RETURN TO PLANTAGENET KINGS

See TOMBS OF THE PLANTAGENET KINGS

ELEANOR'S VISCERAL TOMB

IN LINCOLN CATHEDRAL

The original visceral tomb in Lincoln Cathedral was made of Sussex marble, with Eleanor's effigy in copper gilt on a copper table top. On the sides of the tomb were escutcheons of England, Leon & Castile, and Ponthieu.

	Ponthieu arms (19 March 2005)		Leon & Castile arms (19 March 2005)

The Latin inscription inlaid in the copper table is said to have read:

HIC SUNT SEPVLTA

VISCERA ALIANORE QVONDAM REGINE VXORIS REGIS EDVARDI

FILII REGIS HENRICI

CVJVS ANIME PROPICIETVR DEVS AMEN PATER NOSTER

The tomb was completely destroyed in the 1640's during the Commonwealth purge. A modern new tomb was made in 1891, with a similar copper effigy but no copper table top. The inscription carved in the stone table top was similar to the original wording, though not quite. In particular Alianore (her name was misspelled ALLANORÆ) was shown as the Consort of Edward rather than his Wife, which in fact agrees with the original wording (now unreadable) on her tomb in Westminster Abbey (see TOMBS OF THE PLANTAGENET KINGS). (The Latin word Quondam was also omitted, perhaps through lack of space, but it did not appear on the Westminster tomb either.) The present inscription in Lincoln Cathedral thus reads:

HIC SUNT SEPULTA

VISCERA ALLANORÆ REGINÆ ANGLIÆ CONSORTIS REGIS EDWARDI

FILII REGIS HENRICI

CUIUS ANIMÆ PROPICIETUR DEUS AMEN PATER NOSTER