Edward’s IV Monument in St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Back in 2016 I was much intrigued by a story which had been hanging around for some time that mentioned when Edward IV’s vault and coffin were discovered in 1790 in St George’s Chapel, an adjoining vault was also discovered, which at the time was speculated may have contained the coffins of two of Edward’s children, George who died age two in March 1479, possibly of the plague (of which there was an outbreak at the time and described by contemporaries as the Great Death) and Mary who died 23 May 1482 aged fourteen, at her mother’s favourite residence, Greenwich Palace. This vault was not explored although a ledger stone with George’s name inscribed thereon was laid over it. A drawing made at the time can be found on St George’s timeline clearly showing the ledger stone with inscription.
The floor plan dating from 1790 showing the ledger stone inscribed ‘George Duke of Bedford’ next to his father’s monument. The ledger stone covers the mysterious vault supposed at that time to contain the coffins of George and Mary.
However in 1810, during further work being made at St George’s, the actual lead coffins of George and Mary were discovered in another part of the chapel in the area known then as Wolsey’s Chapel but now known as the Albert Memorial Chapel. These coffins were easily identifiable because George’s was inscribed with
“serenissimus princeps Georgius filius tercius Christianissimi principis Edvardi iiij”
and it was known that Mary had been laid to rest alongside her little brother because her funeral accounts tell us
“and after Dirige she was buried by my Lorde George, her brother, on whos solles God have mercy” (1).
When Mary’s coffin was examined it was found she was “enveloped in numerous folds of cere-cloth closely packed with cords” (2). Finally, on Friday 30th of July 1813, George and Mary were laid to rest in the small vault adjoining their father’s but frustratingly no mention was made as to whether the vault contained any other coffins. Might this indicate there were none? Indeed would there have been room for new burials if there had been?
But still a new legend has evolved, and still persists, that there are definitely two mysterious coffins in the vault which might belong to the missing princes, Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, who were last seen alive in the Tower of London in 1483. Having heard of this story I wondered, for example, had Henry, duke of Buckingham (executed 2nd of November 1483 for treason) indeed had the boys murdered, as was suspected by some, and Richard III (not guilty of a hand in it!) then had them buried secretly next to their father?
To add strength to the story, mention of the puzzle of the coffins appeared on the webpage of St George’s chapel and also in an article in the Richard III Society Bulletin in September 2001, by someone who worked at the chapel in the capacity of a steward. In the article it stated that further investigations would be made about the vault and its contents but this has, as far as I know, never happened. I then made an online search for the 1790 report. It was found but could not be opened!. Being naturally nosy by nature I then contacted the St George’s Chapel Archivist via email who kindly responded on 22nd of November 2016 to the effect that the original information on their website was inaccurate, although it had been used to support the theory, and if there were any coffins in the vault it is not known how many nor when they dated from. The email went on to explain the 1790 report had confirmed that the small vault was noticed at the time when Edward’s was opened but not explored but it was supposed it could contain the coffins of two of Edward’s children, George Duke of Bedford and Princess Mary.
So to clarify – the St George’s blog posted in 2012 misinterpreted the information and speculated that there were coffins in Edward’s vault that could belong to his sons, the missing princes from the Tower. St George’s webpage has now been edited to reflect this.
So alas, the whole story is merely based on speculation which transpired to be erroneous. To be clear when the small vault was noticed in 1790 it was not explored but was supposed to probably hold the remains of Edward’s children, George and Mary, who were subsequently found located elsewhere. No one actually ever looked. And further in 1813 when George and Mary were interred in the vault next to their father no mention was made of any coffins being in there from earlier burial. Thus it is not known whether it was an empty vault or if there were coffins in there prior to the internment of Prince George and Prince Mary.
This is Cecily Plantagenet, Mary’s sister, but their looks were probably very similar. Originally in the Royal Window, Northwest Transept, Canterbury Cathedral now in the Burrell Collection, Glasgow..
St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Timeline of References as supplied by St Georges Chapel
( A) S.M. Bond, The Monuments of St George’s Chapel (Historical Monographs series no. 12): describes the memorial stone placed in the Chapel for Princess Mary and Prince George in 1789 and briefly describes why they are thought to be buried there: “In Vetusta Monumenta, Vol. III, p. 4, an account is given of the finding, in 1789, in a vault near that of Edward IV, of what were supposed to be the bodies of his daughter, Mary, and his third son, George, Duke of Bedford. The slab then placed in the aisle, by Emlyn, was in the same style as his slab to Edward IV. Britton, in his Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain, 1812, Vol. III, p. 45, describes the later finding of two coffins in what is now called the Albert Memorial Chapel, which were also thought to contain the bodies of Mary and George. On 30 July, 1813, these two coffins were also put under the stone already bearing their names (notes, X.23).”
(B) D. & S. Lysons, Magna Britannia, vol. I, pt. I, Berkshire (reprint of an 1806 publication), p. 471 and note: talks about the 1810 discovery of Prince George’s coffin and the inscription on it – serenissimus princeps etc.; describes the body supposed to be that of Princess Mary as “enveloped in numerous folds of cere-cloth closely packed with cords”
(C) “On Friday 30th of July 1813. The two coffins which were discovered in the Tomb House in Wolsey’s Chapel in the year 1811 – & were, upon very competent evidence supposed to contain the bodies of the Infant Duke of Bedford and the Princess Elizabeth (sic.), son and daughter to King Edward the 4th, were deposited in a vault (in the presence of the Dean) constructed for the purpose immediately under the stone which bears their names, and adjoining to the tomb of King Edward the 4th, in the North Aisle of St George’s Chapel.”
St Georges Website can be found by clicking here
(1) The Royal Funerals of the House of York at Windsor p58 Anne E Sutton & Livia Visser-Fuchs p65. I found this book most helpful with regard to the funeral of Princess Mary.
2) Cerecloth was a waxed cloth used for wrapping a corpse which was then tied with cords. See D & S Lysons, Magna Britannia, volume 1 pt.1, Berkshire (reprint of an 1806 publication page 471).
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