget." I believe that the initial G stands for "grant."

Vol. 21, Pt. 2, page 159, dated 1546.

44. Edmond Moodye, the King's servant. Annuity of 20₤, payable from the feast of St. Bartholomew 37 Hen. VIII. Windsor, 14 Oct. 38 Hen. VIII. Del. West., 17 Oct. --P. S. Pat, p. 10, m. 40.

It would appear that Edmund Moody remained on the king's payroll as a servant through Christmas 1545 and did not retire on the annuity until October 1546.


Prerogative Court of Canterbury References to Moody Wills (compiled by Clifford L. Moody)

Name Dates PCC reference PROB

Will of Edward Moody B. circa 1470 D. circa. 1505 PCC 22 Holgrave 11/14
Father of Edmund (?) Period of wills: 1504 – 1506

Will of Edmund Moody B. circa 1495 D. circa. 1545 PCC
Father of Richard Period of Wills:

Will of Richard Moody B. circa. 1525 D. 28 Apr 1574 PCC 16 Martyn 11/56
Father of George and Robert Period of Wills:

Will of George Moody B. 28 Sep 1560 D. 23 Aug 1607 PCC 87 Huddlestone 11/110
Period of Wills:

Will of Robert Moody B. 20 Mar 1563 D. circa. 1614 PCC 68 Lawe 11/124
Father of William of Sudbury Period of Wills:
Fovent, Wilts (?)

Will of Richard Moody B. D. circa 1614 PCC 74 Lawe 11/124
Esq. Garesdon, Wilts Period of Wills:


Bibliographic References Regarding Sir Edmund Moodye of Bury St. Edmunds in the County of Suffolk, England
(Compiled by Clifford L. Moody)

Farris, Noël. “The Wymondleys”, pgs. 12, 13; Hertfordshire Pub. 1989.

Gibbons, John (17th Cent.). “Prince Protecting Providence”, pg. 4; London: 1682.

Grafton, Richard ( -1572). “Abridgement of the Chronicles of England”, London: 1562.

Hall, Edward (1498-1547). “King Henry VIII”, pg. 38; London: 1542, 1548, 1550.

Hine, Reginald L. “The History of Hitchin”, Vol. I, pg. 140; Vol. II. pg. 243. Old Woking, Surrey, Unwin Brothers Ltd., Gresham Press, Great Britain, 1927.

Hawley, Thomas, ( -1557). The Arms and Crest of Edmund Moodye, College of Arms, London: Granted on October 6, 1541.

Penny Magazine. “Hawking”, Vol. III, 161, pg. 392; London: October 4, 1834.

Stow, John, (1525-1605). “The Chronicles of England”, London: 1580.

Weir, Alison. Henry VIII - “The King And His Court”, pg. 247; New York: Ballantine Books, 2002.


Bibliographic Quotations Regarding Sir Edmund Moodye of Bury St. Edmunds in the County of Suffolk, England
(Compiled by Clifford L. Moody)

"The pursuit of these birds by trained hawks or falcons was a form of medieval sport which continued up to the end of the sixteenth century when sporting guns were developed. The larger the bird the greater the attraction it had for the sportsman so that herons were especially sought after. The sportsman with a hooded falcon on his wrist, would be on horseback in open country but on foot when in woods or by streams or lakes. The falconer frightened the birds and made them rise and the hunter released his bird of prey and endeavoured to follow it until it brought down its quarry. When following the hawk on foot it was usual for the hunter to have a stout pole to help him to leap over little rivulets or ditches which might otherwise hinder his progress. It is this aspect of hawking which is concerned in a well known event recounted by contemporary chroniclers, which could have happened at Purwell. It occurred in 1525 and concerned Henry VIII when he was thirty-five years old and was becoming stout. In the words of Edward Hall "the Kynge following of his Hawke, lept over a diche beside Hychyn with a polle, and the polle brake, so that if one Edmond Mody, a foteman, had not lept into the water and lift up his hed which was fast in the clay, he had bene drowned; but God of goodness preserved him.

Edmond Mody or Moody was rewarded with a pension of a groat a day or about £6 per annum, a very fair sum when we compare it with the £5 pension which the King granted to the former prior of Wymondley a few years later. Payment of Moody's pension was honoured as we see in the following example. "The 24th day of September 1531, paied to Edmond the foteman, being in pension of a grote a day for one quarter now ended, xxx shillings."

