Honouring individuals with burials and memorials in Westminster Abbey has a long tradition.

History

Elizabeth I of England grave (left) 2013

Henry III rebuilt Westminster Abbey in honour of the Royal Saint

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, whose relics were placed in a shrine in the sanctuary and now lie in a burial vault beneath the 1268 Cosmati mosaic pavement, in front of the high altar. Henry III himself was interred nearby in a chest tomb with

effigial monument A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a deceased person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms ranging from a simple commemorative plaque or mural tablet affixed to a wall, to a large ...

. Many of the Plantagenet kings of England, their wives and other relatives, were also buried in the abbey. From the time of Edward the Confessor, until the death of George II in 1760, most kings and queens of England were buried here, although there are exceptions (most notably

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

and Charles I, who are buried in

St George's Chapel St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...

, Windsor Castle). All monarchs who died after George II were buried in Windsor; most were laid to rest in St George's Chapel, although Queen Victoria and

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

are buried at Frogmore, where the royal family has a private cemetery. Since the Middle Ages, aristocrats were buried inside chapels, while monks and other people associated with the abbey were buried in the cloisters and other areas. One of these was

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

, who was employed as master of the King's Works and had apartments in the abbey. Other poets, writers and musicians were buried or memorialised around Chaucer in what became known as the Poets' Corner. These include: W. H. Auden, William Blake, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, John Dryden, George Eliot,

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

, Thomas Gray,

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...

, Rudyard Kipling,

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...

, John Masefield,

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

, Alexander Pope, Nicholas Rowe,

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

, Thomas Shadwell, Alfred Tennyson and William Wordsworth. Abbey musicians such as

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

were also buried in their place of work. Subsequently, it became one of Britain's most significant honours to be buried or commemorated here. The practice of burying national figures in the abbey began under Oliver Cromwell with the burial of Admiral Robert Blake, in 1657. The practice spread to include generals, admirals, politicians, doctors and scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton, buried on 4 April 1727 and Charles Darwin, buried on 19 April 1882. British Prime Ministers buried in the abbey are:

William Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

, William Pitt the Younger,

George Canning George Canning (11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as Foreign Secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the Unit ...

Viscount Palmerston Viscount Palmerston was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 March 1723 for Henry Temple, who subsequently represented East Grinstead, Bossiney and Weobley in the British House of Commons. He was made Baron Temple, of Mount T ...

, William Ewart Gladstone,

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law ( ; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a ...

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...

and

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...

. During the early 20th century, for reasons of space, it became increasingly common to bury

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

remains rather than coffins. In 1905, the actor Sir Henry Irving was cremated and his ashes buried in the abbey, thereby becoming the first person ever to be cremated prior to interment. This marked a milestone as after the death of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker in December 1911, the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey chose to offer Hooker a grave near Charles Darwin's in the nave, but also ''insisted'' that he be cremated before. His widow however declined and so Hooker's body was buried in the churchyard of St Anne's Church, Kew. The majority of interments are of cremated remains, but some burials still take place – Frances Challen, wife of the Rev. Sebastian Charles,

Canon of Westminster The Dean and Chapter of Westminster are the ecclesiastical governing body of Westminster Abbey, a collegiate church of the Church of England and royal peculiar in Westminster, Greater London. They consist of the dean and several canons meeting in ...

, was buried alongside her husband in the south choir aisle in 2014. Members of the Percy family have a family vault, "The Northumberland Vault", in St Nicholas's Chapel, within the abbey. The ashes of physicist Stephen Hawking were interred in the Abbey on 15 June 2018, near the grave of Sir Isaac Newton. The memorial stone, bearing the inscription 'Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking 1942–2018', includes a form of the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy equation relating to black holes. In the floor just inside the great west door, in the centre of the nave, is the tomb of

The Unknown Warrior The British grave of the Unknown Warrior (often known as 'The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior') holds an unidentified member of the British armed forces killed on a European battlefield during the First World War.Hanson, Chapters 23 & 24 He was gi ...

, an unidentified British soldier killed on a European battlefield during the First World War. He was buried in the abbey on 11 November 1920. There are many graves in the floors, but this is the only grave on which it is forbidden to walk.

Burials

* See also: :Burials at Westminster Abbey

British monarchs and consorts

The following English, Scottish and British monarchs and consorts are buried in the abbey: *

, King of England, in 1066 * Edith of Wessex, Queen consort of England; wife of Edward the Confessor * Henry III, King of England *

Eleanor of Castile Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I, whom she married as part of a political deal to affirm English sovereignty over Gascony. The marriage was known to be particularly close, and ...

, Queen consort of England, in 1290 ( viscera at

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...

and heart at Blackfriars, London); wife of Edward I *

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

, King of England, in 1307 * Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of England, in 1370; wife of Edward III *

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

, King of England, in 1377 *

Anne of Bohemia Anne of Bohemia (11 May 1366 – 7 June 1394), also known as Anne of Luxembourg, was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and ...

