Westminster Abbey: A History

So, after a rather lengthy disagreement between my laptop and my camera that started on Monday, they’ve finally patched up their differences and allowed me to upload more recent photos and videos. Meaning I’m back with another update.

I spent Monday morning in my continued pursuit of housing. Alas, I remained unsuccessful. (Are we noticing a trend here?) Frustrated and feeling as if my time in London was being wasted by people who cannot be “bovvered” to respond to my inquiries, I decided to check-off one of the things on my “To Do” list: tour Westminster Abbey.

Now, the first thing I should say is this: you’re not actually allowed to take photos within the abbey; but, as Nic can attest, I tend to work around such signage by taking secret videos when no one’s looking. The way I see it, I’m not using the flash setting, so there’s no risk of damaging anything—plus, for the most part, they’re only shared between me and my pals. No harm, no foul. At any rate, that’s why some of what follows are videos, and the images are fairly grainy (they’re screen caps).

First and foremost, a bit of history on the abbey itself:

“Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.

The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.

The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.

A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artifacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.” ~ Official Site for Westminster Abbey

 

Bein' all touristy...

Pretty neat, huh?

As noted by the quoted section above, there is a “significant” collection of monumental sculpture within the abbey. This is not surprising, considering there are over 3,000 people buried there, including the likes of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Laurence Olivier, Rudyard Kipling, and Charles Dickens. 

Old Dickens was dead as a door-nail...

It’s practically impossible to be within the abbey walls without seeing and/or standing atop someone’s memorial!

But, for now, let’s look at some of the living, and then I’ll return to the dead people in a moment...

One of the things I was most eager to see was King Edward’s Chair (a.k.a. the Coronation Chair). This is the more well-known of two thrones the monarch occupies during the coronation ceremony. 

King Edward's Chair

The chair itself is has been used during every coronation ceremony since 1308, and once housed the Stone of Scone (the coronation seat for Scottish royalty). The fact that it looks a bit beat-up is not surprising, consider its age and the fact that for a long time it was not placed under lock-and-key as it is now—meaning the abbey’s students were able to carve their names and other sundry graffiti on its ancient surface.

It truly is a site to behold! And, one day—hopefully not for a very long time—Prince Charles will sit here, just as his mother did in 1953.

This image is NOT mine!

 

Another site from the abbey that some of you may recognize is the High Altar.

The High Altar...kind of.

Most recently, this was seen during the wedding ceremony of Prince William and the now-Duchess of Cambridge (nee: Catherine Middleton)

 Now, some interesting things to be pointed out here:

First, notice the two doors on either side of the altar. Near the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom exited through the door on the right, and then returned through the left-hand door a bit later. This was so they could sign the wedding register. What you may not know, however, is that on the other side of those doors is the tomb of Edward the Confessor, the man responsible for starting the abbey’s construction so long ago.

(Yes, that very hurried video is the one I captured of the room behind the High Altar. The structure at the top is the tomb itself, and in the alcoves beneath it visitors can pray.)

 

Secondly, the man seen behind the Duchess' father is the fellow who lead our tour of the abbey!

The guy who looks like he's asleep--yup, that was my tour guide.

Now, as I said earlier, I want to get back to some of the dead people buried at the abbey. (’Cause, let’s be honest, that’s the biggest reason why I went!)

There are slightly less than twenty monarch entombed within the abbey walls (though, most of the recent royals are buried on the grounds of Windsor Castle). Aside from Edward the Confessor, there is also:

·      Henry III (King of England died 1272)

·      Edward I (King of England died 1307)

·      Edward III (King of England died 1377)

·      Richard II (King of England died 1400)

·      Henry V (King of England died 1422)

·      Edward V (King of England died 1483)

·      Henry VII (King of England died 1509)

·      Edward VI (King of England and Ireland died 1553)

·      James I (King of Great Britain and Ireland died 1625)

·      Charles II (King of Great Britain and Ireland died 1685)

·      Mary II (Queen of Great Britain and Ireland died 1694)

·      William of Orange (King of Great Britain and Ireland died 1702)

·      Anne (Queen of Great Britain and Ireland died 1714)

·      George II (King of Great Britain and Ireland died 1760)

Now, as impressive as that list is (at least to geeks like me), there are actually three names that I’ve left off. Three very, very important names—and the main ones I went to see:

·      Mary I (Queen of England and Ireland died 1558)

·      Elizabeth I (Queen of England and Ireland died 1603)

·      Mary, Queen of Scots (Queen of Scotland died 1587)

Let’s start with the first two names: 

Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I were both daughters of the infamous King Henry VIII. And they didn’t see eye-to-eye on much, mostly because Mary was Catholic and the daughter of Henry’s first wife (Catherine of Aragon), whereas Elizabeth was Protestant and the daughter of Henry’s second wife (Anne Boleyn).

When Henry died, followed shortly thereafter by his only recognized son (Edward VI), Mary became queen—and promptly declared Protestantism illegal. And then slaughtered a bunch of non-Catholics, earning her the nickname “Bloody Mary.”

Well, eventually, Mary herself died, succumbing to cancer two or three years into her reign. At which point Elizabeth ascended to the throne. I don’t suppose I have to say too much about Elizabeth I here, as her history is fairly well-known.

What I did not know, and what I imagine others didn’t either, is that, after Elizabeth died, her successor (King James I of England and VI of Scotland) had Elizabeth buried alongside Mary at Westminster Abbey.

 Yes, they share the same grave. King James even affixed an inscription that reads: “Consorts in realm and tomb, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of resurrection.”

Since the new King shared Elizabeth’s religious philosophy, the memorial atop the tomb is dedicated solely to Elizabeth I. There are no effigies dedicated to her elder sister.

An acknowledgment of those who lost their lives over their faith.

Morbid? Perhaps. But, I was there!

Across the way from Queens Mary and Elizabeth rests another Mary—Mary, Queen of Scots. While Elizabeth I was still on the throne, she was worried that her cousin, the Queen of Scotland—as next in line for succession—might make a move to usurp the crown. So, it was off with her head!

At first, Mary was not buried in Westminster. However, when her son—yup, you guessed it: King James I of England and VI of Scotland—took over, he had his mother’s body exhumed and brought to the abbey, where she was buried near her cousins, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

Pretty self-explanatory...

Again, I recognize the morbidity--but I was there!

Whew!

Well, that was exhausting to type all out, and I’m sure you’re exhausted from reading it all! I think I’ll close now. I ain’t bovvered, though.

Until next time…

PS: Yes, the King James I mentioned here-and-there is the one the Bible translation is named after.