King Henry VIII, (1491-1547), best known for his table
manners, his six wives, and as father of the more prominent Queen Elizabeth I
(1533-1603), was an ardent collector of wildlife. Recent literature (Beardsley, 2009)
signals the development of a growing body of scholarship on his contribution
to early animal conservation, and in particular his love of rare and exotic
birds.
The parakeets were first brought to
Greenwich
Park as part of a gift made by explorer Vasco da
Gama (c. 1469-1524) to Henry VIII under the terms of a treaty drawn up with
Portugal as part of attempts to quell unrest between Britain and Spain. Henry believed that familiarity with
wildlife was an important part of cultural life, and something that could
bring enlightenment to the everyday lives of
Greenwich people.
Henry commissioned the design and construction of a
bird house under the supervision of Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York (c.
1471-1530). This was an elaborate
construction decorated by reliefs of exotic birds designed by Italian
craftsman Giovanni da Maiano. He
regularly opened the bird house for the enjoyment of local tradesmen and
artisans, believing that an understanding and appreciation of rare and unusual
creatures would enhance their creativity and productiveness.
Following Henry’s death the bird house was allowed to
fall into disrepair and was eventually removed as an austerity measure by
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658). One
theory of why the parakeets survived is that a kindly local found time to feed
the birds regularly. Larger
varieties of bird, including the Rosebreasted Cockatoo of which Henry was
particularly proud, sadly died out as they were unable to survive the cold
winters.
Beardsley, E (2009) ‘Wildlife Conservation, its
antecedents – an examination of the role of the British Monarchy in the early
development of wildlife protection policy’. International Journal of Natural
Heritage, Vol 5 Issue 6 pp 323-358
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