Who is Buried in Westminster Abbey?

For over a millennium, Westminster Abbey has served as the final resting place for Britain's most celebrated figures. From monarchs and poets to scientists and politicians, the abbey holds the graves of a remarkable cross-section of notable people from British history.

In addition to the over 3,300 people buried at Westminster Abbey, there are over 600 memorials to important national figures who are commemorated here but who were buried elsewhere. For the purposes of this article, we're looking solely at people who were buried at Westminster Abbey (with a few notable exceptions).

Frances, Countess of Sussex, 1589

Royal Burials

The tradition of royal burials at Westminster began with Edward the Confessor, whose death in 1066 coincided with the abbey's completion. His elaborate shrine became a focal point for royal devotion, inspiring subsequent monarchs to choose Westminster as their eternal home. Henry III, who rebuilt much of the abbey in the 13th century, lies nearby in an elegant tomb decorated with Italian marble.

A comprehensive list of monarchs buried in Westminster Abbey includes:

Anglo-Saxon and Norman Monarchs:

• Edward the Confessor (d. 1066)
• Harold Harefoot (Harold I) (d. 1040)

Plantagenet Monarchs:

• Henry III (d. 1272)
• Edward I (d. 1307)
• Edward III (d. 1377)
• Richard II (d. 1400)
• Henry V (d. 1422)

Tudor Monarchs:

• Henry VII (d. 1509)
• Edward VI (d. 1553)
• Mary I (d. 1558)
• Elizabeth I (d. 1603)

In addition: Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587), interred at Westminster Abbey in 1612

Stuart Monarchs:

• James I (d. 1625)
• Charles II (d. 1685)
• William III (d. 1702)
• Mary II (d. 1694)
• Queen Anne (d. 1714)

Hanoverians:

• George II (d. 1760) - The last monarch to be buried in Westminster Abbey

Queen Eleanor of Castile's memorial

Many of these monarchs are accompanied by their consorts, including:

• Edith of Wessex (d. 1075), wife of Edward the Confessor
• Matilda of Scotland (d. 1118), wife of Henry I
• Eleanor of Castile (d. 1290), wife of Edward I
• Philippa of Hainault (d. 1369), wife of Edward III
• Anne of Bohemia (d. 1394), first wife of Richard II
• Catherine de Valois (d. 1437), wife of Henry V
• Anne Neville (d. 1485), wife of Richard III
• Elizabeth of York (d. 1503), wife of Henry VII
• Anne of Cleves (d. 1557), fourth wife of Henry VIII
• Prince George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland (d. 1708), husband of Queen Anne
• Caroline of Ansbach (d. 1737), wife of George II

Queen Elizabeth I memorial

Perhaps the most fascinating royal burial belongs to Elizabeth I, who rests in the Lady Chapel alongside her half-sister Mary I – an ironic arrangement given their fierce religious and political rivalry in life. Elizabeth's tomb bears the inscription 'Sisters in hope of resurrection,' suggesting a reconciliation in death that eluded them in life.

The placement of royal tombs within the abbey often reflected political and dynastic considerations. Henry VII's magnificent Lady Chapel was specifically built to house Tudor monarchs, while the location of Edward the Confessor's shrine influenced the placement of subsequent royal burials nearby, creating a sacred space known as the Confessor's Chapel.

After George II's burial in 1760, royal funerals shifted to Windsor Castle, marking the end of Westminster Abbey's role as the primary royal mausoleum. However, the abbey continues to play a crucial role in royal ceremonies, including coronations and weddings, maintaining its status as Britain's most prestigious religious and monarchical venue.

