by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

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First known as St. Peter’s Abbey, Westminster Abbey was founded by Benedictine monks in 960 under the patronage of King Edgar the Peaceful (reigned 943 – 975) and St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.  In the 1040s, King Edward, better known as St. Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042 – 1066), built his royal palace nearby St. Peter’s Abbey on the banks of the River Thames on land known as Thorney Island. Later the medieval Palace of Westminster sat upon the site and today the Houses of Parliament (formal name is still Palace of Westminster) is there.

Edward the Confessor began rebuilding St. Peter’s Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church. This church became known as the “west minster” to distinguish it from (old) St. Paul’s Cathedral (the east minster) in the City of London. See Wikipedia: Minster. The new church was consecrated on December 28, 1065. Too ill to attend the consecration, Edward the Confessor died on January 5, 1066, and was buried before the high altar of his new church the day after his death.

Shrine of Edward the Confessor

In 1245, King Henry III started the construction of the second and present Westminster Abbey in the new Gothic style of architecture. The new church was designed to be not only a place of worship and a monastery but also a place for the coronation and burial of monarchs. This church was consecrated on October 13, 1269, and on that day, King Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body to its new resting place. Edward the Confessor’s shrine survives and around his shrine were interred a number of medieval kings and queens.

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Henry VII Chapel

King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, added a major addition to Westminster Abbey, the exquisitely beautiful chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary known as the Henry VII Chapel or the Lady Chapel. The tomb of Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York is in the main part of the chapel. Around the perimeter are small chapels where other royals are interred, some in tombs and some in vaults below the chapels. Mary, Queen of Scots was exhumed from her original burial place in Peterborough Cathedral and re-interred in one of the chapels in 1612, during the reign of her son King James I. In 1867, the vault below her tomb was opened in an attempt to find the resting place of her son James I who was ultimately found to have been interred in the vault of his great-great-grandfather King Henry VII. However, all around the coffin of Mary, Queen of Scots were the coffins of over twenty of her descendants, including the small coffins of the many Stuart children who were stillborn, died in infancy, or died in childhood.

Under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel is the Hanover vault and it is here that the members of the House of Hanover were interred until the construction of the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The last royal burial in Westminster Abbey was that of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and brother of King George III, in 1790.

The altar

The monastery was dissolved during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in King Henry VIII’s reign. In 1539, Henry VIII then assumed direct royal control over the abbey and granted it the status of a cathedral. By granting the abbey cathedral status, Henry VIII had an excuse to spare it from destruction. Henry VIII’s Catholic daughter, Queen Mary I, gave the abbey back to the Benedictine monks but that ended during the reign of her half-sister, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. In 1560, Elizabeth I assumed royal control of the abbey as her father had done and declared that Westminster Abbey was a “Royal Peculiar” – a church of the Church of England responsible to the monarch rather a bishop – and made it the Collegiate Church of St Peter. Today, Westminster Abbey remains a Royal Peculiar and its formal name remains the Collegiate Church of St Peter.

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The Choir

There have been over 3,300 burials at Westminster Abbey and there are over 600 monuments and wall tablets. One of the nation’s most significant honors is to be buried or commemorated in Westminster Abbey. Musicians, poets, generals, admirals, politicians, doctors, and scientists were given the honor over the years. On June 15, 2018, the ashes of the theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking were interred in Westminster Abbey’s nave, alongside the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. See Wikipedia: Burials and memorials in Westminster Abbey for information on other people interred and commemorated in Westminster Abbey.