Hall's statement that the event took place 'beside Hitchin' is repeated almost word for word by another chronicler, Richard Grafton, but he had a reputation for cribbing other writers' material. But John Stowe in his account of the event, says that it happened at Temple Dinsley, a few miles to the south. However, the late Mr. Hubert Hailey of Delamere, Great Wymondley, told the writer that the herons which offered the great sport in the district were said to have been bred at Purwell by members of the Moody family whose descendants still live in Hitchin. So may we not enter the competition with other areas and claim that the royal narrow escape could very likely have happened at Purwell?

Wild life is still plentiful at Purwell and Ninesprings, and many birds frequent the streams and marshy areas although the heron is only a rare visitor. As for the nature reserve, it has to cope with the modern problems resulting from nearby housing estates." Farris, Noël. The Wymondleys, pgs. 12, 13; Hertfordshire Pub. 1989.

"Henry the Eight, following his Hawk, leapt over a Ditch with a Pole, which broke; so that, if Edmund Moody (a Foot-man) had not leapt into the Water, and lift up the King’s Head, which was stuck in the Clay, he had been drown’d (This Foot-man was rewarded both with Means and Arms, speaking his Service done to his Prince). And the King lived to perform afterwards a Deed of grand Concern." Gibbons, John (17th Cent.). Prince Protecting Providence, pg. 4; London: 1682.

Grafton, Richard ( -1572). “Abridgement of the Chronicles of England”, London: 1562.

"In this yere the kyng folowyng of his hauke, lept over a diche beside Hychyn, with a polle and the polle brake, so that if one Edmond Mody, a foteman, had not lept into the water, and lift up his hed, whiche was fast in the clay, he had drowned: but God of his goodness preserved him." Hall, Edward (1498-1547). King Henry VIII, pg. 38; London: 1542, 1548, 1550.

"From Edward Moody, 1504, whose son twenty years after saved the great despoiler’s life when he fell head first into the Hiz, they received two quarters of malt." Hine, Reginald L. “The History of Hitchin”, Vol. I, pg. 140. Old Woking, Surrey, Unwin Brothers Ltd., Gresham Press, Great Britain, 1927.

"But in 1523 and again in 1525 two untoward accidents befell the King. ‘On the 15th October in the fourteenth year,’ says Hall, ‘the Kyng lay at Hychen to see his Hawkes flye, and by chance the Kyng’s lodging was on fyer and he in greate feare but in no jeopardie’(v) (885.1.275). One of our historians, though he gives no authority, asserts that the king was in the very gravest jeopardy, and ‘escaped with not so much as a shirt upon his back’ (53). Then in the latter end of 1525 we read that ‘the Kynge folowyng of his Hawke, lept over a diche beside Hychyn with a polle, and the polle brake, so that if one Edmond Moody a footman had not lepte into the water and lift up his head, which was faste in the clay, he had been drowned; but god of his goodnesse preserved him’ (885.2.38). Some of our historians, in recounting this episode, have sighed to think what a different course of history of England would have taken if the Defender of the Faith had been left to stick in the mud (50.2.47). But we have no time for idle speculations. Whatever we may privately wish, Henry lived on to divorce his wife and decree a judicial separation between England and Rome; and, alas! He sold his manor and came no more to Hitchin. Moody lived on to take his reward of a groat per diem out of the Privy Purse. And the River Hiz ran on just as muddily and unconcernedly as ever." Hine, Reginald L. “The History of Hitchin”, Vol. II. pg. 243. Old Woking, Surrey, Unwin Brothers Ltd., Gresham Press, Great Britain, 1927.

"The Arms and Crest of Edmund Mowdye otherwise Moody of Bury St. Edmunds in the County of Suffolk, A Gentleman, granted by letters patent under the hand and seal of Thomas Hawley, Clarenceux King of arms on the sixth day of October 1541 in the thirty-second year of his Majesty King Henry VIII for miraculously saving his life at Hitchin, County of Herts, when leaping over a ditch with a pole which brake; that if the said Edmund, a footman in the King’s retinue, had not leapt into ye water and lifted up the King’s head, he had drowned; for which he was rewarded. ‘The Reward of Valor’." Hawley, Thomas, ( -1557). The Arms and Crest of Edmund Mowdye, College of Arms by Windsor Herald of Arms, London: Granted on October 6, 1541.

