New film explores Henry VIII’s disability

A new film being promoted by the National Trust features the little known stories of disabled people from across history, including King Henry VIII.

The film, Everywhere and Nowhere examines the lives of ten disabled people connected to properties now managed by the National Trust. The Trust said they wanted to promote the film, which has been produced in collaboration with the University of Leicester, to explore why disability had been ignored in the past. Together with the University, they hope to give a fresh look at history.

The production explores how Henry VIII, who is known for being a powerful and energetic king suffered an accident and then became reliant on mobility aids. The film also focuses on Sir Jeffrey Hudson who has been described throughout history as the “Queen’s Dwarf” and was part of the household of Queen Henrietta Maria. A portrait of the pair can be found at Petworth House in Sussex, a National Trust property. The film explores Hudson’s life, looking at his time as a Royalist soldier and a time in which he was captured by pirates, as well as being part of the royal court.

Everywhere and Nowhere was created by the University of Leicester’s Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, which has spent the last 20 years researching the representation of disability in history. Speaking about the film to reporters, National Trust’s director of curation and experience said: “The research revealed many stories of disability built and woven into heritage buildings and objects. It has given us confidence to share histories which are all around us but not always represented at our places, those stories are literally everywhere and nowhere.”

The film can be viewed online here.