, Queen consort of England, in 1394; wife of Richard II *

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

, King of England, in 1413 (reburial from

King's Langley Priory King's Langley Priory was a Dominican priory in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England. It was located adjacent to the Kings Langley Royal Palace, residence of the Plantagenet English kings. History Langley was founded in 1308 by Edward II in ...

) *

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

, King of England, in 1422 * Catherine of Valois, Queen consort of England; wife of Henry V * Possibly the Princes in the Tower (

Edward V Edward V (2 November 1470 – mid-1483)R. F. Walker, "Princes in the Tower", in S. H. Steinberg et al, ''A New Dictionary of British History'', St. Martin's Press, New York, 1963, p. 286. was ''de jure'' King of England and Lord of Ireland fro ...

, King of England, and his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York), sons of

and

Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile;Although spelling of the family name is usually modernised to "Woodville", it was spelt "Wydeville" in contemporary publications by Caxton, but her tomb at St. George's Chapel, Wind ...

* Anne Neville, Queen consort of England, in 1485; wife of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

* Elizabeth of York, Queen consort of England, in 1503; wife of Henry VII * Henry VII, King of England, in 1509 * Edward VI, King of England, in 1553 * Anne of Cleves, Queen consort of England, in 1557; fourth wife of

* Mary I, Queen of England, in 1558 * Mary, Queen of Scotland and Queen dowager of France, in 1612 (reburial from Peterborough Cathedral); mother of James VI and I * Elizabeth I, Queen of England, in 1603 * Anne of Denmark, Queen consort of England and Scotland, in 1619; wife of James VI and I * James VI and I, King of England and Scotland, in 1625 * Charles II, King of England and Scotland, in 1685 *

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

, Queen of England and Scotland, in 1695 *

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

, King of England and Scotland, in 1702 *

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark ( da, Jørgen; 2 April 165328 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. The marriage of Georg ...

, Duke of Cumberland, in 1708; husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain * Anne, Queen of Great Britain, in 1714 *

Caroline of Ansbach , father = John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , mother = Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach , birth_date = , birth_place = Ansbach, Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = St James's Pala ...

, Queen consort of Great Britain, in 1737; wife of George II * George II, King of Great Britain, in 1760

Other royal relatives

* Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Leicester and Lancaster, in 1301; son of Henry III and

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253. ...

* Katherine of England; daughter of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence * Henry of England, in 1274; son of

and

* Alphonso of England, Earl of Chester, in 1284 (heart at Blackfriars, London); son of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile *

Eleanor of England Eleanor of England ( es, Leonor; – 31 October 1214), was Queen of Castile and Toledo as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. She was the sixth child and second daughter of Henry II, King of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Early life and fa ...

, Countess of Bar, in 1298; daughter of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile *

John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall (15 August 1316 – 13 September 1336) was the second son of Edward II of England and Isabella of France. He was heir presumptive to the English throne until the birth of his nephew Edward, the Black Princ ...

, in 1337; son of

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

and Isabella of France * Elizabeth Tudor, in 1495; daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York *

Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset (21 February 1499 – 19 June 1500) was an English prince, and the sixth child of King Henry VII of England and his wife, Elizabeth of York. He was styled from birth Duke of Somerset, but never formally created a ...

, in 1500; son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York *

Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

, Countess of Richmond and Derby; mother of Henry VII * Henry Tudor, Duke of Cornwall, in 1511; son of

and

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

* Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox; great-grandson of Henry VII and paternal uncle to James VI and I *

Lady Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. In her youth she was high in the favour of her unc ...

, Countess of Lennox; daughter of Margaret Tudor and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus * Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales, in 1612; son of James VI and I and Anne of Denmark *

Lady Arbella Stuart Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...

; great-great-granddaughter of Henry VII and paternal cousin to James VI and I * Charles James Stuart, Duke of Cornwall; infant son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France * Anne Stuart, in 1640; infant daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France * Mary Stuart, Princess Royal and Princess consort of Orange, in 1660; daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France; mother of

* Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, in 1660; son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France * Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, in 1661; son of

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

and Anne Hyde * Elizabeth Stuart, Electress consort of the Palatinate and Queen consort of Bohemia, in 1662; daughter of James VI and I and Anne of Denmark; grandmother of George I *

James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge KG (12 July 1663 – 20 June 1667) was the second son of the Duke of York (later James II of England) and his first wife, Anne Hyde. In 1664, the infant James became the first Duke of Cambridge and Baron of D ...

, in 1667; son of James II and Anne Hyde *

Charles Stuart, Duke of Kendal Charles Stuart, Duke of Kendal (4 July 1666 – 22 May 1667) was the third son of James, Duke of York (later James II of England) and his first wife Anne Hyde. Charles was born on 4 July 1666 at St James's Palace. His godparents were his three- ...

