ROYAL PECULIARS AND THEIR PECULIARITIES

Reblogged from A Medieval Potpourri sparkypus.com

The glorious ceiling of the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court.  Photo James Brittain . Historic Royal Palaces.

 The main reason, and perhaps the only reason,  why the bones in the urn in Westminster Abbey supposed to be those of the sons of Edward IV known as the “Princes” in the Tower, Edward of Westminster and Richard of Shrewsbury,  cannot be re-examined is because the Abbey is a Royal Peculiar and is thus owned by the Queen who has refused to give permission for this to happen.     Are there any more Royal Peculiars?  Yes there are – fortunately  none of them have mysterious urns containing even more mysterious bones that are crying out to be examined and maybe help towards solving a 500 year old mystery and proving Richard III innocent of the heinous crime of having his brother’s sons murdered in the Tower of London.  They are :

St George’s Chapel, Windsor

The glory that is St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Edward IV,  father to Edward of Westminster, for a short while Edward V,  and Richard of Shrewsbury, lies buried here as once did the boys mother Elizabeth Wydville although her remains are now lost.  Another two of Edward and Elizabeth’s children were interred here, Mary  aged 15 and her brother, three year old George.

 The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court

Details of the Chapel ceiling. Photos chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org

Originally built by Cardinal Wolsey.  What can be seen of the chapel today is the result of two major refittings by Henry VIII with little of the Wolsey decor remaining.   For an interesting link to the chapel click here.

Chapel Royal St James Palace

Built around 1530 by Henry VIII on the site of a leper hospital run by the Augustinian order of  monks.   What became of them and their patients?   Altered in 1837 with much of the  Tudor interior decor swept away.    Original ceiling said to have been painted by Hans Holbein.  Bomb damaged from the War has been repaired and now the chapel is used regularly by the royal family including Diana Princess of Wales lying in repose there prior to her funeral in 1997 and lately  the christening of Prince Louis.

The rather austere facade of the Chapel – see the window between the tower and the black gate.

The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy,

Built where John of Gaunt’s Savoy palace once stood until it was destroyed in the Peasants Revolt 1381.     Henry VII left instructions in his will for the creation of  a charitable foundation to be known as the  ‘Hospital of Henry late King of England‘ which was completed in 1515 to provide a night’s lodging for 100 ‘pour and nedie’ men as well as ‘rogues and masterless men‘ who had fallen on hard times.   Dissolved in 1771 and falling into a poor state it was  finally demolished in the 19th century.   All that remains today  is the Chapel of St John the Baptist, now known as The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy.  For more information on the Chapel click here

The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy as it stands today.  Repaired in 1723 and hemmed in by modern builds the Chapel stands as one of the remarkable  survivors of Old London.   

The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula 

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