House of Stuart Buried James i 1603-1625 Westminster Charles i 1625-1649 Windsor Commonwealth 1649- until ‘Restoration’ 1660 Charles ii 1660-1685 Westminster James ii (deposed) 1685-1689 Paris William & Mary 1689-1702 Westminster Anne 1702-1714 Westminster
House of Stuart
House of Hanover
House of Hanover Buried George i 1714-1727 Hanover George ii 1727-1760 Westminster George iii 1760-1820 Windsor George iv 1820-1830 Windsor William iv 1830-1837 Windsor Victoria 1837-1901 Frogmore
House of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
House of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha Buried Edward vii 1901-1910 Windsor
House of Windsor
House of Windsor Buried George v 1910-1936 Windsor Edward viii (Abdicated) Jan-Dec 1936 Frogmore George vi 1936-1952 Windsor Elizabeth ii 1952-
Battle Abbey – Conquest – 1066
The Battle of Hastings was fought on ‘Senlac Hill’ some ten miles from the town on October 14th 1066. The two armies were led by William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold – King of England. Above and below are views of the battle site.
Below, is the slab laid down on the spot where King Harold fell and died. It was later to be the site of the High Altar of the Abbey Church that William had built to commemorate his victory. William was crowned King on Christmas Day 1066.
The monument below was erected in 1903 by a French Society – ‘Le Souvenir Normand’ – and stands a few yards away from where Harold was killed. An approximate translation is:
‘God is with us Into the historic field of Senlac where fell the brave Harold the Saxon, 837 years after the battle which gave Norman Law to Great Britain, Le Souvenir Normand come from the edges of the Seine and proclaim with joy the peace of Normandy’s Sisters.’
Faversham
King Stephen was buried in the now demolished Faversham Abbey next to the present Parish Church of St Mary of Charity, seen below.
A brass memorial plate reads: ‘In memory of Stephen, King of England, buried at Faversham ADMCLIV’ (1154).
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral can be seen through this link and below left and right:
Below: the site on which Thomas Becket – Archbishop of Canterbury – was murdered in 1170 after a misunderstood outburst by King Henry ii – ‘will no-one rid me of this turbulent priest?’ His name is dramatically engraved in the pavement in front of the Altar.
Below left: the tomb of Edward the Black Prince (of Wales) – ‘ich dien‘, 1330-1376, son of Edward iii.
Above right, the tomb of Henry iv 1399-1413. His body was taken from London to Canterbury by boat when a storm arose. It is said that the superstitious sailors threw his body overboard, substituting another. An examination of the coffin in 1823 gave strength to this legend, as clothing, absence of regalia and other signs, all pointed to a commoner’s burial.
Westminster Abbey & The Tower of London
Below is a list of the sixteen English Monarchs (and Mary Queen of Scots) buried in Westminster Abbey and Royalty buried in St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London:
Edward the Confessor 1042-1066 Henry iii 1216-1272 Edward i 1272-1307 Edward iii 1327-1377 Richard ii 1377-1399 Henry v 1413-1422 Edward v 1483- 2 months Henry vii 1485-1509 Edward vi 1547-1553 Mary i 1553-1558 Mary Queen of Scots Elizabeth i 1558-1603 James i 1603-1625 Charles ii 1660-1685 William & Mary 1689-1702 Anne 1702-1714 George ii 1727-1760
Tower of London Anne Boleyn 2nd wife of Henry viii Catherine Howard 5th wife of Henry viii Lady Jane Grey nine day Queen
Westminster Abbey
Sixteen English Monarchs (and Mary Queen of Scots) are buried in Westminster Abbey. First, however, a number of views taken en-route to the Abbey. Below left: my ‘headquarters’, and right: Admiral Nelson.
Above left: Viscount Montgomery and right: the Cenotaph. Below left: Horseguards, and right: Buckingham Palace.
Below left: the Houses of Parliament, and right: the Sovereign’s Entrance.
Above: Cromwell.
Photography in Westminster Abbey is prohibited and, although I visited every Royal Tomb, I am only able to provide a selection of links (below) to online photographs. A full list of Monarchs buried in Westminster Abbey is provided on the ‘post’ above this one.
These links will take you to: the West Front, The Nave, Coronation Chair, (the Stone of Scone which occupied the space beneath the seat was returned to Scotland in recent years), The Choir, Elizabeth I (her half-sister Mary i is buried in the same vault but there is no monument), Henry vii Chapel (beneath which are several more royal vaults), Mary Queen of Scots and the tomb of King Edward the Confessor (who built the Abbey).
The only photograph that was allowed (below), was one of myself, after having played the five manual organ which has 106 stops including some organists’ ‘dream’ stops such as a thirty two foot double Ophicleide and Bombarde’s and Clarions.
The Tower of London
The Tower of London was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror and within it is the Jewel House in which the Crown Jewels of the Realm are held.
It was also for many centuries, a prison and place of execution for the nobility and some Royalty. Lesser mortals were not afforded the privacy and dignity of being beheaded in the precincts of the Tower, but were removed to Tower Hill for despatch in front of large noisy crowds who had arrived early for the ‘entertainment’.
The White Tower and Tower Bridge can be viewed through these links. Below left: Traitors’ Gate, and right: the Changing the Guard at the Jewel House.
Below left: the Site of the Scaffold, and right: the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula (‘St Peter without chains’ wherein those executed were buried):
Below: the Altar in the Chapel beneath which are the mortal remains of Anne Boleyn (second wife of Henry viii), Catherine Howard (fifth wife of Henry viii) and Lady Jane Grey (the nine day Queen).
Royal Resting Places 