King Edward III memorial

Notable Nobles

(not monarchs or consorts), by date of death:

• Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Leicester and Lancaster (d. 1301)
• Katherine of England (d. 1257)
• Henry of England (d. 1274)
• Alphonso of England, Earl of Chester (d. 1284) - heart at Blackfriars, London
• Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (d. 1298)
• John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (d. 1337)
• Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1397)
• Eleanor de Bohun, Duchess of Gloucester (d. 1399)
• Elizabeth Tudor (d. 1495)
• Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset (d. 1500)
• Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
• Henry Tudor, Duke of Cornwall (d. 1511)
• Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox (d. 1576)
• Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (d. 1578)
• Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales (d. 1612)
• Lady Arbella Stuart (d. 1615)
• Charles James Stuart, Duke of Cornwall (d. 1529)
• Anne Stuart (d. 1640)
• Mary Stuart, Princess Royal and Princess consort of Orange (d. 1660)
• Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1660)
• Charles Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (d. 1661)
• Elizabeth Stuart, Electress consort of the Palatinate and Queen consort of Bohemia (d. 1662)
• James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (d. 1667)
• Charles Stuart, Duke of Kendal (d. 1667)
• Anne (née Hyde), Duchess of York and Albany (d. 1671)
• Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge (d. 1671)
• Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland (d. 1682)
• Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1700)
• Prince George William of Great Britain (d. 1718)
• Frederick, Prince of Wales (d. 1751)
• Princess Caroline of Great Britain (d. 1758)
• Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain (d. 1759)
• Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (d. 1765)
• Prince Frederick of Great Britain (d. 1766)
• Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany (d. 1767)
• Princess Louisa of Great Britain (d. 1768)
• Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Wales (d. 1772)
• Prince Alfred of Great Britain (d. 1782_ - later moved to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
• Prince Octavius of Great Britain (d. 1783) - later moved to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
• Princess Amelia of Great Britain (d. 1786)
• Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (d. 1790)

Geoffrey Chaucer Memorial

Poets' Corner

The south transept, known as Poets' Corner, reads like a literary hall of fame. It began with Geoffrey Chaucer's interment in 1400 – though he was buried here more for his role as Clerk of Works than for "The Canterbury Tales." Later, when Edmund Spenser was buried nearby in 1599, the area gradually became designated for literary giants.

Notable writers and poets buried in Poets' Corner include:

Medieval and Renaissance Period:

• Geoffrey Chaucer (d. 1400)
• Edmund Spenser (d. 1599)
• Francis Beaumont (d. 1616) - Dramatist
• Michael Drayton (d. 1631)
• Ben Jonson (d. 1637) - Buried upright to save space

18th Century:

• John Dryden (d. 1700) - First Poet Laureate
• Joseph Addison (d. 1719) - Essayist and poet
• Richard Brinsley Sheridan (d. 1816) - Playwright

19th Century:

• Lord Byron (memorial only, buried at Hucknall, Nottinghamshire)
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (d. 1834)
• Charles Dickens (d. 1870) - Against his wishes for a private burial
• Lord Alfred Tennyson (d. 1892)
• Robert Browning (d. 1889)
• Thomas Hardy (d. 1928) - Heart buried in Stinsford, body cremated here

20th Century:

• Rudyard Kipling (d. 1936)
• Thomas Eliot (d. 1965)
• W.H. Auden (d. 1973)

Poets' Corner

Here is a full list of burials in Poet's Corner:

• Robert Adam (d. 1792)
• W.H. Auden (d. 1973)
• Francis Beaumont (d. 1616)
• Robert Browning (d. 1889)
• William Camden (d. 1623)
• Thomas Campbell (d. 1844)
• Geoffrey Chaucer (d. 1400)
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (d. 1834)
• William Congreve (d. 1729)
• Abraham Cowley (d. 1667)
• Sir William Davenant (d. 1668)
• Sir John Denham (d. 1669())
• Charles Dickens (d. 1870)
• Michael Drayton (d. 1631)
• John Dryden (d. 1700)
• T.S. Eliot (d. 1965)
• Adam Fox (d. 1977)
• David Garrick (d. 1779)
• John Gay (d. 1732)
• George Frideric Handel (d. 1759)
• Thomas Hardy (d. 1928) - heart buried in Stinsford, Dorset
• Ted Hughes (d. 1998)
• Sir Henry Irving (d. 1905)
• Samuel Johnson (d. 1784)
• Rudyard Kipling (d. 1936)
• Thomas Babington Macaulay (d. 1859)
• John Masefield (d. 1967)
• Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier (d. 1989)
• Richard Brinsley Sheridan (d. 1816)
• Edmund Spenser (d. 1599)
• Alfred Tennyson (d. 1892)

