Another celebrated name is that of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, the great commander of the Parliamentary army. Essex was the son of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite, that Earl of Essex whose death made her last days so miserable. This younger Essex died in 1646, and was buried in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist. He had a very splendid funeral, at which his effigy was carried, dressed in his General’s uniform. After the funeral some Royalists broke into the Abbey, stripped the uniform off the effigy, and broke it in revenge for what they considered to be Essex’s treachery. At the Restoration his coffin was not found, so he was fortunately left undisturbed in his grave.
In the same Chapel is buried another great soldier of the time, Colonel Popham, who distinguished himself both on land and sea. His body was allowed to remain in the Abbey, but the inscription was effaced. Popham died in 1651.
Yet another great name is that of Admiral Robert Blake, the first of our naval heroes to be buried in the Abbey. It was Blake who defeated the Dutch Admiral, Van Tromp, off Dungeness in 1652. Five years later he destroyed the Spanish West-Indian fleet off Santa Cruz. Blake died on board his flagship, the George, just before arriving at Plymouth after this last victory. He was buried with great solemnity in Henry VII’s Chapel. Blake was re-interred on the north side of the Abbey in 1661, and a window and brass tablet have been erected to his memory in St. Margaret’s Church.
Sir William Constable, once Governor of Gloucester, and one of the men who had signed Charles I’s death-warrant, was buried in the Cromwell vault, as was also Sir Humphrey Mackworth, who had taken Ludlow Castle from the Royalists and was afterwards Governor of Shrewsbury. Colonel Richard Deane, the companion of Blake and Popham, is buried here, and General Worsley, commander of the soldiers who turned out the Long Parliament, lies in a grave not far from the Cromwell vault.
Several of Cromwell’s family were buried in this same Cromwell vault, but the bodies were all taken out at the time of the Restoration except that of his favourite daughter, Elizabeth Claypole, who is buried in a different place, on the north side of Henry VII’s tomb, and whose remains were thus left in peace.
Photo W. Rice, F.R.P.S. Allen & Co (London) Ltd Sc
Henry VII Chapel.
Tomb of the Founder.
III
We now come to the time of the Restoration, and must think of the rest of the Stuart family who are buried at Westminster.
King Charles I had been buried in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, and although there had been much talk of moving his body into a splendid tomb in Henry VII’s Chapel, this was never done, and Charles I, like Henry VI, still rests at Windsor.