The Queen Eleanor Pilgrimage
Queen Eleanor, the consort of King Edward, was taken ill and was on her way to Lincoln Cathderal where prayers would be said that she might survive. However, she didn't make it and on November 28th 1290, while staying at the manor house of Richard de Weston, the site of which lies behind this church (see additional waypoint), she died, in the company of the local priest, William de Kelm, and the Bishop of Lincoln, Oliver Sutton. Edward accompanied her funeral procession on its 172-mile journey to London, where she was to be buried in Westminster Abbey. At each place that the procession stopped overnight, the King ordered a cross to be erected in her name. These crosses are now known as the ‘Eleanor Crosses’, although very few of the twelve originals now remain intact. The twelve sites are: Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Northampton, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St Albans, Waltham Cross, Cheapside and Charing Cross.
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A chantry chapel at Harby was consecrated by the Archbishop of York in 1294 and its first incumbent, Roger de Newton, was paid ten marks a year and the manor of Navenby given to provide for its maintenance. The chantry was incorporated into the parish church and survived until its dissolution in 1548, parts of the fabric even survived until 1877 when the old church was pulled down after the building of the current All Saints’ Church. The east face of the tower has a statue of Eleanor in a canopied niche flanked by the arms of León & Castile, England and Ponthieu, and the brass plate by the altar rail is inaccurately inscribed with “Here died Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England. November 27th AD 1290”.
This cache marks the start of the Queen's journey and so forms part of the ‘Queen Eleanor Pilgrimage’ along with Lincoln Cathedral, where her viscera are interred, Blackfriars, where her heart was placed, and Westminster Abbey, where she was laid to rest.
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Further information on the crosses can be found here.
The cache that is currently closest to each of these locations has been identified and a bookmark list of all the caches currently in the series can be found here.
A badge has been produced for each of these caches for you to collect and place on your profile as you visit them. The first four cachers to visit each of these caches will receive a commemorative ‘tag’ and a final badge for their profile. Contact me through the message centre if you think that you qualify.
Congratulations to The Amasons on being the first to complete the Pilgrimage and receive one of the four limited edition tags!
Also, well done to King Prawn for being the second cacher to complete the Piligrimage.