Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Question from Stacey - Grave markers in St. Peter ad Vincula

If these questions may have already been answered, I apologize. Does Kathryn Howard have a grave marker? And the others that were executed-Thomas More, George Boleyn, etc-are they in the chapel & do they have markers?


[Some of these have already been addressed, but I'm going to piggy-back a broader question on. Does anyone know if there is a "master list" of all the markers and memorials in the chapel? - Lara]

5 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Both Anne Boleyn and Katheryn Howard have markers by the altar. I have read and heard that all the bodies discovered in Victorian times during the renovation were moved and placed in a vault together, not actually where the markers are.

I do not think the men executed with Anne were actually buried in the chapel, but in the grounds nearby. I remember reading this in one of my many Tudor books, but alas I do not remember which on! Sorry!

Thomas More actually has a grave marker with a carving of him on top of it. This is not viewable to the public, but is in a closet or leading to the vault below (I believe).

As for a master list, I know of only the "remembrance" plaque of those executed and later buried there. However, it being a chapel it is very likely some type of record was kept by the clergy.

Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

In July 2008 at Tudor Q & A a question from Kat - Anne Boleyn's Burial - received 34! comments from readers which provides much information concerning burials in St. Peter ad Vicula

Nikki said...

Lara, you should have a post after my last visit in 2008 about Thomas More, including a pic of his "gravesite.". I use that term loosely, because I think we concluded it was just a memorial.

Also, didn't someone have an email or something from a curator at The Tower that answered the burial question? Seems like I remember reading that the actual bones are in a vault to the left of the altar, not directly below their grave markers.

Lara said...

There are a bunch of previous threads about bones and burials in the Chapel, so probably the easiest thing is to just search on "ad vincula" or something like that to get all the previous threads.

katja Stroke-Adolphe said...

Well when the church burned down I think they moved it a little making it harder to find the bones and also, the executed were buried 3 feet under the church and the ground was dirt so when people came in the trampled down the bodies so more bodies could be buried on top.