"We are told by the old chronicler Hall that, on one occasion, our wife-killing king was well nigh losing his life through his love of the sport. It was the custom not only to cast off the falcon and follow it on horseback, but also, where the ground was broken, intersected by water or marshes, or covered with wood, to pursue the pastime on foot. In the latter case, each sportsman carried a stout pole, to aid him in jumping over rivulets and ditches. Now, one day, as Henry was hawking in this manner, at Hitchin, in Hertfordshire, while vaulting over a ditch, his pole broke, and he fell head downwards into the deep mud, which almost smothered him; and there he would have died, but for one John Moody, a serving-man, who, happening to be near, leaped into the ditch and rescued the king. "And so," says old Hall, "God in his goodness preserved hym." Penny Magazine. “Hawking”, Vol. III, 161, pg. 392; London: October 4, 1834.

Stow, John, (1525-1605). “The Chronicles of England”, London: 1580.

"If Will Somers had dared, he could probably have made his audience see the comic aspects of an accident that befell the King in 1525. But in fact this was no laughing matter, for, once again, Henry was nearly killed. When he was "following of his hawk" near Hitchin, he tried to pole-vault over a ditch, but the pole snapped and he landed headfirst in the muddy water. Stuck fast in the clay, he would have drowned had it not been for a footman, Edmund Mody, who leapt into the stream and hauled him out. This accident (or the one in the tiltyard a year before) might have accounted for the headaches he suffered later on, but its immediate effect was to bring home to the king, more forcibly than ever, the fact that the problem of the succession must be solved as a matter of urgency." Weir, Alison. Henry VIII - “The King And His Court”, pg. 247; New York: Ballantine Books, 2002.


Warrant of King Henry VIII (courtesy of Clifford L. Moody)
DR 37/2/72/14

By the king
[Signature of Henry VIII]

We woll and commaunde you forthw[ith] upon the sight herof that ye do delyv[er]e or do to bee delyv[er]ed Unto our welbeloved s[er]v[a]ntes Robert Grene William Armorer William Cokkes Thomas Hutton James Tore and Edmond Mody your fotemen and to ev[er]y of them these parcelles folowing Furst to ev[er]y of them fowre brode yardes of London Russet cloth p[ri]ce ev[er]y yarde six shillinges for a gowne for ev[er]y of them W[ith] asmoche Irisshe Lambe as woll furre ev[er]y of the same p[ri]ce ev[er]y furre thyrcy shillinges and that ye paye fowre shillinges for leyng in of ev[er]y of the same furres It[e]m to ev[er]y of them fowre peyre of hosen of white kerseye p[ri]ce of ev[er]y of them W[ith] the lynyng and making fowre shillinges Item to ev[er]y of them two peyre of Skarlet hosen peyeing for the making and lynyng of them price ev[er]y peyre Nyne shillinges It[e]m to ev[er]y of them two dublettes of velwet the oon of ev[er]y of them tawney velwet and thoder Russet velwet ev[er]y dublet conteynyng thre yardes and Lyned w[ith] fustyan and canvas redy made It[e]m to ev[er]y of them two yardes of Crymson velwet for a Jerkyn and lyned w[ith] fustyan ev[er]y of the same redy made It[e]m to ev[er]y of them two skarlet bonettes price the pece six shillinges It[e]m to ev[er]y of them oon hatte ev[er]y hat p[ri]ce two shillinges Item to ev[er]y of them six shyrtes ev[er]y shyrt conteynyng fowre elles of holand cloth price ev[er]y elle 16d. made with draught worke Item to ev[er]y of them twelve peyre of double soled shoes p[ri]ce ev[er]y peyre twelve pens It[e]m to ev[er]y of them six dosen of sylke riband poyntes p[ri]ce ev[er]y dosen eight pens And these our l[ett]res shalbe your sufficient Warraunt and Discharge in this behalf Yeven under o[ur] Signet at o[ur] Manor of Grenewiche the 17th daye of October the 25th yere of our Reigne

To o[ur] Right trusty and Welbeloved Counsaillor the Lord Windesore keper of our greate Warederobe

“Edmund, a footman to King Henry VIII in 1540. The King knighted E. for saving his life in that year while they were out together on a hawking expedition. The King used his pole to life himself across a canal but the pole broke and the King went into the water. His head caught in the sandy march. Edmund eventually had to pick the King up and life him onto the embankment to save him. In appreciation the King gave Edmund the Estate of Garsden in Wiltshire as a reward for his bravery. After his knighthood, Edmund left the employ of the King and went to Bury St. Edmunds.” ®8