There is also a special memorial to remember Poets of the First World War. Sixteen WWI poets are remembered here, though all are buried elsewhere. Among the poets commemorated are:

• Richard Aldington
• Laurence Binyon
• Edmund Blunden
• Rupert Brooke
• Wilfrid Gibson
• Robert Graves
• Captain Julian Grenfell
• Ivor Gurney
• David Jones
• Robert Nichols
• Second Lieutenant Wilfred Owen
• Sir Herbert Read
• Isaac Rosenberg
• Captain Siegfried Sassoon
• Captain Charles Sorley
• Corporal Edward Thomas

Notable Literary Memorials (not buried here):

• William Shakespeare - Buried in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Jane Austen - Buried in Winchester Cathedral
• The Brontë sisters - Buried in Haworth
• William Wordsworth - Buried in Grasmere
• Charles Lamb - Memorial stone
• Percy Bysshe Shelley - Buried in Rome
• Lord Byron - Buried in Nottinghamshire
• Lewis Carroll - Buried in Guildford

The tradition of commemorating writers who are buried elsewhere has allowed Poets' Corner to honour a broader range of literary figures than physical space would permit. This practice began in 1905 when Thomas Hardy attended the unveiling of his own memorial – though he would later be partially buried here.

Innocents' Corner

Innocents' Corner

An area of the Poets' Corner section of the abbey has been set aside specifically for infants and young children who died before reaching maturity. Here you will find memorials to young members of royal and noble families. Some notable children buried in Innocents' Corner include:

• Princess Sophia (d. 1606) - daughter of James I
• Princess Mary (d. 1607) - daughter of James I
• Several children of Charles I
• Some children of Edward III
• Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, aka The Princes in the Tower (perhaps)

These children typically died in infancy or early childhood during periods when child mortality was much higher than today. The area serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life in earlier centuries, particularly for the youngest members of even the most privileged families.

Sir Isaac Newton memorial

Scientific Luminaries

The abbey also houses some of history's greatest scientific minds. Most are gathered around the choir screen, an area that has been dubbed 'Scientists' Corner'.

The most extravagant memorial here is to Isaac Newton, his elaborate monument featuring mathematical instruments and celestial bodies. Charles Darwin joined him in 1882, despite initial controversy over burying an evolutionary theorist in a Christian cathedral. Their proximity symbolizes the abbey's role in reconciling faith and science.

Stephen Hawking's ashes were interred in 2018 between Newton and Darwin, completing a remarkable trinity of scientific genius. His memorial stone bears the equation for Hawking radiation and the words "Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking."

Famous scientists buried here include:

• Charles Darwin (d. 1882)
• Stephen Hawking (d. 2018)
• Isaac Newton
• Ernest Rutherford (d. 1937)
• William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (d. 1907)

Handel's memorial

Musicians and Composers

The abbey's musical heritage is preserved through composers like Henry Purcell, whose simple epitaph reads 'Here lies Henry Purcell Esq., who left this life and is gone to that blessed place where only his harmony can be exceeded.' George Frideric Handel's monument shows him composing, surrounded by musical scores and instruments.

Notable musicians and composers remembered in the abbey include:

• Sir William Sterndale Bennett (d. 1875)
• John Blow (d. 1708)
• William Croft (d. 1727)
• George Frideric Handel (d. 1759)
• Herbert Howells (d. 1983)
• Henry Purcell (d. 1695)
• John Robinson (d. 1762)
• Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (d. 1924)

St. Nicholas' Chapel

One family dominates the notable burials in the abbey; the Percy family, Dukes and Duchesses of Northumberland. Over thirty members of the family are buried in the abbey, most in the Northumberland Vault in St Nicholas' Chapel.

