Tracy Joanne Borman (born 1 January 1972) is a historian and author from Scothern, Lincolnshire, England. She is most widely known as the author of ''Elizabeth's Women'', a portrait-gallery of the powerful women who influenced

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

. In July 2022 Borman was made Chancellor of

Bishop Grosseteste University Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is a public university in the city of Lincoln, England. BGU was established as a teacher training college for the Diocese of Lincoln in 1862. It gained taught degree awarding powers in 2012, applied for ful ...

in Lincoln.

Early life and education

Borman was born in 1972 in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

, and brought up in the nearby village of

Scothern Scothern is a small village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated north-east of the county town of Lincoln, and has approximately 1000 inhabitants (892 according to the 2001 Census). At the 2011 ...

. She was educated at Scothern Primary School (now

Ellison Boulters Academy Ellison Boulters Church of England Primary Academy is situated in Scothern, Lincolnshire, England, on Sudbrooke Road. It has around 270 pupils, and accepts them mainly from the village of Scothern and the neighbouring villages of Langworth and S ...

William Farr School William Farr School, formally William Farr C of E Comprehensive School, is a Church of England academy school for 11 to 18-year-olds in the village of Dunholme, Lincolnshire but officially in Welton, Lincolnshire, England, north-east of Linco ...

, Welton, and Yarborough School (now Lincoln Castle Academy), Lincoln. She studied and taught history at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

, where she was awarded a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1997. Her doctoral thesis was titled ''Sir Francis Vere in the Netherlands, 1589-1603: a re-evaluation of his career as Sergeant Major General of Elizabeth I’s troops''.

Career

''Elizabeth's Women'' was serialised and became a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

'' Book of the Week'' in September 2009. Borman appeared on BBC Radio 4's ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

'', also in September 2009. In 2013, she was appointed Joint Chief Curator of

Historic Royal Palaces Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that manages the United Kingdom's unoccupied royal palaces: * The Tower of London * Hampton Court Palace * The State Apartments and Orangery at Kensington Palace * The Banqueting House, Whiteh ...

alongside

Lucy Worsley Dr. Lucy Worsley (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator and television presenter. She was the joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known amongst UK television viewers as a presenter of BBC Televi ...

. In 2024 she became Historic Royal Palaces' Chief Historian. In 2021, Borman also authored an immersive audiovisual step inside a story walking tour for

Kensington Gardens Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Pa ...

entitled ''Tales of a Mistress in the Georgian Court'' on the BARD''EUM'' mobile app.

Honours

In February 2021 Borman was elected a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

. On 14 June 2024 Borman was appointed an

Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the King's

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

for services to heritage.

Personal life

She and her husband, whom she married at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, live in

New Malden New Malden is a suburban area in southwest London, England. It is within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston upon Thames, Kingston, Norb ...

, southwest London.

Published works

Fiction

*''The King's Witch'' (2018) *''The Devil's Slave'' (2019) * ''The Fallen Angel'' (2020)

Non-fiction

* ''Henrietta Howard: King's Mistress, Queen's Servant'',

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

and Vintage (2007) * ''Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen'', Jonathan Cape and Vintage (2010) * ''Matilda: Queen of the Conqueror'', Jonathan Cape and Vintage (2011) * ''The Ring and the Crown: A History of Royal Weddings 1066–2011'' (with

Alison Weir Alison Weir ( Matthews) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written numerous wor ...

, Kate Williams and Sarah Gristwood) (2011) * ''Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction'', Jonathan Cape and Vintage (2013) * ''The Story of the Tower of London'', Merrell * ''Thomas Cromwell: The Hidden Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant''.

Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.H ...

(2015)See review in ''The Economist''
/ref> * ''The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty'', Hodder and Stoughton (2016) * ''Henry VIII: And the Men Who Made Him'', Hodder and Stoughton (2019) * ''Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II'', Hodder and Stoughton (2021) * ''Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History'', Hodder and Stoughton (2023)

References

External links

Personal website

Biography on Royal Historic Palaces official website
* 1972 births Living people 21st-century English women writers 21st-century English historians 21st-century British historians Alumni of the University of Hull Academics of the University of Hull British women historians English non-fiction writers English women non-fiction writers English women novelists Historians of monarchy and royalty People associated with Bishop Grosseteste University People associated with Historic Royal Palaces People from Lincoln, England People from West Lindsey District Royal biographers Tudor historians Writers from Lincolnshire Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London {{UK-historian-stub