4080 Hexes by Stick Insect

Stick Insect gave us a nicely themed puzzle on the wives of Henry VIII. The title hinted at Henry’s exes. In clues the rogue letters gave the first names of Henry’s six wives. Those that were beheaded or divorced were split by the letter H. In the grid the surnames of five of the wives could be highlighted with the same division with the letter H, Aragon and Boleyn sharing the final N. When highlighted they formed the letters VIII. The remaining name was PARR, the only wife to survive him.

Extra and omitted letters are shown in [ ].

Across
1 Employed to remain unchanged, quiet, subdued (8)
BESTOWED BE + ST (quiet) + [C]OWED
7 Local girl followed by saints - a risky situation (6)
MOR[A]SS MOR + SS
12 Plant extract claiming active energy compound hides ulcer's origins (7)
CA[T]ECHU initial letters
13 Mistake to precede east wind (4)
BISE BIS[H] + E
15 Fish murmur softly (4)
CO[H]O 2 definitions COO
16 Idiotic gambling game with a counter (6)
OAFISH [E]O + FISH
17 Dry up Scottish inlets, expelling ordinary marine mammals there (7)
SEALCHS SEA[R] + LOCHS less O (ordinary)
18 Laments over type of salad (4)
SLAW WA[I]LS reversed
19 Stagger in Perth street bearing large weight (4)
STOT TO[N] in ST
20 Hypothetical rule applied to type of particle (7)
HYP[E]RON HYP + R (rule) + ON
21 African bird that lacks hint of tunefulness (4)
T[A]HA THAT less T(unefulness)
23 Fairies losing second axe handle (5)
[H]ELVE ELVES less S (second)
25 Indian bullfinch circles enclosure (6)
MOHAWK HAW in MO[N]K
28 Upset, temperature dropping twice, imagine total blood disorder (9)
OLIGAEMIA Anagram IMAGI[N]ETOTAL less TT (temperature twice)
32 Beat old cow that's facing west (3)
TAN N[E]AT reversed
34 Springbok's celebration in rabbit settlement (6)
COLONY [J]OL in CONY
35 Vintage brew of Zaire accompanies old, old bread (8)
CRUZEIRO CRU + Anagram Z[A]IRE + O (old)
36 Poison for Will precedes radical form of promotion (8, two words)
BANNER AD BAN[N]E + RAD
37 Alpine stage slopes up (4)
RISS 2 definitions RIS[E]S
38 Distasteful to retain all sections of prickly shrub (5)
GORSY [A]S  all sections in GORY
39 Noble's wife rages about deer section (10)
BARO[N]ETESS ROE in BATES + S (section)
 
Down
2 Try Liberal lord (4)
EARL [H]EAR + L (Liberal)
3 Originally, Stonehenge towered over Neolithic art's range of columns (4)
STOA initial letters S(tonehenge) T(owered) O(ver) [N] A(rt)
4 Refreshment suppliers sat up to welcome sportsman's companion willing to participate (9, two words)
T[E]A WAGONS WAG + ON in SAT reversed
5 Informal letter in seven days almost reaches the old bird (8)
WHITEEYE [C]HIT in WEE(k) + YE
6 American in hole ground up antiseptic preparation (5)
EUSOL US in Anagram [H]OLE
7 Wrongly perceived, rabble follows young lady endlessly (8)
MISHE[A]RD MIS(s) + HERD
8 Father stands up to win (4)
REAP PA[T]ER reversed
9 Outrage loses king's support before satire is played to expose feeble arguments (9)
SOCRATISE S[H]OC(k) less K (king) + Anagram SATIRE
10 Hush - is he hiding inwardly? (3)
SHH Hidden iS H[e]Hiding
11 Skua - oddly bird of song (4)
BOSN Odd letters Bi[R]dOfSoNg
12 Cabbage stem, one to be located in a small pile of hay (7)
CASTOCK A + S[I]T in COCK
14 Desires to upend part of carcase (3)
SEY YE[N]S reversed
19 Fish woman gets widow's stipend, unknown amount (6)
SHANNY SH[E] + ANN + Y
22 This fat removes depth of a scar (5)
HILAR HI[C] (this) + LARD less D (depth)
24 Five in command rule holder of delegated authority (5)
VIC[A]R V (5) + IC + R (rule)
25 Grieve for Irish girlfriend holding repository for the dead (5)
MOURN URN in MO[T]
26 Australian male in Zambia gets cross when sent north (5)
OZZIE [H]E + I’ (in) + Z + ZO all reversed
27 King pays close attention to difficulties (5)
KNOTS K + NOT[E]S
29 Wolf left boor in confusion (4)
LOBO Anagram L + BOO[R]
30 Delay destiny (4)
MORA 2 definitions MO[I]RA
31 Legally secure venerable saint (4)
VEST Ve[N]
33 Reads about primitive soil turners (4)
ARDS Anagram R[E]ADS