by Catherine T Wilson

As many writers will tell you, sometimes the characters of your story decide which direction your tale will take. I admit mine often do. I sometimes have to wait days to know what the next scene is and how it will take shape and, sometimes, the ending to a chapter can take me as much by surprise as hopefully it does the reader. I suppose I should be used to it by now but I’m not. So, when one of my characters (who was obviously peeking over my shoulder as I delved into research and came across a love story with a difference) began to recite the subject of this blog to another character in my chapter, I was frankly, a little miffed. My consolation though, is that I get to post my blog way before his version will be released!

As was the tradition in medieval times, marriage matches were diplomatic, that is, made for the good of the countries involved rather than the people, hence the additional flavour of mistresses for the husbands to ‘love,’ whereas wives had to be a little more careful, given they had the task of producing the next family heir!

The Wedding of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile

It seems as though most marriages worked out fine, or at least they came to some agreeable arrangement between themselves but every now and again, a couple did actually fall in love with each other. Such was the case with King Edward I, otherwise known as ‘Longshanks’ so named for having long legs. When he married Eleanor of Castile at the Las Huelgas monastery in Castile, he was just fifteen years old and she was ten.

Las Huelgas Monastery, Burgos, Castile

They went their separate ways for a few years but once they began married life together, they became inseparable, Edward even taking his wife on a crusade to the Holy Land where she gave birth to a daughter – Joan of Acre.

** For more on this story click here

Edward I in Acre

They were crowned as King and Queen on the same day, August 19, 1274 but it is November 28 in 1290 that this story takes us—that fateful day Eleanor was answering her husband’s call to be by his side as political discussions with Scotland were failing. She did not complete her journey and instead, Edward took a different journey – one from Lincoln Cathedral to London, to lay his wife’s body to rest.

(Pictured Above) – King Edward I with Eleanor and Baby Edward II – she gave birth while on campaign in Wales hence the first-born male heir’s title of Prince of Wales still in existence today. Upon conquering the Welsh, Edward wanted to give them a new prince.

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In complete desolation, Edward ordered the construction of stone crosses to mark the journey, twelve in all, to be built at the main crossroads of each village where Eleanor stayed the night on her funeral tour.

Eleanor was in the village of Harby when she died and her body was taken to St Catherine’s priory, Lincoln, for embalming. Her viscera would remain in Lincoln but she had ordained that her heart be buried at Blackfriars monastery in London, while her body would be laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.

Eleanor’s tomb in Lincoln

The crosses would not be completed until 1294 and Edward commissioned his Master Mason with a basic design of three levels for each of the crosses, all to have a plinth of steps adorned with carved shields of Eleanor’s heraldic arms, that being England, Ponthieu, Castile and Leon. The second level would be ornamented with statues of his beloved wife with various themes – Eleanor the Maiden, Eleanor the Mother, Eleanor the Matron, and Eleanor Glorified. (Reminds me of George RR Martin’s ‘new Gods’ – Mother, Maiden, Crone.)

The top level of the column was the cross itself.

Edward ordered for the crosses to be made simultaneously, so each one had its own team of builders, resulting in twelve unique flavours. Some had statues of popes and saints and it is thought that this was the reason they were targeted and destroyed by puritans during Cromwell’s civil war.

Religious tradition dominated medieval lives and prayers for the dead was a serious business. By placing these memorials at crossroads, Edward ensured that many passers-by would stop and pray for Eleanor’s soul thus ensuring a swift and safe journey to Heaven.

The Funeral Procession

The solemn journey and task of delivering Eleanor’s body to London took the following path, staring at Lincoln.

Lincoln

The cross originally stood at the end of Hight Street but the surviving structure is now housed at Lincoln Castle. Edward led his funeral procession south from Lincoln on the old Roman road known as Ermine Street to Stamford.

The remaining piece of the Lincoln cross can be seen at Lincoln Castle.

Grantham

The first night was spent at Grantham where the Angel and Royal Inn is still in existence today. Sadly, no part of this cross still exists.

Stamford

Only a small fragment remains of the Stamford cross, a carved rose excavated by William Stukeley and recorded in his ‘Itinerarium’ along with a sketch of the cross.

