However, the chapel was near completion by the time Henry VII died in April 1509 at Richmond Palace. When I visited the Abbey, I had the pleasure of walking through the church with an audioguide narrated by Jeremy Irons; the only time I had ever preferred the audioguide to a real person. Image by Mrs. A Murray Smith on Wikimedia Commons The Royal Ma… Westminster Abbey is the final resting place of 30 kings and queens starting with King Edward the Confessor whose magnificent shrine stands just behind the High Altar. (How curious that it coincided with the anniversary of the death of Elizabeth of York in 1503!). I realised I wanted to know more, and it was this insatiable curiosity that set me on the path of uncovering everything I could about the burial, and final resting place of, the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty: Elizabeth I. The impression produced by the interior is very striking owing to the … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Always wondered about the final resting place of Edward VI. The Westminster Abbey Museum was located in the 11th-century vaulted undercroft beneath the former monks' dormitory in Westminster Abbey. When you visit, you will be awe-struck by the superb fan-vaulted ceiling, described as the ‘climax of late medieval design’. Since William the Conqueror, every British sovereign has been crowned in the abbey except Edward V and Edward VIII, neither of whom was crowned. 2. This is the vault in which Henry VII and Elizabeth of York had been interred around 400 years earlier. Were these people, based on the accomplishments in their lives, offered burial in the Abbey by the monarch, or did they or their families have to ask for permission? Thanks for dropping by and reading. Princess Louisa rests at the great burial church of Roskilde in Denmark alongside the Kings and Queens of Denmark, as the Queen of King Frederik V. Princess Mary was buried at Hanau as Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel; their eldest daughter, Anne, Princess Royal was buried at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft as Princess of Orange. Burying the Tudors: More Tales from Inside the Vault, Historical memorials of Westminster Abbey by Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn, 1815-1881, Hever Castle: In Search of the Boleyn Family Home, Follow ‘The Tudor Travel Guide’ on Facebook. Well, not quite. He admits that while one account – the Abbey Register – had stated from the start that James was in fact buried alongside the two Tudor monarchs, its veracity had been rejected on account of three things. However, this turned out to be just the beginning! Both coffins were of lead, with the whole of the wooden casing having been removed in both instances. The funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth I to Westminster Abbey, 28th April 1603. The vault was sunk 5.5ft below the floor of the chapel. Secondly, there was no evidence of disturbance of the marble floor of the chapel near the Tudor tombs, which might suggest that the vault had been reopened in the past. It is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. The primary royal burial place had been Westminster Abbey. Because the privilege of an abbey burial depended on wealth, the impoverished poet Ben Jonson was buried upright to save on the cost of floorspace. Within the vault, the stone floor was in pristine condition. I would love to know more about Henry VIII and Jane Seymour’s tomb, we have one sketch showing the tomb and the damage to Henrys coffin and debris, it would be fascinating look again, I too have been fascinated about Tudor period, I have been to Hampton court palace, Westminster Abby. Having carefully examined all sides of the tomb for the most likely entrance point, Dean Stanley describes how his workmen set about opening up a narrow space, close to the vault of Edward VI, to the west of the monument. It was far from London crowds, as well as far from Oliver Cromwell. If you want to find out about the location of other Tudor tombs, On the Tudor Trail has a comprehensive list here. However, at least now I know exactly what, and who, lies beneath my feet next time I explore the Tudor tombs of the awe-inspiring Henry VII Chapel. Royal burials in the abbey stopped after the construction of St. George's Chapel, but since then many other notable people, particularly famous writers, have been interred in it. With Westminster Abbey being a royal peculiar, how did so many non-royals wind up being buried there? Underneath this debris was the coffin, its wooden case had ‘been in part cleared away’. Queen Caroline’s body was taken to Westminster Abbey by twelve Yeomen of the Guard; her ladies wore black crepe. The truth and the facts are somewhat simplified for the wider audience; as one American tourist said to me on thinking she had found the tomb of Henry VIII in Westminster Abbey: “Henry VIII? The Westminster Abbey Museum is located in the 11th-century vaulted undercroft beneath the former monks' dormitory in Westminster Abbey. In addition to the handful of tombs of England’s medieval kings and their queens consort clustered close to or around the great shrine of Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey, one royal vault is quite unlike the rest. As the earth was cleared, a stone step was uncovered, and with further removal of debris, eventually, the team encountered a large stone ‘surmounted and joined on the north side with smaller stones and brick-work all over’. We have talked before about the burials of Elizabeth I and Mary I in the north aisle of the Henry VII chapel. Burials in Westminster Abbey are at his sole discretion. George II’s children Prince George William, Princess Caroline and Princess Amelia lie with their parents in the Georgian vault. Ugh! Her subject area is royal studies, specializing in Queen Victoria's family and Russian royalty. Burial Vaults Tudor Architecture Tudor History Westminster Abbey Vaulting Death Memories London Lady. For example, I would love to explore the perfect Tudor Manor at Compton Wynyates; leaf through the pages of Anne Boleyn’s prayer book, and I would be fascinated to glimpse into the Tudor vaults at Westminster Abbey. And so inside these fascinating Tudor tombs, the first ruling Stuart of England took his place alongside the founders of the Tudor dynasty. The 14th century Liber Regalis manuscript and a crimson velvet cope worn by the Dean of Westminster at Charles II's coronation will also be on display. You are about to open a tomb that has not been seen in nearly 400 years? Stanley’s team measured the vault to be 8ft 10 inches long, 5 ft wide, and 4.5 ft high, with the roof fashioned into the shape of a low Tudor arch. The slab is in the Quire – also the aisle down which every royal bride has walked who married there, from Queen Victoria’s reign onwards. However, Stanley found remnants of the lost Torregiano altar, which had once sat directly in front of the west end of the Henry VII/Elizabeth of York memorial. Westminster Abbey, with its royal burial vaults and long series of monuments to celebrated men, is not unreasonably regarded by the English as their National Temple of Fame; and interment within its walls is considered the last and greatest honour which the nation can bestow on the most deserving of her offspring. It was succinctly put by the biographer Stella Tillyard when considering this, the Georgian vault at Westminster Abbey: ‘A warring family would be brought together again. However, there was more detail that Stanley and his team uncovered when searching the central area of the Lady Chapel – often known as the Henry VII chapel in honour of the man who commissioned its construction. This was the climax of the royal war that had raged between the King – the hero of Dettingen who had personally led his troops into battle – and his eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales. He seemed to have gone missing! Handel’s ‘The Ways of Zion do Mourn’ was composed as a funeral ode for Queen Caroline; today a recording of it is played in the room which was once her Oratory, at Hampton Court Palace. His body was first conveyed to St Paul’s, where obsequies were heard, then on to Westminster for burial. More on that to come, but for now, let’s roll back time to the beginning…. I need a cooy or at least a print out of Chapter III, Royal Burials. It was with a feeling of breathless anxiety amounting to solemn awe, which caused the humblest of workmen employed to whisper in baited-breath, as the small opening at the apex of the arch admitted the first glimpse into the mysterious secret which had hitherto eluded this long search. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster.It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English, later British and later still (and currently) monarchs of the Commonwealth realms. The grouping of this royal vault makes a fascinating and curious study for consideration, bearing in mind the relationships these royal individuals had had in life. I Am honoured by your comments. I know that I am never likely to tick ‘seeing the vaults of Westminster Abbey’ off my bucket list. 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