Royal Burials at Westminster Abbey

• 1066 – St. Edward the Confessor, King of England: first buried before the high altar, in 1269 after the rebuilding of the Abbey, his remains were placed in a shrine
• 1075 – Edith of Wessex, Queen of England, wife of Edward the Confessor, King of England: buried on the left side of her husband’s shrine
• 1118 – Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England, first wife of King Henry I: first buried at the entrance of the Chapter House, reburied by King Henry III south of Edward the Confessor’s shrine
• 1257 – Katherine, daughter of King Henry III: died in early childhood, buried in the ambulatory between the chapels of Edward the Confessor and St. Benedict
• 1264 – Katherine, daughter of King Edward I: died in infancy
• 1265 – Joanna, daughter of King Edward I: died in infancy
• 1271 – John, son of King Edward I: died in early childhood: buried in the ambulatory between the chapels of Edward the Confessor and St. Benedict
• 1272 – King Henry III of England: first placed in a grave near the high altar that had originally contained the coffin of Edward the Confessor, transferred in 1290 to a tomb north of Edward the Confessor’s shrine
• 1274 – Henry, son of King Edward I: died in childhood, buried in the ambulatory between the chapels of Edward the Confessor and St. Benedict
• 1277/1278 – Berengaria, daughter of King Edward I: died in early childhood
• 1284 – Alfonso, Earl of Chester, Edward I’s eldest surviving son at the time of his death: died in childhood, buried in the ambulatory between the chapels of Edward the Confessor and St. Benedict
• 1290 – Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England, wife of King Edward I, first placed in a grave near the high altar that had originally contained the coffin of Edward the Confessor, later transferred to her own tomb
• 1296 – Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster, son of King Henry III: buried in the Edward the Confessor Chapel
• 1298 – Eleanor, Countess of Bar, daughter of King Edward I: buried in the ambulatory between the chapels of Edward the Confessor and St. Benedict
• 1307 – King Edward I of England: buried in a tomb in the northwest corner of Edward the Confessor’s Chapel
• 1331 (buried) – Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, son of King Edward I: died 1330
• 1336 – John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, son of King Edward II: buried in an alabaster-carved tomb
• 1342 – Blanche of the Tower, daughter of King Edward III: died shortly after birth, buried in St. Edmund’s Chapel
• 1348 – William of Windsor, son of King Edward III: died in infancy, buried in St. Edmund’s Chapel
• 1370 (buried) – Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England, wife of King Edward III: died 1369, buried in a tomb on the northeast side of Edward the Confessor’s Chapel
• 1377 – King Edward III of England: buried in a tomb south of Edward the Confessor’s shrine.
• 1394 – Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England, first wife of King Richard II: buried in a double tomb next to the tomb of Richard’s grandfather King Edward III
• 1397 – Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, son of King Edward III: buried in the Edward the Confessor Chapel
• 1413 (buried) – King Richard II of England, died 1400, first buried at Kings Langley Church, moved by King Henry V to the double tomb next to the tomb of Richard’s grandfather King Edward III where Anne of Bohemia was previously buried.
• 1422 – King Henry V of England: buried in a tomb at the eastern end of Edward the Confessor’s Chapel.
• 1437 – Catherine of Valois, Queen of England, wife of King Henry V: originally buried in the Lady Chapel, during renovations in the reign of King Henry VII, Catherine’s tomb was destroyed and her remains were placed in a wooden coffin which was placed alongside the tomb of her first husband King Henry V, in 1778, her remains were buried in the Villiers Vault in the St. Nicholas Chapel
• 1472 – Margaret of York, daughter of King Edward IV: died in infancy, her coffin was originally placed to fit in the steps of Edward the Confessor Chapel but it was moved to the edge of the chapel at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
• 1485 – Anne Neville, Queen of England: buried in an unmarked grave to the right of the High Altar, next to the door to Edward the Confessor’s Chapel
• 1495 – Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII: died in early childhood, buried in a tomb on the north side of the Edward the Confessor Chapel
• 1503 – Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, daughter of King Edward IV and wife of King Henry VII: buried with her husband in a magnificent tomb in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1509 – King Henry VII of England: buried with his wife in a magnificent tomb in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1509 – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby, mother of King Henry VII: buried in a tomb in the Henry VII Chapel situated between the later graves of William III and Mary II and the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots.
• 1511 – Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of King Henry VIII: died in infancy
• 1553 – King Edward VI of England: buried in a tomb in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1557 – Anne of Cleves, Queen of England, fourth wife of King Henry VIII: buried in a plain marble tomb on the south side of the altar
• 1558 – Queen Mary I of England: buried in a vault in the Henry VII Chapel she would eventually share with her Protestant half-sister and successor Queen Elizabeth I, the tomb erected above only has Elizabeth’s effigy
• 1559 – Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, daughter of Mary Tudor and granddaughter of King Henry VII: buried in a tomb in St. Edmund’s Chapel
• 1578 – Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, daughter of Margaret Tudor and granddaughter of King Henry VII, buried in a tomb in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1578 – Lady Mary Grey, daughter of Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk and granddaughter of Mary Tudor: buried in the tomb of her mother Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, her grave is unmarked
• 1603 – Queen Elizabeth I of England: buried in a vault in the Henry VII Chapel that she shares with her Catholic half-sister Queen Mary I, the tomb erected above only has Elizabeth’s effigy
• 1606 – Sophia Stuart, daughter of King James I: died 48 hours after birth, buried in a monument that resembles a cradle near the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1607 – Mary Stuart, daughter of King James I: died in early childhood, buried in a tomb opposite her sister Sophia’s tomb near the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I in the Henry VII’s Chapel
• 1612 (buried) Mary, Queen of Scots: died 1587, originally buried at Peterborough Cathedral, in 1612, Mary’s remains were exhumed upon the orders of her son King James I and were reburied in a marble tomb with a beautiful effigy directly across the aisle from the chapel containing the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1612 – Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King James I: died at age 18, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1615 – Lady Arbella Stuart, great-granddaughter of Margaret Tudor: buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1619 – Anne of Denmark, Queen of England, wife of King James I: buried in the vault of the Dukes of Buckinghamshire in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1625 – King James I of England: buried in the vault with King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, his great-great-grandparents
