Creating King James's Bible
Re-enacted at Hampton Court
 
The following material was taken from the web site of Historic Royal Palaces, and covers the first few months of 2004.  
 
JANUARY  
The Tudor State Apartments, including the Great Hall and Watching Chamber, were presented as the Stuart apartments at the start of the 1600s.  Interpretation panels and a selection of exhibits explained the "drama" and "debate" events of 1604 at Hampton Court. Exhibits included manuscripts and documents relating to the history of Jacobean drama and court performances, and the Hampton Court Conference.

FEBRUARY  
Queen Elizabeth-I died in 1603 but she and her contemporaries left a legacy of literature that has lived on through the centuries. People were able to explore the last years of Elizabeth's reign and look at the work of famous figures such as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Edmund Spenser.  Less well known but equally significant is the role of Tudor women as patrons, translators and writers of religious works.  The Queen too played an important role as muse to many poets and politicians in her day.

EASTER  
The world of the Hampton Court Conference was explored over the Easter period. King James found himself head of a Church of England wracked with controversy.  One thing all sides could agree on was the need for a new and accurate translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into contemporary English.  But how to balance the needs of beauty and accuracy, up-to-date language and familiar traditional phrases? Who would be responsible for such a task?

Visitors were able to discover the secret story behind history's world-shattering bestseller, The King James Bible, with special presentations explaining the background to and lasting influence of the King James version. Why was the idea of a translation such a political hot potato?

Around the palace, costumed interpreters representing the leading opinion formers of the day were in heated discussion, showing the strong passions this aroused at the court of King James.  Each day concluded with a debate between all parties in the Queen's Guard Chamber, where the public were invited to take sides and cast their votes.