New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-09
QUEEN KATHERINES REM4INS.
canon Farrar IN ne Touu. Companion.

canon Farrar ~ ne Youuts Companion.
One of the most interesting occasions on which
visited the Abbey with the Dean Stanley, when
took stops 10 riutcr the remains o. Queen Katherine
Of Valo,., wife OF Henry V.
The fortunes OF THIS queen were strange in death IA
well ~ In life. Ihe daughter OF Charles VI OF France,
, of our Henry w. mother ~ IleuryVI grandmother Of
Henry VII link between the royal houses OF France
and England, she was rrguurd "a, queen OIL DOtl c0un-
tries She had been received on her -t visit 10 England
"a. AN angel Of God" and I'm France had sat with her
husband great banquet Ia Paris, among crowd OF
dukes. princes anu barvns, Eorgcousy appArclcd and
crowned with pIcciOU. diudCm
Amor her husbands death she and her son Henry VI
I ,irh IL Luil, m m" sinun OF The rrst letter OF i
name. But after Hcnry's death she made UcsIHiIHrc
Win owen Tudor who-whatcycrm may have been his sup.
po-ed extraction from ancient Brush hngs-Eeid no
higher position than that Of soldier OF the guard.
i'm sequence of this she fell into contempt and OBJ
iy0n and after her death her remains badly cOf
fined that her body was actually visible more Than two
nm, scaudalou, neglect continued until than
century ago, when the body was slowed away IN the
vault III sir george Yier-, ihcr 0f the Duke OF Buck
iugnlm who the tyorite VI James l. and Charles l.
Wncn the Vihcrs vault opened, after the funeral
OF the Pcrcics In the Yault winch adoins II, we
the nOdy Of the neglected Quoen-Unco 80 beautiful and
~ rcuowucd-to more nttlng burial place. IL was not
right that she should be- indebted 10 speak. 10 the
chance vacancy IN the grave OF the BucknBhamshirc
knight When the coin was lfted OF the vault IN the
Chapel OF Nicholas It tunbicd TO pieces before our
oye5 there lay the mortal remains Of tle wife OF our
and the ancc,trcss or the mighty IudOrs
The remains were nearly P,t,oct nlt "yr, i'Ie NOR
than skeleton except that the muscles or the legs ana
feet still remained. The skull small and eNqulstC!y
,uautd. las something Whitn hud once btc hIlktu
c;- iU large piece, Oi ctrccOth -t remained, though
they crumbed to dust at the least touch.
No one wi.s present wnGn this occurred except the
Dcan the Clerk OF the Works aud myself. We stood IN
silence, ana IN deep and rcyernt thought beside the
mortal relies OF the lovely Princess who had Deen tue
c-trUs or 10 many O our Kings ana VINO Itcr 80 huch
glory ana many suflOW- had passed away ucag lOut
and "A half centuries ago. Neither tAe Dean nor was
tempted 10y tue passion Tor hbstraoinY memorials nom
ths resting places Ol tuc dead not ono bone, nor ono
shred OF disturbed, except or remember ushly)
very small piece OF the white cerecoth, which we sent
TO Her MiUcs,y the Queen. III, 1900, ,.,
4 strong conn was made with all speed. and tho
body tGen buried III the chahlIy queen hdIherlho
but Here II rests. Immediately over tho tomb VI her
m band The top Of the tomb was formed OF what had
been intended for ain aitasl IN the cDdhry chapel
and translation tne very SIMPLE Lath Inscription
whicn engraved upon II Is to the following eject;
Here Length after 80 many yeas anu 50 many
ycis,tuues the body OF katherine OF NaOs daughter OF
Charles VI OF France. VIE Oi lisIJ W. mOheF Vi henry
VI grandmother OF Henry VI IL"
"a happened Dean, various necessary reasons
~ br Obliged open several OF the royal Yaults-aways,
OF COURSE adequate and with royal permssi0n
rhus dcsiDe TO open the TOMB OF icDard H. Tor
death relates that his skull cleft from behind ny
uow from Uate-aXo OF sir Piers Exon IN the dun
IL was sccn, however that nothing of the kind had
ba,,ueuod 70 the body which lies tner0 Inferred and
mere are some doubts whether Henry V. really brought
me corpse OF Richard IL. 10 London fOm POnIeTact
I ,V,,,iher the body which ue exposed 70 WOW was
moi rather tnat OF Richards chaplain, Aldudsey VINO Is
known 10 nave closely tesemJod niul; lho historic
doubt THIS subject Will never be solved inc mode III
winch hape5s monarch met his death Is secret OF
on another occasion IL became necessary to open sew
the Roy vaults to whether IL was true tnat
ths body of James had been removed bOm the Abbey
y the furts II TINS had proved to DO tIo case nere
been small shadow Ot an excuse IOf the
base act OF Parliament OF Charles H. ia turning out
of the Abbey bodies UG Cromwell and Ills adeTenLs
IL was most interesting 20 hear tue Dean describe the
chaotic fuess the vault Of the 5tuArts, which contains
Tue cons Oh Prince Henry EnzaDeth queen OF Boncmid;
Mary Orange, Mary queen OF oOOts, ten children OI
James H. eighteen children of Queen Anne Prince Ru-
pert Prince George Denmark, and many Others THIS
rrowded stuart vault formed strange contrast 10 the
majestic quotude OF inc Tudor vault III which only Queen
i.uLauetn and queen Aiary IudOr lie side by side.
Ine body King james was at last found, very unex
pectcdly, the vault OF Henry VII and Elizabeth OF
York.