Posted by Allison
on 31/10/2009, 17:39:18, in reply to "Re: St. George's Chapel"
In case you have ever wondered what lies beneath the floor...
A sketch of the royal vault in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, including the coffins of King Henry VIII, Queen Jane Seymour, King Charles I, and an infant daughter of Queen Anne:
Some fascinating information about the sketch (and a zoomify version) from the Royal Collection:
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/henryviii/MicroObject.asp?row=7&themeid=313&item=7
And a rather morbid New York Times article, written in 1883, about the accidental discovery of the vault and its opening: "Opening the Vault of Charles I"
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=950DE2DB1731E433A25752C0A9629C94629FD7CF
The vault was examined in the presence of the Prince Regent (future King George IV) in 1813. The artist of the sketch recorded that "Henry's coffin, which was approximately two metres in length, was in a state of disrepair and that some remains of the king were partially visible." Ironic, because the King of course wanted to be buried in style. And from the New York Times article we learn that when the coffin of King Charles I was opened, "The head was found seperate from the body, and the black hair of the head was cut short at the neck to facilitate the hordsman's task...When the face was first seen the left eye was full and open, but it vanished almost immediately on exposure to the air."
A fascinating and macabre piece of history! Happy Halloween everyone 
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