, in 1667; son of James II and Anne Hyde * Anne (née Hyde), Duchess of York and Albany, in 1671; first wife of James II *

Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

, in 1671; son of James II and Anne Hyde * Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, in 1682; son of Elizabeth Stuart and Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine * Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, in 1700; son of Anne, Queen of Great Britain and

* Other infant children of Anne, Queen of Great Britain *

Prince George William of Great Britain Prince George William of Great Britain (13 November 1717 – 17 February 1718) was a member of the British royal family, second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George II and Queen Caroline). He died aged 3 months, 4 days. A ...

, in 1718; infant son of George II and

* Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1751; son of George II and Caroline of Ansbach; father of George III *

Princess Caroline of Great Britain Princess Caroline Elizabeth of Great Britain (10 June 1713 – 28 December 1757) was the fourth child and third daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach. Early life Princess Caroline was born at Herrenhausen Pa ...

, in 1758; daughter of George II and Caroline of Ansbach *

Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Great Britain (10 January 1741 – 4 September 1759) was one of the children of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. She was a granddaughter of King George II and sister of King George I ...

, in 1759; daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg *

Prince William, Duke of Cumberland Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S..html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki> N.S.">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Old_Style_and_New_St ...

, in 1765; son of George II and Caroline of Ansbach *

Prince Frederick of Great Britain Prince Frederick William of Great Britain (13 May 1750 – 29 December 1765) was a grandchild of King George II and the youngest brother of King George III. He was the youngest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Goth ...

, in 1766; son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg * Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, in 1767; son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg *

Princess Louisa of Great Britain Princess Louisa Anne of Great Britain (19 March 1749 – 13 May 1768) was a grandchild of King George II and sister of King George III. Life Princess Louisa was born on 19 March 1749, at Leicester House, Westminster, London, and was christen ...

, in 1768; daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg * Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Wales, in 1772; wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales * Prince Alfred of Great Britain, in 1782 (later moved to

, Windsor Castle); son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz * Prince Octavius of Great Britain, in 1783 (later moved to

St. George's Chapel St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...

, Windsor Castle); son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz *

Princess Amelia of Great Britain Princess Amelia Sophia Eleonore of Great Britain (10 June 1711 ( Old Style and New Style dates, New Style) – 31 October 1786) was the second daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Queen Caroline. Early life Princess Amelia was born ...

, in 1786; daughter of George II and Caroline of Ansbach *

Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (Henry Frederick;He is called simply "(His Royal Highness) Prince Henry" in the ''London Gazette'8 September 1761nave: * Field Marshal

Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army officer and Imperial Governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in the First World War, in which he led th ...

John André John André (2 May 1750/1751''Gravesite–Memorial''
Westmi ...

* The Right Reverend

Francis Atterbury Francis Atterbury (6 March 1663 – 22 February 1732) was an English man of letters, politician and bishop. A High Church Tory and Jacobite, he gained patronage under Queen Anne, but was mistrusted by the Hanoverian Whig ministries, and ban ...

, Bishop of Rochester * Clement Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee * Sir Charles Barry * Ernest Bevin * Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts *

* Admiral of the Red Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald and Marquess of Maranhão * Vice Admiral

Charles Cornewall Vice Admiral Charles Cornewall or Cornwall (1669 – 7 October 1718), of Berrington, Herefordshire, was an officer in the Royal Navy and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1709 and 1718. Origins Cornewall was born in 1669, elde ...

* Charles Darwin *

Joost de Blank Joost () was an Internet TV service, created by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis (founders of Skype and Kazaa). During 2007–2008 Joost used peer-to-peer TV (P2PTV) technology to distribute content to their Mozilla-based desktop player; in la ...

, Archbishop of Cape Town * Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon * George Graham * Stephen Hawking * Sir John Herschel, 1st Baronet * Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (buried upright) *

Andrew Bonar Law Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

* David Livingstone (heart buried in Zambia) *

Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, (14 November 1797 – 22 February 1875) was a Scottish geologist who demonstrated the power of known natural causes in explaining the earth's history. He is best known as the author of ''Principles of Geolo ...

* Sir Isaac Newton * Field Marshal Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer * Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson * Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

* Robert Stephenson * Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond *

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...

* Sir Joseph John "J.J." Thomson * William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin * Thomas Tompion *

(entombed in 1920) * Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield * Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield

North Transept

The following are buried in the North Transept: *

* Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning * William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham * Charles James Fox * William Ewart Gladstone * Henry Grattan * William Pitt the Younger * Major General Sir John Malcolm * David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield and 7th Viscount of Stormont * William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield * Theodore Paleologus II * Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry * Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston * Sir

Hugh Vaughan Hugh Vaughan was an English Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was The Earl of Bedford's steward in the west of England, and entered parliament at a by-election for Bridport in 1581 as the Earl's nominee to replac ...

* William Wilberforce

South Transept

View of Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey 03

View of the west wall of Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey

The following are buried in the South Transept which is known as the Poets' Corner: * Robert Adam *

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

* William Camden *

Thomas Campbell Thomas Campbell may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Thomas Campbell (poet) (1777–1844), Scottish poet * Thomas Campbell (sculptor) (1790–1858), Scottish sculptor * Thomas Campbell (visual artist) (born 1969), California-based visual artist ...

