Near this was buried Matilda, Queen of England, daughter of Malcolm, King of Scots, and wife to Henry I. She died May 1, 1118. This Queen would, every day in Lent, walk from her palace to this church barefoot, and wearing a garment of hair. No verse or stone to mark the place of interment are to be found.
On the north side of this Chapel is an ancient tomb of admirable workmanship and materials, the panels being of polished porphyry, and the Mosaic work round them of gold and scarlet; at the corners of the table are twisted pillars, gilt and enamelled, and the effigy of Henry III. upon it is of gilt brass, finely executed. He died in 1272, after a troublesome reign of fifty-six years, aged sixty-five, and was buried by the Knights Templars, of whose order his father was the founder, with such splendour, that Wykes, the Monk, says, he made a more magnificent figure when dead, than he had done while living.—Cavalini.
Near that of Henry III. is a small monument in memory of Elizabeth Tudor, second daughter of Henry VII., who died at Eltham, in Kent, Sept. 14th, 1495, aged three years, from whence she was removed in great funeral pomp, and here buried.
At the feet of Henry III. is an ancient monument of Eleanor, Queen of Edward I. On the sides of this monument are engraven the arms of Castile and Leon, quarterly, and those of Fontheiu, hanging on vines and oak leaves; and round the copper verge is embossed this inscription, in Saxon characters: “Ici gist Alianor iadis Reyne de Engletere femme al Rey Edeward Fiz (lerey Henry efylle alrey deespaygne econtasse de) puntif del alme deli Deu pur sa pite eyt merci. Amen.” Translation:—Here lies Eleanor, formerly Queen of England, wife to King Edward son of King Henry, daughter of the King of Spain, and Countess of Ponthieu; upon whose soul may God for His pity have mercy. Amen. The upper line is visible on the south side, the words within brackets are concealed under the tomb of King Henry V., the remainder is on the north side. It is remarkable, the body only of this Queen lies here interred, and her heart in the choir of the Friars Predicants in London. She died Dec. 27, 1290.—Cavalini.
The chantry of Henry V. is next, on each side of which are images as large as life, guarding, as it were, the staircases ascending to it. Beneath is the tomb of that glorious and warlike Prince, Henry of Monmouth (so called from the place of his nativity). On the upper slab lies a headless and otherwise mutilated figure of the King, carved in oak, which was originally covered with silver; the head appears to have been cast in silver; but this, Camden says, “was gone when he wrote his Britannica, in the reign of Elizabeth.” This Prince was guilty of great extravagances in his youth, and is said, with Sir John Falstaff, to have belonged to a gang of sharpers; yet, upon his advancement to the crown made a most excellent King, and, by the memorable battle of Agincourt, acquired to himself and the English nation immortal glory. He died in France, Aug. 31, 1422, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the tenth of his reign. In the chantry above, is the saddle, helmet, and shield, supposed to have been used at Agincourt, brought here at his interment.—John Anderne, sculptor.
The next is an ancient tomb to the memory of Phillippa, third daughter of William, Earl of Hainault, and Queen of Edward III., with whom she lived forty-two years, and bore him fourteen children. Harding tells us, that when an embassy was sent to choose one of the Earl’s daughters, a certain English Bishop advised to choose the lady with the largest hips, as promising a numerous progeny. She died August 15, 1369; and the King, her husband, bestowed a profusion of expense in performing her exequies and erecting her tomb, round which were placed as ornaments the brazen statues of no less than thirty kings, princes, and noble personages, her relations.
Adjoining to this is the tomb of Edward III., which is likewise covered with a Gothic canopy. On a table of grey marble lies the effigy of this Prince, though his corpse was deposited in the same grave with the Queen’s, according to her request on her death-bed. This tomb was surrounded, like the former, with statues, particularly those of his children, six of which remain on the south side of the tomb; viz., Edward, Joan-de-la-Tour, Lionel, Edmund, Mary, and William. He died June 21, 1377, aged sixty-four.
Here is likewise a monument in memory of Margaret, daughter of Edward IV., by Elizabeth Woodville, his Queen, which had once an inscription upon it, showing her name, quality, and age, being only nine months. She died April 19, 1472.
Between the Chairs are placed the shield and sword carried before Edward III., in France. The sword is seven feet long, and weighs eighteen pounds.
Under a large stone, once finely plated with brass, lies the great Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester; he was brother to the Black Prince, and sixth and youngest son of Edward III. He was murdered at Calais, Sept. 8, 1397.