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 Oliver Cromwell - Westminster Abbey, London, UK
N 51° 29.985 W 000° 07.636
30U E 699386 N 5709314
Oliver Cromwell died of a fever in 1658 and, after a short period of lying-in-state he was interred in the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey. He was only there for three years before being disinterred and taken to Tyburn to be hanged.
Waymark Code: WM13G93
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/07/2020
Views: 10
There
is a stone plaque set into the floor of the chapel that is inscribed:
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The
burial place of
Oliver Cromwell
1658 - 1661
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The
Westminster
Abbey website has an article about Oliver Cromwell that tells us:
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Cromwell
died at Whitehall on 3rd September 1658. His body was embalmed
and taken privately to Somerset House on 20 September. The
public lying in state began on 18 October until 10 November.
He was then buried privately without ceremony, according to
contemporary sources, in a vault at the east end of Henry
VII's chapel in the Abbey on the night of 10 November.
According to the Directory of Publique Worship of God (which
replaced the Book of Common Prayer at this period) a burial
was to take place without ceremony, so this accorded with the
religious feelings of Cromwell and his family. A
lifelike effigy of him was placed on a magnificent hearse for
the lying-in-state at Somerset House, as though he had been a
king. Later this effigy was erected to a standing position.
The hearse with the effigy was taken in an elaborate
procession to the Abbey on 23rd November for the state funeral
service. It remained until the fall of the Protectorate and
abdication of Richard Cromwell in May 1659 when it was broken
up.
However he was not destined to lie in the Abbey for very long.
When Charles II was restored to the throne the House of
Commons voted on 4th December 1660 that the coffins of
regicides Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton and John Bradshaw
should be dug up from the Abbey, drawn on a hurdle to Tyburn
and the bodies hung up on the gallows there. So on 26th
January 1661 Cromwell and Ireton were removed and taken to the
Red Lion Inn at Holborn, where they were joined a few days
later by Bradshaw's coffin (the delay was caused by the fact
that Bradshaw's body had not been embalmed like the others and
smelt badly). On 30th January, the anniversary of the
execution of Charles I, the hangings took place and then the
heads were cut off and stuck on spikes outside Westminster
Hall. The bodies were buried under Tyburn gallows (near the
modern Marble Arch). Cromwell's head is believed to be buried
at Sidney Sussex College.
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Note:
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With
the re-opening of Westminster Abbey after Covid-19 lockdown
photography, for private use, has been allowed in most areas
of the Abbey when services are not taking place (see here).
There is an entry fee payable to enter the Abbey that is
currently £18 for an adult (October, 2020).
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Description:
Please refer to the detailed description.
Date of birth: 04/25/1599
Date of death: 09/03/1658
Area of notoriety: Historical Figure
Marker Type: Horizontal Marker
Setting: Indoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Please refer to the Abbey's website as hours vary.
Fee required?: Yes
Web site: [Web Link]
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