Elizabeth I, Queen of England and Ireland.

Name and Titles: Elizabeth I or Elizabeth Tudor or Elizabeth of England.

Born: 7 September 1533 at Greenwich Palace, London

Died: 24 March 1603 at Richmond Palace, London.

Buried: The North Aisle of the Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, on 28 April 1603.

Elizabeth Tudor was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was Henry VIII’s second child to be born in wedlock and to survive infancy and the only surviving child of Anne Boleyn from three pregnancies (1533, 1534 and 1536). Her grandparents were Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on her father’s side; Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard, Earl and Countess of Wiltshire, were her grandparents on her mother’s side.

Until her mother’s fall in May 1536, Elizabeth was styled ‘Princess of Wales’. However, following Anne’s execution, her daughter was declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the royal succession.

As a child, Elizabeth had a sharp intellect and an aptitude for learning; she was a gifted student becoming proficient in many languages and the art of oratory, which would serve her well in later years. She was much in favour with her Protestant half-brother, Edward (b.1537). However, events became more dangerous to navigate under the reign of her Catholic half-sister, Mary, when Elizabeth became the focus of Protestant plots to oust the Catholic Queen. Enduring a stint in the Tower following the Protestant-led Wyatt rebellion in 1554 and a period of house arrest at Woodstock Manor, Elizabeth was allowed to return to where she had spent most of her childhood: Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.

Elizabeth Tudor became Queen of England following Mary’s death on 17 November 1558. Famously, she is said to have heard the news while under an oak tree in Hatfield Park, and one account records that she fell to her knees, declaring in Latin: ‘this is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes’.

She was England’s fifth and final Tudor monarch. Her reign lasted just over 44 years, making her England’s fifth-longest-reigning monarch. At the time of her death, it was noted that many men and women had known no other monarch but her and London, in particular, was plunged into mourning. On the day of her funeral, the diarist, John Stow, wrote:

‘Westminster was surcharged with multitudes of all sorts of people in their streets, houses, windows, leads and gutters who came out to see the obsequy, and when they beheld her statue lying upon the coffin, there was such a general sighing, groaning and weeping as the like hath not been seen or known in the memory of man.’

Her reign is often associated with the age of ‘Gloriana’, an image carefully cultivated by the queen. She carefully forged the cult of ‘The Virgin Queen’, of a monarch more divine than human. On a more practical level, Elizabeth recognised the importance of ruling with the widespread support of the people. She operated primarily through Parliament and surrounded herself with advisors entrusted with speaking the truth. Her reign was marked by harmony between the crown, church and parliament, which was thrown into sharp contrast through the reign of her Stuart descendants, who were reviled as Catholic sympathisers and corrupt. This created nostalgia for the past in the early years of the seventeenth century and had the effect of reviving and likely immortalising the cult of Elizabeth.

You can read my popular blog if you want to read more about The Death and Burial of Elizabeth I.

The Tomb

No details of the burial service are known. However, the embalmed body was encased in lead within the wooden coffin and first buried in the vault of her grandfather, King Henry VII. James I of England had a splendid marble tomb erected in the north aisle of the lady Chapel. According to the Westminster Abbey website, ‘This was made by sculptor Maximilian Colt and painted by Jan de Critz. The recumbent effigy resembles portraits of the Queen in old age. The cost was £1485’.

Today, the marble effigy is colourless. However, a drawing came to light in Germany, dated 1618-20, which shows ‘the queen wearing an ermine-lined crimson robe with a blue orb in her hand, a coloured dress and flesh colouring on her face. The four lions at each corner of the effigy were gilded’.

Interestingly, there have been some later additions to Elizabeth’s effigy. The crown, the golden cross on the orb and the sceptre are modern replacements, as the originals were stolen centuries ago. This is also true of the railings around the tomb, which were replaced in 1983. Finally, the magnificent collar draped around Elizabeth’s neck, and which depicts the famous ‘three-brothers jewel’, was also a later addition (1975).