• 1629 – Charles James Stuart, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, firstborn of King Charles I: born and died the same day
• 1640 – Princess Anne, daughter of King Charles I: died in early childhood, buried next to her brother Charles James
• 1660 – Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, son of King Charles I: buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1660 – Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange, daughter of King Charles I, mother of King William III: buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1661 – Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, son of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1662 – Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine, Queen of Bohemia, daughter of King James I: buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1667 – James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, son of King James II: died in early childhood, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1667 – Charles Stuart, Duke of Kendal, son of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1669 – Henrietta Stuart, daughter of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1671 – Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, first wife of King James I: buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1671 – Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, son of King James II: died in early childhood, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1671 – Catherine Stuart, daughter of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1675 – Catherine Laura Stuart, daughter of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1677 – Charles, Duke of Cambridge, son of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1678 – Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James II: died in infancy
• 1681 – Isabel Stuart, daughter of King James II: died in early childhood, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1681 (buried) Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth, an illegitimate son of King Charles II: died 1680, buried in what is now the RAF Memorial Chapel
• 1682 – Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, nephew of King Charles I and cousin of King Charles II and King James II: buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1682 – Charlotte Maria, daughter of King James II: died in infancy
• 1684 – Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Yarmouth, illegitimate daughter of King Charles II
• 1684: Stillborn daughter of Queen Anne
• 1685 – King Charles II of England: buried in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1686 – James Darnley, an illegitimate son of King James II: died in infancy, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1687 – Mary, daughter of Queen Anne: died in early childhood from smallpox, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1687 – Anne Sophia, daughter of Queen Anne: died in infancy from smallpox, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1687 – Stillborn son of Queen Anne
• 1690 – Mary, daughter of Queen Anne: premature, lived only two hours, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1692 – George, son of Queen Anne: lived only a few minutes, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1693 – Stillborn daughter of Queen Anne
• 1694 – Queen Mary II of England: buried in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1700 – Stillborn son of Queen Anne
• 1700 – Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, only surviving child of Queen Anne: died at age 11, buried in a vault under the monument to Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1702 – King William III of England: buried in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1708 – Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland, husband of Queen Anne: buried in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1714 – Queen Anne of Great Britain: buried in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1718 – Prince George William of Great Britain, son of King George II: died in infancy, buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1723 – Charles Lenox, 1st Duke of Richmond, an illegitimate son of King Charles II: buried in the vault of Esme Stuart, Duke of Richmond in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1726 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, an illegitimate son of King Charles II
• 1730 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, an illegitimate son of King Charles II: buried in the Duke of Ormond’s Vault
• 1737 – Caroline of Ansbach, Queen of Great Britain, wife of King George II: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1743 – Lady Catherine Darnley, Duchess of Buckingham, an illegitimate daughter of King James II: buried in the vault of the Dukes of Buckingham in the Henry VII Chapel
• 1751 – Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King George II and father of King George III: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1757 – Princess Caroline of Great Britain, daughter of King George II: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1759 – Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Great Britain, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales: died at age 18, buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1760 – King George II of Great Britain: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1765 – Prince Frederick of Great Britain, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales: died at age 15, buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1765 – Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1767 – Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1768 – Princess Louisa Anne of Wales, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, died at age 19, buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1772 – Augusta of Saxe-Gotha- Altenburg, Dowager Princess of Wales, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and mother of King George III: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1782 – Prince Alfred of Great Britain, son of King George III: died in early childhood, first buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel, moved to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor in 1820
• 1783 – Prince Octavius of Great Britain, son of King George III: died in early childhood, first buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel, moved to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor in 1820
• 1786 – Princess Amelia of Great Britain, daughter of King George II: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel
• 1790 – Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales: buried in the Hanover vault under the central part of the Henry VII Chapel

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