ABSTRACT
Thomas Tallis's personal convictions can only be inferred, rightly or wrongly, from his will and his musical settings of religious texts. A letter dated 18 April 1580 was sent to William Byrd by Richard Sugeham, telling him to expect a friend conveying information he would be glad to hear. As the letter entered the state papers, with the endorsement 1580' in hand that was not Sugeham's, it may have been intercepted by the Elizabethan secret service. The church where Joan Tallis was buried was replaced after its roof collapsed in 1710, and the memorial plate may have been lost at that time. Both Tallis memorial plates survived, and were installed again when St Alfege's was rebuilt once more. Restoration work was carried out in the 1950s, with Sir Albert Richardson as the supervising architect. Anthony Roper received from Joan Tallis one guilte bowle with the cover therunto belonginge, and Byrd received one grate guilte cuppe with cover for the same.