* William Congreve *

Abraham Cowley Abraham Cowley (; 161828 July 1667) was an English poet and essayist born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his ''Works'' published between 1668 and 1721. Early ...

* Sir William Davenant * Sir

John Denham John Denham may refer to: * John Denham (died 1556 or later), English MP for Shaftesbury * John Denham (judge), (1559–1639), father of the poet below, and one of the Ship Money judges * John Denham (poet) (1615–1669), English poet * John Denham ...

* Charles Dickens * Michael Drayton * John Dryden *

Adam Fox Adam Fox (born February 17, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fox was selected by the Calgary Flames, 66th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry D ...

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peac ...

* Gabriel Goodman *

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

(heart buried in

Stinsford Stinsford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, about east of Dorchester. The parish includes the settlements of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. The name Stinsford may derive from , Old English for a limited area of pasture. ...

) * Sir Henry Irving *

* Rudyard Kipling * Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay * John Masefield *

Anne Oldfield Anne Oldfield (168323 October 1730) was an English actress and one of the highest paid actresses of her time. Early life and discovery She was born in London in 1683. Her father was a soldier, James Oldfield. Her mother was either Anne or Eliz ...

Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

* Thomas "Old Tom" Parr * Richard Brinsley Sheridan *

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

Cloisters

The following are buried in the Cloisters: *

Edmund Ayrton Dr. Edmund Ayrton (1734 – 22 May 1808) was an English organist who was Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal. Early life Edmund Ayrton was born in Ripon and baptised on 19 November 1734. His father was Edward Ayrton (1698-1774), a 'bar ...

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...

* General John Burgoyne * Muzio Clementi *

Benjamin Cooke Benjamin Cooke (1734 – 14 September 1793) was an English composer, organist and teacher. Cooke was born in London and named after his father, also Benjamin Cooke (1695/1705 – 1743), a music publisher based in Covent Garden (active from 1 ...

* Robert Cooke * Percival "Percy" Dearmer * Laurence of Durham, Abbot ''c.'' 1158 – 1173 * Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale * Jeremy Heywood, Baron Heywood of Whitehall * William de Humez, Abbot 1214 – 1222 * Howard Nixon * John Parsons *

Johann Peter Salomon Johann Peter Salomon (20 February 1745 aptized– 28 November 1815) was a German violinist, composer, conductor and musical impresario. Although he was an accomplished violinist, he is best known for bringing Joseph Haydn to London and for c ...

* William Shield * Herbert Thorndike * John Thorndike * William Turner * James Wright

North Choir Aisle

The following are buried in the North Choir Aisle: * John Blow *

* Almeric de Courcy, 23rd Baron Kingsale *

John Robinson John Robinson may refer to: Academics *John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist * John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood'' *John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist *John ...

* Admiral Sir

Edward Spragge Sir Edward Spragge (name also written as Spragg or Sprague) (circa 1620 – 21 August 1673) was an Irish-born English admiral of the Royal Navy. He was a fiery, brilliantly accomplished seaman who fought in many great actions after the restoration ...

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

* Sir William Sterndale Bennett

South Choir Aisle

The following are buried in the South Choir Aisle: *

Andrew Bell Andrew Bell may refer to: * Andrew Bell (artist) (born 1978), British-born American toy designer * Andrew Bell (engraver) (1726–1809), Scottish co-founder of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' * Andrew Bell (educationalist) (1753–1832), Scottish ...

* James Kendall * Sir Paul Methuen * Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell * Dame Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson * Charles Whitworth, 1st Baron Whitworth

Ambulatory chapels

The following are buried in the ambulatory chapels:

St. John the Baptist Chapel

* Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter * Dorothy Cecil, Countess of Exeter; first wife of Thomas Cecil and daughter of John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer

St. Nicholas' Chapel

Northumberland Vault: * George Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp; only son of Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset * General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset * Frances Seymour, Duchess of Somerset; wife of Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset and paternal granddaughter of

Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth (1640 – 28 July 1714) was a British peer in the peerage of England. Biography He was born the son of Sir Henry Frederick Thynne of Caus Castle, Shropshire, and Kempsford, Gloucestershire, and his wife, ...

* Lady Elizabeth Percy; only daughter of Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland * Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland and 2nd Baroness Percy; wife of Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland and daughter of Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset * Elizabeth Percy; second daughter of

Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley FSA (21 January 1750 – 21 October 1830), styled Lord Algernon Percy between 1766 and 1786 and known as the Lord Lovaine between 1786 and 1790, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 17 ...

