Memorial service for world-renowned author to take place in Southwark Cathedral

A memorial service for world-renowned writer Dame Hilary Mantel will be held at Southwark Cathedral next month.

Dame Hilary, who died last year aged 70, won the Booker Prize twice, for 2009’s Wolf Hall, and its 2012 sequel Bring Up the Bodies.

Wolf Hall was a fictional account of the rise to power of former Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.

The third and final book in the series, The Mirror and the Light, was published in 2020 to much critical acclaim, and became a fiction best-seller. It was also long-listed for The Booker Prize 2020.

In an interview, Dame Hilary once said it took years to research the books to ensure they were historically accurate portrayals.

With this in mind it comes as no surprise that Southwark cathedral was chosen as the location for the memorial, due to its links to Dame Hilary’s books about Cromwell.

In 1539 Southwark Cathedral, when it was an Augustinian priory, was surrendered to Henry VIII, the year before Cromwell’s execution.

The site of the cathedral has a rich history. In Roman times it was part of the settlement that existed over the river from Londinium.

Its Christian history began with the Saxons and a small convent. However, it became an Augustinian Priory in 1106.

Together with Westminster Abbey and St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield, Southwark Cathedral is one of London’s three surviving monastic churches.

At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the church became the property of King Henry VIII who rented it to the congregation.

It was re-named St Saviour’s, though the old name remained in popular usage for many years.

Tired of renting from the King, a group of merchants from the congregation, known as ‘the Bargainers’, bought the church from King James I in 1611 for £800.

It was during this time that the church became the stage for many of those involved in the theatres of Shakespeare’s day.

St Saviour’s Church became Southwark Cathedral in 1905.

The district it serves stretches from Kingston-upon-Thames in the west to Thamesmead in the east and Gatwick Airport in the south.

This area has a population of two-and-a-half million people, served by more than 300 parishes.

Today the cathedral is a  vibrant place of worship, prayer and reflection but it is also a host for its programme of events including music recitals, concerts, heritage talks and family activities.

Family, friends and colleagues of Dame Hilary will gather at the cathedral on April 20 for the memorial event, which will include tributes and readings from her books.

Pictured top: Dame Hilary Mantel (Picture: PA)