SARA COCKERILL

After the exertions of the funeral procession, and the overwhelming main funeral at the Abbey, 18 December was a day of peace for Eleanor’s family and friends. A few very minor pieces of business were done – provision made for a verderer for the forest of Ayshlee and an order for dower to be assigned to Maud, the widow of one John le Daggerewerthe who had agreed not to remarry without the King’s licence. But there was also bits of business nearer to home – the appointment of

On 16 December it was St Pauls’ turn to celebrate mass, followed by the Dominicans at Blackfriars, and then the body was carried to Westminster. There Eleanor’s body would have rested either in the Chapel of the palace, or more likely at the priory of St Mary Rounceval at Charing at the junction of modern Northumberland Road and Whitehall. This final cross is the best known, and carries with it the most misconceptions. Everyone reading this will probably know the three main

Some accounts suggest taht Eleanor's heart burial at the Dominicans was on 15 December, but the Flores Historiarum records that on 15 of December the body, explicitly said to be dressed in full regalia and now rejoined by the King as well as many nobles and prelates, to have processed to the “Fratres Minores” – the term generally used for the Franciscans. They were situated by the North west of the city walls, roughly opposite the Old Bailey on the site of the modern Merill

Having proceeded this far along Watling Street, it might seem obvious that the cortege should continue into London on this same course. But that is exactly what did not happen. Instead, it crossed across Hertfordshire for a further stop at Waltham Abbey, before proceeding into London via Ermine Street. There are two good reasons for this. The first is that an entry from the North East would enable Eleanor to progress through the whole city and receive honour along the rout

A similar state of affairs pertains at the next stop, St Albans, home to one of England’s premier abbeys, and one with close links to the royal court. It was from here that Matthew Paris wrote, with material which often indicates very good sources close to the throne. St Albans was also the town closest to one of Eleanor’s favourite properties, Langley (now Kings Langley), where she had made many improvements to the house and garden, and where the nursery wing of the Court w

With Dunstable we come to a new thrill in the procession – actual eyewitness testimony! Because while the cross itself is numbered amongst the disappeared, there is an account of the cortege in Dunstable. “Her body passed through Dunstable and rested there for one night, and we were given two precious cloths called baudekyns and more than eighty pounds of wax. And when the body of the queen passed through Dunstable, her bier lay in the centre of the market place until the k

Woburn Cross is another of the “disappeared” crosses, and even less well documented than Stony Stratford. In fact it may win the prize for “least mentioned” Cross, because we hear absolutely nothing about it after its initial construction! But we do know that it existed because it is referred to six times in the accounts of Eleanor’s executors, between 1292 and 1293, as one of the Crosses being constructed by John de Bello. The cortege would have arrived there via Watling Str

After some rather long posts, we move into much sparser territory. The Stony Stratford Cross is the second of the “disappeared” Crosses, where not even a fragment remains. But the Crosses nearer London are better documented in the builders’ records and have attracted more writers over the years, so at least there is no question about their existence or location. The cross was another one made by John de Bello, this time between 1291 and 1293. In terms of appearance, about a

From Geddington the funeral cortege followed a well worn path to Northampton. At the heart of Eleanor’s property empire, these two destinations had been visited earlier in the year, and often since their first visit in 1274. The route lay along the modern A43 and wended its way direct to two of Eleanor’s properties Spelhoe and Kingsthorpe, which lie along the A43 as you enter the city. Naturally Edward would have stayed here with the cortege party at the substantial Northam

From Stamford we finally come to one of the surviving crosses at Geddington. The first question which arises is: Why Geddington? These days Geddington is a charming small village, whose nearest train station is Kettering. In the C13 it was the site of a substantial royal hunting lodge. The term hunting lodge can be a little deceptive, though. There were extensive kennels, and a mews for some of the royal falcons. The dogs were fed a diet which cost more than most poor pe