Visitor Information:

Westminster Abbey is one of THE most popular tourist destinations in London. For any Tudor time traveller, it is right up there as a ‘must-see’ for first-time visitors, alongside, The Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. Well over 3000 people are officially buried or commemorated in the abbey. Still, for Tudor aficionados everywhere, the most potent draw will be the Lady Chapel, built on the orders of the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, as a magnificent mausoleum to the Tudor dynasty.

The chapel is one of the most awe-inspiring buildings in England, with its fabulous fan-vaulted ceiling stealing the show. Although you will see similar in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and indeed on a much smaller scale in other buildings dotted around the country, you will enjoy no finer example than at Westminster Abbey.

Within this Lady Chapel, you will find the tombs and effigies of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort, Mary, Queen of Scots, and commemorative plaques to Edward VI and Mary I. The latter is buried in the same vault as her half-sister, Elizabeth, beneath the splendid marble tomb in the north aisle of the Lady Chapel. You will find this entrance via a small doorway on your left, just before you enter the main body of the Lady Chapel.

According to the Westminster Abbey website, the Latin inscriptions on the tomb read:

Sacred to memory: Religion to its primitive purity restored, peace settled, money restored to its just value, domestic rebellion quelled, France relieved when involved with intestine divisions; the Netherlands supported; the Spanish Armada vanquished; Ireland almost lost by rebels, eased by routing the Spaniard; the revenues of both universities much enlarged by a Law of Provisions; and lastly, all England enriched. Elizabeth, a most prudent governor 45 years, a victorious and triumphant Queen, most strictly religious, most happy, by a calm and resigned death at her 70th year left her mortal remains, till by Christ’s Word they shall rise to immortality, to be deposited in the Church [the Abbey], by her established and lastly founded. She died the 24th of March, Anno 1602 [this is Old Style dating, now called 1603], of her reign the 45th year, of her age the 70th.

To the eternal memory of Elizabeth queen of England, France and Ireland, daughter of King Henry VIII, grand-daughter of King Henry VII, great-grand-daughter to King Edward IV. Mother of her country, a nursing-mother to religion and all liberal sciences, skilled in many languages, adorned with excellent endowments both of body and mind, and excellent for princely virtues beyond her sex. James, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland, hath devoutly and justly erected this monument to her whose virtues and kingdoms he inherits.

Westminster Abbey Website

You may be wondering, what about Mary?! Well, sadly, Mary I has no above-ground tomb. Her coffin lies in the small vault below ground, beneath the coffin of her sister, who was moved from the vault of her grandfather, Henry VII, where she was initially laid to rest, to its current location after the monument to Elizabeth was completed in 1606. the only indication that Mary and Elizabeth lie together (oh, the irony, given all that passed between them in life!) reads: ‘Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep Elizabeth and Mary, sisters in [the] hope of the Resurrection.’

Other Nearby Tudor Places:

• Westminster Abbey: The Jubilee Galleries and the ‘Hidden Highlights’ Tours: Tickets are bought separately from the main admission ticket. I strongly urge you to try and book both. The Hidden Highlights Tours are particularly popular, and you may find it easier to book out of season (January and February).
• The Jewel House: 0.2 miles. Aside from Westminster Hall the only surviving part of the Old Palace of Westminster.
• Westminster Hall: 0.2 miles. The site of state trails of significant Tudor characters such as Sir Thomas More, Sir Henry Norris, William Brereton, Mark Smeaton and Sir Francis Weston. Also, the traditional location for coronation banquets, including that of Anne Boleyn. Entry is usually outside of Parliamentary sessions, or if you are a UK citizen, you can approach your member of Parliament to request they host a visit. Tickets should be booked in advance.
• The National Portrait Gallery: 0.8 miles. Travel up Whitehall (previously known as King Street), passing the site of the palace of Westminster and the Holbein Gate (both now entirely lost above ground) to reach Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery. Enjoy seeing some of the most incredible artwork of the Tudor age! The gallery reopens in June 2023 after an extended period of closure for refurbishment.
• The Garden Museum, Lambeth: 0.6 miles. The site of the burial of Elizabeth Boleyn, mother to Anne. The old church, used by the Howard family, whose house, ‘Howard House,’ was once sited directly across the road from the church, is now a garden museum. Have coffee in the cafe and see the broken stone ledger of Elizabeth’s tomb.