Westminster Abbey: Burial Place of Kings

by Joey Tregre

     Westminster Abbey is the coronation-church of the sovereigns and the resting place of the monarchs and outstanding citizens of Britain. It is a premier historical monument tied more closely to every major event in England's history than any other historical structure in Great Britain.  

     Westminster Abbey was constructed on Thorney Island in the Thames River in an area called Westminster Eyot that became part of the city of Westminster (separate from London). The site for the Abbey was the location of an earlier Benedictine monastery that Kind Edward the Confessor enlarged. He had the building consecrated on December 28, 1065 as Westminster Abbey.  

      Edward was known for his piety and commissioned Westminster to glorify God and to promote the prosperity of his kingdom. He moved his palace next to the Abbey to oversee the construction. The association of the palace with the Abbey strengthened the relationship between church and state for centuries to come.

      Edward modelled the building of a new, grand St. Peter's church of the Abbey upon Jumieges in Normandy (circa 1042). Therefore the first Abbey church was built in the Norman style.

     Upon Edward's death in 1066, William the Conqueror faced the overwhelming challenge of ruling millions of Britons. William found that one way to legitimize his rule was to hold his coronation in Westminster Abbey, a building that was linked with the earlier king. This established an important precedent for over the centuries all monarchs, except for Edward V and Edward VIII (who were never officially crowned), had coronation ceremonies held at Westminster.

     Nonetheless, it was the first English ruler following the Norman Conquest, King Henry III, who was the greatest patron of Westminster.   Henry III had the highest regard for Saint Edward the Confessor (canonized in Westminster in 1161) and wanted to continue the work Edward started. In 1245 Henry III began to build his vision of Westminster.   

     Henry wanted to construct a great house of worship that would also be the location for the coronation and burial of monarchs. From the beginning stages of construction, Henry planned to be buried next to Edward. Henry's respect for Edward may very well have been the driving force behind his desire to build the grandest church in England.  

     Henry had most of St. Peter's church dismantled and sent his architect, Henry de Reyns, to France to study Gothic cathedrals. Reyns was responsible for the construction of the vast French-Gothic church of St. Peter's at Westminster that we see today. A throne and Coronation Theatre were incorporated within the building so that a vast space would be needed to hold the great crowds that would attend coronations and state ceremonies.

From 1245-1269 work on the nave and north and south transepts was completed. This was one of the most impressive building phases as the French-Gothic vaulting of the nave reached over one hundred feet and made the vaulting the highest in England.  

     During this period Edward the Confessor's chapel was moved behind the High altar. A relief depicting the life of Edward the Confessor was placed between the High altar and the Confessor's Chapel. The body of Edward was placed in this shrine built specifically for him. The Confessor's shrine was meant to be the focal point of the Abbey with additional space allocated for the tombs of other monarchs (such as Henry III, Richard II, Henry V, and Edward I), so that they could be buried near Edward.

     Nonetheless, it was Henry III, who as a patron made Westminster a tour de force of Gothic architecture (figure 1). Henry of Reyns was appointed as architect and John of Gloucester and Robert of Beverly served as the master masons and supervisors. Thus, under Henry II the Abbey was largely the work of English masons and sculptors.

     In 1375 Cardinal Simon Langham, Abbot of Westminster, and King Richard II were active patrons. Later Henry VII had the church extended eastward with the addition of the Lady Chapel, constructed in the Gothic style in 1503. During subsequent periods the abbots of Westminster supported the expansion of Westminster. Abbot Islip was the last notable builder of the Abbey around 1532 before King Henry VIII closed the Abbey in 1540.  

     The next major change occurred when Sir Christopher Wren, the famous architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, renovated the exterior of Westminster in 1698. The renovated exterior, completed in 1745, departed from the Gothic style because Wren preferred the English Baroque.  

     One object that has remained intact since the thirteenth century is a complex geometric marble pavement (figure 2). For three days in February 1989, the carpets were lifted from the great marble pavement before the High altar of Westminster Abbey. The pavement had not been exposed for a generation, and the rolling back of the carpets is now an annual event.

Figure 2. Cosmatesque Pavement before the High Altar.

     The marble pavement was created by Roman craftsmen who were hired by King Henry III and the Abbot of Westminster, Richard de Ware to work at the church (1259). The Italian craftsmen belonged to a group of marblers called the cosmati (Foster 1-8).

     The work of the cosmati resembles a mosaic but is technically known as "apus sectil" meaning "cut work." Stones of different sizes were cut to exact shapes and put together to form a pattern for the pavement. The stones consisted mainly of purple and green porphyry cut into round or rectangular shapes with curved edges that were linked together (Foster 1-8).

