Renowned historian, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, becomes a trustee of Portsmouth’s Mary Rose.

As a world leading expert on Tudor history, Suzannah will bring unrivalled knowledge and expertise to her role as Trustee, adding to the rich narrative of this British icon which gives an unparalleled insight into everyday life 500 years ago.

"It is an absolute honour and delight to join the Board of the Mary Rose Trust. As a Tudor historian, I recognize the extraordinary value of the Mary Rose - both as a rare repository of thousands of ordinary objects that give an insight into Tudor daily life and as an incredible
remnant of naval history. It is also a wonderful opportunity for me to work with an organisation committed to making heritage and history exciting and accessible to the public through its world class museum and online offering. It's thrilling to be part of creating the future of the past,” says Suzannah Lipscomb.

“Suzannah’s expertise of and enthusiasm for Tudor history is going to be an exceptional asset for the Mary Rose team. I am incredibly excited to work with her and the trustee board to continue to develop new innovative ways to tell the unique stories of the ship and her crew,” says Dominic Jones, Chief Executive designate of the Mary Rose Trust.

“We are delighted that Suzannah has become a Trustee of the Mary Rose and look forward to her invaluable knowledge and expertise of Tudor history adding to our world-class museum and visitor experience. She will help us shape the future of the Trust as we come out of this dreadful pandemic and ensure the Mary Rose and her stories live on for future generations to enjoy,” says Alan Lovell, Chairman of the Trust.

Suzannah is Professor of History at University of Roehampton, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a columnist for History Today. She is the author of five books on the sixteenth century, including The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII (2015), 1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII (2009) and A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England (2012). She holds a double First, MSt, and DPhil in History from Lincoln and Balliol Colleges, Oxford, and her work in the heritage sector has won awards, including the National Trust’s recent exhibition, ‘We Are Bess’, for which she was Creative Director.

Suzannah has presented numerous mainstream TV programmes, including Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History; Witch Hunt: A Century of Murder; Henry VIII and His Six Wives; and Elizabeth I (Channel 5), as well as series on BBC 4, ITV, UKTV, and National Geographic, and was a resident historian on BBC 2’s comedy panel show Insert Name Here and Channel 4’s Time Team. She has a strong social media presence under the Twitter handle @sixteenthCgirl, with over 122,000 followers, demonstrating her widespread appeal as a historian.