Queen Eleanor Crosses Way

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Summary: The Eleanor Crosses were a series of monuments erected to commemorate Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. Eleanor had fallen ill during a trip north to meet her husband. Eventually taking refuge at a manor house in the village of Harby near Lincoln, she passed away there on 28 November 1290. Following Eleanor’s death her body was taken first to Lincoln and then on to London to be buried at Westminster Abbey. Deep in mourning King Edward I, decreed that a memorial cross would be built everywhere her body laid on route. In total 12 Eleanor Crosses were created. The 215 mile walk visits the 16 key places associated with the procession of her body, using scenic rights of way rather than the major tracks the original procession would have followed. The 16 places are the start of the trail, Harby, where she died, Lincoln Cathedral where she was embalmed and her viscera (less her heart) were buried, the 12 locations where crosses were erected, Blackfriars Church, London, where her heart was kept and Westminster Abbey where the rest of her body was interred.