* Lady Charlotte Percy; eldest daughter of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland * Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland * Lord Henry Percy; second son of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland * Lady Louisa Percy; fifth daughter of Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley * Hon. Algernon Percy; eldest son of George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland * Hon. Henry Percy; second son of George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland * Hon. Margaret Percy; second daughter of George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland * Isabella Percy, Countess of Beverley; wife of Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley and daughter of Peter Burrell; sister of Frances Percy, Duchess of Northumberland * Lieutenant General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland * Lady Elizabeth Percy; second daughter of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland * Frances Percy, Duchess of Northumberland; second wife of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland and daughter of Peter Burrell; sister of Isabella Percy, Countess of Beverley * Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland * Lady Agnes Buller; wife of Major General Frederick Thomas Buller and twin sister of Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland * Admiral Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland * Charlotte Percy, Duchess of Northumberland; wife of the Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland and daughter of Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis; governess of Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (the future Queen Victoria) * George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland * General Lord Henry Percy; fifth son of George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland and recipient of the Victoria Cross * Lady Louisa Percy; eldest daughter of George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland * Louisa Percy, Duchess of Northumberland; wife of Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland and daughter of Henry Drummond * Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland * Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland * Helen Percy'','' Duchess of Northumberland; wife of Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland and daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond * Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland * Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (ashes); wife of Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland and daughter of

Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch and 10th Duke of Queensberry, (30 December 1894 – 4 October 1973) was a British peer and Conservative politician. Early life and education Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott was born on 3 ...

; paternal niece of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

St Paul's Chapel

* Katherine Percy, Countess of Northumberland; wife of Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland and daughter of John Neville, 4th Baron Latimer * Sir Lewis de Robessart, Baron Bourchier * Elizabeth Bourchier, 4th Baroness Bourchier

Other ambulatory chapels

* Sir

Robert Aytoun Sir Robert Aytoun or Ayton (1570–1638) was a Scottish poet. Biography Aytoun was the son of Andrew Ayton of Kinaldie Castle, in Fife, Scotland, and Mary Lundie. Aytoun and his elder brother John entered St Leonard's College in St Andrews ...

* Eleanor de Bohun, Duchess of Gloucester * Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex * Sir

Rowland Hill Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his soluti ...

*Frances, Lady Ingram; wife of Sir Thomas Ingram and daughter of

Thomas Belasyse, 1st Viscount Fauconberg Thomas Belasyse, 1st Viscount Fauconberg (1577 – 18 April 1653), styled Baron Fauconberg between 1627 and 1643 and Sir Thomas Belasyse, 2nd Baronet between 1624 and 1627, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times ...

*Mary Ingram; daughter of Sir Thomas Ingram *Sir Thomas Ingram *

Simon Langham Simon de Langham (1310 – 22 July 1376) was an English clergyman who was Archbishop of Canterbury and a cardinal. Life Langham was born at Langham in Rutland. The manor of Langham was a property of Westminster Abbey, and he had become a ...

Edward Talbot, 8th Earl of Shrewsbury Edward Talbot, 8th Earl of Shrewsbury, 8th Earl of Waterford (christened 25 February 1561 – 8 February 1617), was the younger brother and nearest male heir of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, whom he succeeded as Earl of Shrewsbury and L ...

* William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke *

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and possibly also a lover of King James I of England. Buckingham remained at the ...

* Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham and 18th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley; wife of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and daughter of Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland

Henry VII's Lady Chapel

The following are buried in the Henry VII's Chapel: * Antoine Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Montpensier; brother of

Louis Philippe I of France Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

* Joseph Addison (a white marble statue in Poets' Corner) * Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding *

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle JP KG PC (6 December 1608 – 3 January 1670) was an English soldier, who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support was cru ...

* George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax * Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard * Major General Charles Worsley (no memorial remains) Unknown location * Sir

Arthur Ingram Sir Arthur Ingram (ca. 1565 – 1642) was an English investor, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1610 and 1642. The subject of an influential biography, he has been c ...

(omission from the main burial register during the English Civil War)

Memorials

The following are commemorated in the abbey and/or had their memorial service in the abbey, but were buried elsewhere:

Individuals

Monument to James Cornewall, Westminster Abbey

Monument to Captain Edward Cooke, missing dedecation

Christopher Anstey Christopher Anstey (31 October 1724 – 3 August 1805) was an English poet who also wrote in Latin. After a period managing his family's estates, he moved permanently to Bath and died after a long public life there. His poem, ''The New Bath Gui ...

— buried at St. Swithin's Church,

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Somerset * Dame Peggy Ashcroft — cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London; ashes scattered in the Great Garden at

New Place New Place () was William Shakespeare's final place of residence in Stratford-upon-Avon. He died there in 1616. Though the house no longer exists, the site is owned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which maintains it as a specially-design ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

, Warwickshire * Wystan Hugh "W. H." Auden — buried in

Kirchstetten Kirchstetten is a town in district of Sankt Pölten-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Population Personalities It was the home during part of their lives to the Austrian poet Josef Weinheber and the English poet W. H. Auden W ...

, Austria *

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

— buried in Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire * Lieutenant General

Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, foun ...

— buried in alongside the ashes of his wife,

Olave Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (''née'' Soames; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting and co-founder ...

, in Nyeri, Kenya *

Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...

— cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London; ashes buried in Worcester Cathedral, Worcestershire * Admiral Robert Blake — initially buried in the abbey, but moved to St Margaret's, Westminster in 1661 * William Booth — buried in

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, London * Sir

Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

— body willed to science * Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh — buried at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Aldeburgh, Suffolk * Charlotte and

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, ''Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poet ...

— buried in the family vault at St Michael and All Angels' Church, Haworth, West Yorkshire; Anne Brontë is buried in at St Mary's Church, Scarborough, North Yorkshire * George Byron, 6th Baron Byron — buried at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire * Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman — buried in Meigle,

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

* Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

— buried at St Martin's Church, Bladon, Oxfordshire * John Clare — buried at St Botolph's Church,

Helpston Helpston (also, formerly, "Helpstone") is an England, English village formerly in the Soke of Peterborough, geographically in Northamptonshire, subsequently (1965–1974) in Huntingdon and Peterborough, then in Cambridgeshire, and administered b ...

, Cambridgeshire * Captain

James Cornewall Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cornewall (1698 – 11 February 1744) was an officer in the British Royal Navy who became a national hero following his death at the Battle of Toulon (1744), Battle of Toulon in 1744. His monument in Westminste ...

— buried at sea off Toulon; his monument was the first ever to be erected by Parliament at public expense * Captain Edward Cooke — buried in Calcutta, India * Sir

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

— buried on the grounds of his home,

Firefly Estate Firefly Estate, located east of Oracabessa, Jamaica, is the burial place of Sir Noël Coward and his former holiday home. It is now listed as a National Heritage Site by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. Although the setting is Edenic, the ho ...

, Jamaica * William Cowper — honoured with a stained glass window unveiled by George William Childs in 1875; buried in the St Thomas of Canterbury Chapel, at St Nicholas's Church,

East Dereham Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40&nb ...

, Norfolk * Oliver Cromwell — body buried at Tyburn, Marylebone and head buried at

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wife ...

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

— buried at Althorp, West Northamptonshire * Richard Dimbleby — ashes buried at St. Peter's Church, Linchmere, West Sussex * Paul Dirac — buried in Tallahassee, Florida * Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield — buried at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire * Sir

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

, buried at sea off Portobelo, Panama * Sir Edward Elgar, 1st Baronet — buried at St Wulstan's Roman Catholic Church, Little Malvern, Worcestershire *

Howard Florey, Baron Florey Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey (24 September 189821 February 1968) was an Australian pharmacology, pharmacologist and pathology, pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Ernst Chain, Sir Ernst Chain and ...

— buried in Marston, Oxfordshire * Sir John Franklin — presumably buried at sea near

King William Island King William Island (french: Île du Roi-Guillaume; previously: King William Land; iu, Qikiqtaq, script=Latn) is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, which is part of the Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between and making it the ...

, Canada

Memorial to Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

* Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury — buried at

St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield St Etheldreda's is the Anglican parish church of Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. Parts of the building are 13th century and there is evidence there was a church here before this in Saxon times. It is situated in the ...

* Sir John Gielgud — ashes scattered in the garden of his home in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire * Adam Lindsay Gordon — buried in Australia * George Green — buried in Nottingham * John Harrison — buried at St. John's Church,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, London * Philip Larkin — buried at the Cottingham Municipal Cemetery, East Riding of Yorkshire * The Reverend Evelyn Levett Sutton,

Prebendary of Westminster The Dean and Chapter of Westminster are the ecclesiastical governing body of Westminster Abbey, a collegiate church of the Church of England and royal peculiar in Westminster, Greater London. They consist of the dean and several canons meeting in ...

and Chaplain to the House of Commons (collapsed after reading the ninth commandment during Sunday services and died the next day) * Clive Staples "C. S." Lewis — buried at

Holy Trinity Church Holy Trinity Church may refer to: Albania * Holy Trinity Church (Berat), Berat County * Holy Trinity Church, Lavdar, Opar, Korçë County Armenia * Holy Trinity Church, Yerevan Australia * Garrison Church, Sydney, South Wales, also known as ''H ...

, Headington, Oxfordshire *

— buried at the Great Malvern Cemetery, Worcestershire *

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

— buried beside the

River Dwyfor The Afon Dwyfor is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, in total the river is in length. It rises in Cwm Dwyfor at the head of Cwm Pennant, gathers to itself numerous streams which drain the surrounding mountains from Mynydd Graig Goch in th ...

in Llanystumdwy,

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

* Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — buried in the

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

, Cambridge, Massachusetts * George Herbert — honoured in a stained glass window unveiled by George William Childs in 1875 Monument to General Wolfe in Westminster Abbey 01

Monument to General Wolfe in Westminster Abbey 01

James Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

— ashes buried at

, Spynie,

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

, Scotland * John A. Macdonald — buried in

Cataraqui Cemetery Cataraqui Cemetery is a non-denominational cemetery located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1850, it predates Canadian Confederation, and continues as an active burial ground. The cemetery is 91 acres in a rural setting with rolling wo ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Ontario * Sir

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

— ashes buried in the "Prime Ministers Garden" at

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...