• George Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp
• General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (d. 1750)
• Frances Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (d. 1754)
• Lady Elizabeth Percy
• Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland and 2nd Baroness Percy (d. 1776)
• Elizabeth Percy
• Lady Charlotte Percy
• Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland (d. 1786)
• Lord Henry Percy
• Lady Louisa Percy
• Hon. Algernon Percy
• Hon. Henry Percy
• Hon. Margaret Percy
• Isabella Percy, Countess of Beverley (d. 1812)
• Lieutenant General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
• Lady Elizabeth Percy
• Frances Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (d. 1820)
• Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland (d. 1847)
• Lady Agnes Buller
• Admiral Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland (d. 1865)
• Charlotte Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (d. 1866)
• George Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland (d. 1867)
• General Lord Henry Percy (d. 1877)
• Lady Louisa Percy
• Louisa Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (d. 1899)
• Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland
• Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland (d. 1930)
• Helen Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (d. 1965)
• Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland (d. 1988)
• Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (d. 2012)

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

Politicians and National Heroes

Political figures feature prominently, with William Pitt the Elder and Younger buried near each other. William Gladstone's grave lies in the north transept, known as Statesmen's Corner or Statesmen's Aisle.

The tomb of the Unknown Warrior, interred in 1920, represents all British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in World War I, remaining the only grave that no one is permitted to walk upon.

Burials in Henry VII's Lady Chapel

• Princess Amelia of Great Britain (d. 1786)
• Anne (d. 1714)
• Anne of Denmark (d. 1619)
• Anne, Duchess of York and Albany (d. 1671)
• Anne de Mowbray, Duchess of York and Norfolk (d. 1481)
• Antoine Philippe, Duke of Montpensier (d. 1807)
• Arthur Penrhyn Stanley (d. 1881)
• Augusta, Princess of Wales (d. 1772)
• Caroline of Ansbach (d. 1737)
• Princess Caroline (d. 1757)
• Catherine of Valois (d. 1437)
• Charles II (d. 1685)
• Edward V (presumed, date of death uncertain)
• Edward VI (d. 1553)
• Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany (d. 1767)
• Elizabeth I (d. 1603)
• Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain (d. 1759)
• Elizabeth of York (d. 1503)
• Elizabeth Cavendish, Countess of Devonshire (d. 1689)
• Esmé Stewart, 2nd Duke of Richmond (d. 1660)
• Frances Stewart, Duchess of Lennox (d. 1639)
• Frederick, Prince of Wales (d. 1751)
• Prince Frederick of Great Britain (d. 1765)
• George II (d. 1760)
• George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (d. 1670)
• George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (d. 1628)
• Prince George William of Great Britain (d. 1718)
• Henry VII (d. 1509)
• Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (d. 1790)
• James VI and I (d. 1625)
• James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde (d. 1688)
• James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn (d. 1734)
• James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn (d. 1744)
• John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby (d. 1721)
• Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham (d. 1649)
• Princess Louisa of Great Britain (d. 1768)
• Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond (d. 1624)
• Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
• Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (d. 1578)
• Marie Joséphine, Countess of Provence (d. 1810, reburied at Cagliari Cathedral in 1811)
• Mary I (d. 1558)
• Mary II (d. 1694)
• Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587)
• Oliver Cromwell (d. 1658, disinterred in 1661)
• Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (presumed, date of death uncertain)
• William III (d. 1702)
• Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (d. 1765)
• Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1700)

Benjamin Disraeli memorial

Statesmen's Aisle (North Transept)

Some of the most prominent burials here include:

• Charles Abbot, Baron Colchester (d. 1829)
• Charles Buller (d. 1848)
• George Canning (d. 1827)
• Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning (d. 1862)
• Stratford Canning (d. 1880)
• Richard Cobden (d. 1865)
• Benjamin Disraeli (d. 1881)
• William Pitt the Elder (d. 1778)
• William Pitt the Younger (d. 1806)
• Charles James Fox (d. 1806)
• William Ewart Gladstone (d. 1898)
• George Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen (d. 1860)
• Henry Grattan (d. 1820)
• Major General Sir John Malcolm (d. 1833)
• David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield and 7th Viscount of Stormont
• William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (d. 1793)
• Sir Robert Peel (d. 1850)
• Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry (d. 1822)
• Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (d. 1865)
• Sir Hugh Vaughan (d. 1536)
• William Wilberforce (d. 1833)