     The pavement is considered to be one of the best examples of work by Roman craftsmen from the thirteenth century. Many claim that the Abbey's pavement even surpasses those of Italy, the home of the cosmati (Foster 1-8).

     It has been noted that Henry III began the custom of burying sovereigns in the coronation-church of Westminster. Sixteen of Henry's successors have tombs at Westminster. The only other coronation-church with as many tombs of sovereigns is at Cracow in Poland.  

     Westminster was important for royal burial because the Abbey is a "Royal peculiar," which means the Abbey is under control of the jurisdiction to a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign. Consequently, most of the funding for the lavish building of Westminster came from the monarchs. The financial support gave the monarchs great influence. One last reason a monarch would want to be buried in Westminster is because his predecessors were buried and/or honoured in the Abbey. However, after the Tudor period, the royals were buried at Windsor.  

     Henry III also established the precedent of commissioning burial effigies that depict the deceased in their final resting place with a canopy above them (figure 2). The monarchs are usually dressed in their royal clothes. The images seem quite naturalistic so that it is not surprising that the effigy of Richard II in Westminster closely resembles his portrait in the Wilton Diptych. Similarly, Queen Elizabeth's tomb effigy is the only artwork ever to show her advanced age (figure 3).

Figure 3. Tomb Effigy of Elizabeth I.

     Those who served the crown might also have a tomb or monument at Westminster. Geoffrey Chaucer, employed by Westminster as Master of the King of Works, paved the way for literary artists. His employment by Westminster and acclaim as a writer of English texts such as The Canterbury Tales, earned him a burial place in the Abbey. In fact, Chaucer became the first tenant of Poet's Corner in the south transept after his death in 1400. After Chaucer, other famous writers would find their way into Poet's Corner.  

     Another artist, Henry Purcell, was a great musician who was head organist for Westminster. He was buried in Westminster circa 1695 and helped pave the way for actors and actresses to be buried in Westminster.

     Other notable figures buried in Westminster are Charles Dickens, a great Victorian writer (of A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield, etc.), and Sir Isaac Newton, the great philosopher and scientist. William Shakespeare, the great Elizabethan playwright, and Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, have commemorative monuments at Westminster although they are buried elsewhere.

     Some monuments for distinguished Britons barely escaped destruction. In the mid-1500's, Henry VIII broke away from the Roman-Catholic Church and established the Church of England. Henry VIII ordered the 'Dissolution of the Monasteries' and confiscated church property in 1536. The Benedictine Abbey was spared and became an Anglican Church. Sadly, theft and vandalism continued. The crown of Queen Elizabeth, for example, has been stolen twice.  

     Vandalism was especially prevalent during periods when the monks were not there to project the Abbey. Although Queen Mary (reigned 1553-1558) restored the Benedictine order, soon after, Queen Elizabeth exiled the monks again.

     While preparations for coronations and funerals and other events have accelerated the wear and tear and sometimes caused significant damage most restorers are hesitant to try to alter the structure or even to repaint the original polychrome.

    One monument that survives relatively intact is the sculpture,  Joseph and Lady Elizabeth Nightingal and Death by Roubiliac from 1761. Elizabeth died in childbirth induced by panic from a sudden lightning strike on the ground before her. The monument depicts Joseph unsuccessfully trying to protect Elizabeth from Death. Death emerges from an iron gate in the wall below the couple who are placed on a pedestal. Joseph's expression (especially his eyes) and posture show genuine fear. The skeleton of Death, partially covered by a thin cloak, grasps Elizabeth's ankle with his bony fingers as he tries to drag her down to the depths below. Death also threatens Elizabeth with a dart several feet long (Physick 119).  

     In 1753 Roubiliac produced another monument in which Death is not victorious. The angel of Time breaks Death's dart across his knee, and Death lays down defeated. A scythe falls out of Death's hand to symbolize the end of Lieutenant-General William Hargrave's life and his journey to heaven. It is believed that Hargrave was buried in Westminster Abbey chiefly because he was wealthy. It was common for those of great wealth and social prominence to be given this type of recognition (Physick 125).

     With over 3000 tombs and 450 monuments Westminster Abbey is a national shrine. Scores of monarchs have been buried inside the Abbey along with church ministers, great playwrights, musicians, actors, heroic knights, and soldiers. Despite all of the political changes for both church and state Westminster Abbey has endured.

Works Cited

Foster, Richard. Pattern of Thought. London: Jonathan Cope, 1991.

Physick, John, Blundell, Joe. Westminster Abbey the Monuments. London: John Murray, 1989.

Royal Commission on Westminster Monuments (England). London (Westminster Abbey). Majesty's Stationary Office, 1929.

Figure 4. Shrine of Edward the Confessor.

Figure 5. Tomb Effigy of King Henry III.

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