, Victoria, Australia * Admiral of the Fleet

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

— buried in Romsey Abbey, Hampshire *

Pasquale Paoli Filippo Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli (; french: link=no, Pascal Paoli; 6 April 1725 – 5 February 1807) was a Corsican patriot, statesman, and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Genoese and later ...

— buried at

Morosaglia Morosaglia (; ; co, Merusaglia, link=no, ) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department, on the island of Corsica, France. Since 2015, it is the seat of the canton of Golo-Morosaglia. History Morosaglia is the native commune of Pasquale Paol ...

, Corsica * Admiral

Arthur Phillip Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 unti ...

— buried at Church of St Nicholas, Bathampton, Somerset * Franklin D. Roosevelt — buried at

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves the Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York. Springwood was the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Th ...

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

, New York * William Shakespeare — buried at Church of the Holy Trinity,

, Warwickshire *

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

— buried at St. Martin's Church, Laugharne, Wales * Rear Admiral

Thomas Totty Rear Admiral Thomas Totty (1746 – 2 June 1802) was a Welsh naval officer of the Napoleonic Wars. Life Totty was born at Holywell, Flintshire, and was baptised at Holywell parish church on 24 January 1746. He inherited a large farmhouse in the ...

— buried at

Portsmouth Garrison Chapel Domus Dei (Hospital of Saint Nicholas and Saint John the Baptist) was an almshouse and hospice at Old Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom. It is now also known as the Royal Garrison Church and is an English Heritage property and a Grade II l ...

, Old Portsmouth, Hampshire * Lieutenant General

William Villettes Lieutenant-General William Anne Villettes, (20 August 175413 July 1808) was a senior officer of the British Army during the early nineteenth century. His career saw service in the Mediterranean, particularly during the Invasion of Corscia (1794), ...

— buried in

, Jamaica * The Reverend Charles Wesley — buried at St Marylebone Parish Church, London * The Reverend

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

— buried at Wesley's Chapel, London *

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

— honoured in a stained glass window unveiled in 1995; buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris * Major General James Wolfe — buried at St Alfege Church, Greenwich, London

World War I poets

Sixteen Great War poets are commemorated on a slate stone unveiled on 11 November 1985, in the South Transept (Poets' Corner): WW1 Poets floorstone, Westminster Abbey

Richard Aldington Richard Aldington (8 July 1892 – 27 July 1962), born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet, and an early associate of the Imagist movement. He was married to the poet Hilda Doolittle (H. D.) from 1911 to 1938. His 50-year w ...

— buried in

Sury Sury () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territo ...

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

, France *

Laurence Binyon Robert Laurence Binyon, CH (10 August 1869 – 10 March 1943) was an English poet, dramatist and art scholar. Born in Lancaster, England, his parents were Frederick Binyon, a clergyman, and Mary Dockray. He studied at St Paul's School, London ...

(author of " For the Fallen") — buried in Reading, Berkshire *

Edmund Blunden Edmund Charles Blunden (1 November 1896 – 20 January 1974) was an English poet, author, and critic. Like his friend Siegfried Sassoon, he wrote of his experiences in World War I in both verse and prose. For most of his career, Blunden was als ...

— buried in

, Long Melford, Suffolk *

Rupert Brooke Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915)The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. was an En ...

(author of " The Soldier") — buried in Skyros, Greece * Wilfrid Gibson (one of the

Georgian poets Georgian Poetry refers to a series of anthologies showcasing the work of a school of English poetry that established itself during the early years of the reign of King George V of the United Kingdom. The Georgian poets were, by the strictest ...

) *

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...

(author of " I, Claudius" and the only poet of the sixteen, still alive at the time of the commemoration) — buried in

Deià Deià is a municipality and small coastal village in the Serra de Tramuntana, which forms the northern ridge of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is located about north of Valldemossa, and it is known for its literary and musical residents. ...

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, Spain * Captain Julian Grenfell — buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne-sur-Mer,

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

, France * Ivor Gurney — buried in St Matthew's Church, Twigworth, Gloucestershire * David Jones — buried in the Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery, Lewisham, London * Robert Nichols — buried in St Mary's Church, Lawford, Essex * Second Lieutenant Wilfred Owen (author of " Dulce et Decorum est" and " Anthem for Doomed Youth", and recipient of the Military Cross) — buried in the Ors Communal Cemetery,

Ors Ors () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located on the Sambre–Oise Canal, in a small wood called Bois l'Évêque. History The commune was an area of intense fighting in November 1918 for control of the canal. Sec ...

, Northern France * Sir

Herbert Read Sir Herbert Edward Read, (; 4 December 1893 – 12 June 1968) was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read ...

— buried in

Stonegrave Stonegrave is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. At the 2011 Census the population was less than 100 and so the details are included in the civil parish of Nunnington. By 2015, North Yorkshire County ...