Geddington

One of the three remaining crosses still standing. From Stamford, Edward rode over the hills of Northamptonshire to the royal hunting lodge at Geddington where the cross was erected in the village market square. He and Eleanor often stayed at the hunting lodge but it is said that after Eleanor died, Edward never went there again. Eleanor’s body was received at St Mary Magdalene’s church.

Hardingstone, Northampton

The second of the three remaining crosses, it stands at the edge of Delapré Abbey. Edward stayed nearby at Northampton Castle. This cross is octagonal and has suffered the loss of the cross at the top. There is mention of a ‘headless cross’ from the writings of Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, whilst recording Margaret of Anjou’s flight during the Battle of Northampton.

Restoration continues, even in present day, as the council wait for the right weather to begin the work which is between April and September. Experts advised that covering the cross during the winter months would only cause further damage due to condensation.

Stony Stratford

This cross stood at the lower end of the town, towards the river Ouse on what was ‘Watling Street’ but is now ‘High Street.’ It is said to have been a tall, elegant design and was destroyed during Cromwell’s era. There is a commemorative plaque on the wall at 157 High Street which reads:

Near this spot stood the Cross erected by King Edward I to mark the place in Stony Stratford where the body of Queen Eleanor rested on its way from Harby in Nottinghamshire to Westminster Abbey in 1290.

Google maps – 157 High Street, Stony Stratford – Queen Eleanor’s Cross site

Woburn

Work on this cross did not begin until 1292, much later than the other crosses. Sadly, no part remains today and the precise location is unknown.

Dunstable

The original cross stood at the crossroads in Dunstable, and Eleanor’s coffin was guarded by Canons from the Dunstable Priory. Today the shopping precinct in High Street North contains a modern cross statue in Eleanor’s honour. (I tried to locate this on Google Maps but did not have much luck. All I came up with was a white cross on the road!)

St Albans

Erected in the marketplace at a cost of one hundred pounds, this cross stood for many years, eventually with a 15thC clock tower behind it. It was demolished in the early 18thC due to neglect and replaced by the town pump. A fountain was erected in its stead in 1874, which was subsequently relocated to Victoria Place. (Again, I could not locate this on any map.)

Waltham (now Waltham Cross)

This cross was the shared combination of architect and sculptor, Roger of Crundale, and senior royal mason, Alexander of Abingdon. It is still standing, although has been restored on several occasions. The original Eleanor statues have been replaced with replicas during the last restoration and the originals are now housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Westcheap (now Cheapside)

Fragments of the original cross are held by the Museum of London and even though a number of drawings survive they post-date an extensive renovation so there is no indication of how the original crossed actually looked. It is thought to be similar to the Waltham and Hardingstone crosses, but more ornate with marble facings.

The third incarnation of the cross was demolished in May 1643 under an ordinance from the Parliamentary Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry!

Two fragments, displaying shields bearing the royal arms of England, Castile and Leon were recovered in 1883 during a reconstruction of a sewer. They are now housed in the Museum of London.

Charing (now Charing Cross)

The original cross at Charing was erected at the top of Whitehall on the south side of Trafalgar Square, supposedly then the Royal Mews. It was the most expensive, built of marble but was destroyed on the orders of Parliament in 1647 during the civil war and replaced with a statue of Charles I in 1675 following the Restoration.

The replacement cross for Eleanor now stands in the forecourt of the Charing Cross Railway Station.

A 100-metre-long mural was commissioned by London Transport in 1978 for the walls of Charing Cross underground station.

There have been many replica monuments built since and others said to be inspired by the Eleanor Crosses, but none of those had a love story which began years earlier with vows said before the chapel at Las Huelgas.

Armand-Amanieu d’Albret to Cécile d’Armagnac

‘At last it was time for them to share their lives and the prince took his princess everywhere with him, even on a crusade. In fact, one of their children was born on this campaign, so reluctant was she to leave her prince’s side. The story goes that one night whilst in the foreign land, the prince was stabbed by a dagger dipped in toxin and when the wound became infected, the princess sucked out the poison.’

‘Roar of the Lion’ Book 5 – Lions and Lilies (currently under construction)

The Lily and the Lion – 1st Place Chanticleer Chatelaine Award – 2014

The Order of the Lily – 1st Place Chanticleer Chatelaine Award – 2015

The Gilded Crown – 1st Place Chanticleer Chaucer Award – 2017

The Traitor’s Noose – Grand Prize WINNER Chanticleer Chaucer Award – 2018