Notable Burials in the Nave

• Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby (d. 1936)
• John Andre (d. 1780)
• The Right Reverend Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester (d. 1732)
• Clement Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (d. 1967)
• Sir Charles Barry (d. 1860)
• Ernest Bevin (d. 1961)
• Joost de Blank, Archbishop of Cape Town (d. 1968)
• Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (d. 1906)
• Neville Chamberlain (d. 1940)
• Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (d. 1860)
• Vice Admiral Charles Cornewall (d. 1718)
• Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (d. 1941)
• George Graham (d. 1751)
• Sir John Herschel, 1st Baronet (d. 1871)
• John Hunter (d. 1793)
• Andrew Bonar Law (d. 1923)
• David Livingstone (d. 1873) - heart buried in Zambia
• Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet (d. 1875)
• Field Marshal Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer (d. 1932)
• Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (d. 1937)
• Sir George Gilbert Scott (d. 1878)
• Robert Stephenson (d. 1859)
• Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond (d. 1624)
• George Edmund Street (d. 1881)
• Thomas Telford (d. 1834)
• Sir Joseph John Thomson (d. 1940)
• William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (d. 1907)
• Thomas Tompion (d. 1713)
• Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield (d. 1943)
• Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield (d. 1947)

Princes in the Tower memorial

Reburials

In addition to the lists above, there are a handful of cases where a prominent person was buried in Westminster Abbey, but then later disinterred and reburied elsewhere.

• King Harold I (Harold Harefoot) - Died in 1040, exhumed, beheaded, and thrown in a swamp on the orders of his successor, Harthacnut, then recovered and reburied at St Clement Danes Church, London.
• Oliver Cromwell - Died in 1658, disinterred and reburied at Tyburn.
• Admiral Robert Blake - Died in 1657, reburied in a pit in St Margaret's churchyard, next to the abbey.
• John Pym - Died in 1643, reburied in a pit in St Margaret's churchyard, next to the abbey.
• Marie Josephine of Savoy - wife of Louis XVIII of France. Died in 1810, reburied in Cagliari Cathedral, Sardinia.
• George Peabody - Died in 1869, reburied in Salem, Massachusetts, USA.

William Wilberforce memorial

Changing Traditions

Burial practices at Westminster have evolved significantly. Space constraints mean full burials are now rare, with cremation and commemoration becoming more common. The last monarch buried here was George II in 1760, after which royal burials moved primarily to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Modern commemorations often take creative forms. Actor Laurence Olivier's ashes rest in Poets' Corner, while physicist Paul Dirac is remembered with a floor stone bearing his fundamental equation for electron behaviour.

The Social Impact

These burials and memorials served multiple purposes throughout history. For monarchs, Westminster provided legitimacy by connecting them to their predecessors. For others, burial here represented the highest national honour, elevating their achievements to state importance.

Today, the abbey's burial grounds continue to teach and inspire. Each tomb tells a story not just of individual achievement, but of what British society valued across different eras. From medieval kings to modern scientists, these graves chart the ever-changing story of British history and heritage.

Charles Dickens memorial

Conservation Challenges

Maintaining these historic tombs presents unique challenges. Centuries of foot traffic have worn away inscriptions, while environmental factors threaten ancient stonework. The abbey's conservation team works continuously to preserve these monuments for future generations, using cutting-edge technology alongside traditional techniques.

Visiting these tombs offers a remarkable journey through British history. Each memorial and inscription provides a tangible connection to the past, making Westminster Abbey not just a burial ground, but a chronicle of British history and culture carved in stone.

The careful selection of who receives the honour of burial or commemoration here continues today, ensuring Westminster Abbey remains a living monument to British excellence rather than simply a historical repository. As space grows ever more precious, each new addition must be chosen with increasing care, maintaining the abbey's status as Britain's most prestigious final resting place.