, North Yorkshire *

Isaac Rosenberg Isaac Rosenberg (25 November 1890 – 1 April 1918) was an English poet and artist. His ''Poems from the Trenches'' are recognized as some of the most outstanding poetry written during the First World War. Early life Isaac Rosenberg was born ...

— buried in the Bailleul Road East Cemetery,

Saint-Laurent-Blangy Saint-Laurent-Blangy () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Saint-Laurent-Blangy is a light industrial suburb and river port on the northeast side of Arras, at the junction of the N50, ...

, France * Captain

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both describ ...

— buried at

St Andrew's Church ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, Mells, Somerset * Captain

Charles Sorley Captain Charles Hamilton Sorley (19 May 1895 – 13 October 1915) was a British Army officer and Scottish war poet who fought in the First World War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Loos in October 1915. Life and work Born in Powi ...

— also commemorated at the

Loos Memorial The Loos Memorial is a World War I memorial forming the sides and rear of Dud Corner Cemetery, located near the commune of Loos-en-Gohelle, in the Pas-de-Calais département of France. The memorial lists 20,610 names of British and Commonwealth s ...

, in France * Corporal Edward Thomas — buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Agny, France

20th-century martyrs

Above the Great West Door, ten 20th-century Christian martyrs from across the world are depicted in statues; from left to right: * Maximilian Kolbe *

Manche Masemola Manche Masemola (1913–1928) was a South African Christian martyr. Early life Masemola was born in Marishane, a small village near Jane Furse, in South Africa. She lived with her parents, two older brothers, a sister, and a cousin. German ...

Janani Luwum Janani Jakaliya Luwum (c. 1922 – 17 February 1977) was the archbishop of the Church of Uganda from 1974 to 1977 and one of the most influential leaders of the modern church in Africa. He was arrested in February 1977 and died shortly after. Al ...

* Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna * Martin Luther King Jr. * Óscar Romero * Dietrich Bonhoeffer *

Esther John Esther John ( ur, ), born Qamar Zia (Urdu: ), on 14 December 1929; died 2 February 1960) was a Pakistani Christian nurse who was murdered in 1960 for her efforts in Christian evangelism. She was subsequently recognized as a Christian martyr. In ...

* Lucian Tapiedi * Wang Zhiming

Formerly buried (removed)

Harold I of England Harold I (died 17 March 1040), also known as Harold Harefoot, was King of the English from 1035 to 1040. Harold's nickname "Harefoot" is first recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah" in the twelfth century in the history of Ely Abbey, and according ...

was originally buried in the abbey, but his body was exhumed, beheaded, and thrown into a fen, in June 1040. The body was later rescued and re-buried in the church of St. Clement Danes, Westminster. A number of Cromwellians were also buried in the Abbey, but later removed, on the orders of Charles II, and buried in a pit in St Margaret's churchyard, adjoining the abbey. A modern plaque on the exterior wall of the church records the names of those who were disinterred: * Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector * Admiral Robert Blake * John Pym

Marie Joséphine of Savoy , title = Countess of Provence , image = Portrait de Marie-Joséphine-Louise de Savoie, comtesse de Provence (1786)1.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Boze, 1786 , birth_date = , birth_place = Royal Palace of Turin, Tur ...

, titular Queen of France and wife of Louis XVIII of France, died in exile in England in 1810 and was buried in the Lady Chapel. In 1811, under her husband's orders, her body was exhumed and removed to Cagliari Cathedral, Sardinia. In November 1869, at the request of the Dean of Westminster and with the approval of Queen Victoria, the philanthropist George Peabody was given a temporary burial in the abbey, but was later moved and buried in Salem, Massachusetts.

Proposed burials and memorials

* Thomas Carlyle burial: Upon Carlyle's death in 1881, Arthur Penrhyn Stanley made an offer of burial in Westminster Abbey. Carlyle had anticipated and rejected this, taking issue with the Church of England's burial service as well as the spectacle of the event, saying that "Westminster Abbey would require a general gaol delivery of rogues before any man could be at peace there". In accordance with his will, he was buried with his family in Hoddam, Scotland. *

burial: After the discovery of Richard III's remains in September 2012, a controversy arose as to whether or not he should be interred at Westminster Abbey or some other suitable location. His remains were ultimately buried in Leicester Cathedral. * Captain Sir Thomas "Tom" Moore memorial: Following his death in February 2021, TV presenter Carol Vorderman suggested Moore should have a memorial stone placed in Westminster Abbey, in recognition of his fundraising efforts in the run up to his

100th birthday A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cent ...

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

Notes

{{notelist Religion in the City of Westminster Westminster Abbey World Heritage Sites in London Monuments and memorials in London Burial sites of British royal houses Burial sites of the House of Stuart Burial sites of the Pitt family Burial sites of the House of Stewart of Darnley Burial sites of the House of Orange-Nassau Burial sites of the House of Tudor Burial sites of the House of Hanover