On This Day (14 December) in 1558, Queen Mary I's funeral was held at Westminster Abbey.
Following Mary's death at St James's Palace, just before dawn on 17 November 1558, her body was embalmed, with her heart and bowels removed. Her prepared corpse was then placed in a wooden coffin, which then lay in state in the palace's privy chamber, which had been dressed in black cloth and coats of arms of both her and her husband Philip, with the gold cloth covering the coffin. Mary's gentlewomen kept watch over their mistresses's coffin throughout the day and night, saying prayers and lighting candles (Whitelock, 2009).
Philip had left England for the Netherlands in October; his father, Emperor Charles V, had died in September, requiring his intervention in funeral arrangements and managing debts. On Mary legally appointing her half-sister Elizabeth as her heir and successor, Philip acknowledged that there was no further role for him in England. With Mary's deteriorating health, Philip made the decision to focus on his responsibilities in the Netherlands. On hearing news of Mary's death, he commented that he would have a 'reasonable regret' for the death of his wife (Porter, 2007).
A. life-sized effigy of Mary, dressed in her gown, jewels and crown, holding her orb and sceptre, was placed on top of her coffin whilst at St James's Palace, for her mourners to pay their respects to. On leaving the palace, and making its way to Westminster Abbey, the effigy continued to be placed on top of the queen's coffin during the procession, so that this could be seen by the observing crowds (Whitelock, 2009).
On 10 December, Mary's coffin was moved to the palace's Chapel Royal, for three days of mourning and prayers, whilst final preparations for burial were being made. Sir William Paulet, Marquess of Winchester, Lord High Treasurer, was put in charge of funeral arrangements; it was agreed that whilst Elizabeth had not adopted the Catholic religion to which her sister was such a fervent believer, Mary would have the honours of a Catholic burial (Porter, 2007).
On 13 December, a procession made its way from St James's Palace, to the final destination of Westminster Abbey. A wheeled chariot, carrying the coffin, topped with the effigy, rode through the streets of Westminster, supported by members of her household carrying banners of coats of arms and ladies-in-waitings., until it was met at the abbey by four bishops and an abbot (Whitelock, 2009).
After lying in the abbey overnight, Mary's funeral took place on 14 December in a Roman Catholic ceremony. Mary's chief mourner was her cousin Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, and mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who herself was a Catholic, and as such was excluded from the line of succession in 1560 (Porter, 2007). The traditional service, which included a requiem mass, was delivered by John White, Bishop of Winchester, who was also present at the queen's deathbed (Whitelock, 2009). White, a resolute Catholic, praised Mary's virtues during his sermon, and was highly critical of Elizabeth; he was subsequently arrested and later imprisoned, as he repeatedly refused to take the Oath of Supremacy (Weir, 1997).
Mary's coffin was then interred in a vault in the north aisle of the Lady Chapel, an extravagant chapel planned and funded by her paternal grandfather Henry VII. (Westminster Abbey, 2024 [1]). Elizabeth subsequently gnored the requests of Mary, set out in her will, for the body of her mother Catherine of Aragon to be moved from Peterborough Cathedral, to be buried alongside her. She also did not erect a monument in her honour, with broken rocks covering the opening of the vault during her reign (Weir, 1997). Despite this, the total funeral costs were in reportedly in excess of £7,700 (Porter, 2007).
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