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Which commoners are buried in Westminster Abbey?

The following are buried in the South Transept which is known as Poets' Corner (#9 in map below):
  • Maj. John André
  • Robert Adam.
  • Robert Browning.
  • William Camden.
  • Thomas Campbell.
  • Geoffrey Chaucer.
  • William Congreve.
  • Abraham Cowley.




While Westminster Abbey is famous as the final resting place of monarchs, it is also the burial site for many "commoners" who achieved extraordinary greatness. The most iconic is the Unknown Warrior, an unidentified British soldier from WWI who represents all who fell in battle. In Poets' Corner, literary giants who were not of noble birth are interred, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, and Rudyard Kipling. The Abbey also honors scientific revolutionaries like Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking, whose remains are buried near the high altar. Other notable commoners include the abolitionist William Wilberforce and the legendary actor Sir Laurence Olivier. Even the 18th-century composer George Frideric Handel, though born in Germany, was buried here as a naturalized British citizen. These individuals were granted the honor of burial in the Abbey not because of their lineage, but because their contributions to art, science, and humanity fundamentally shaped British and global history.

People Also Ask

Who are some of the most notable figures buried in the tombs of Westminster Abbey? A. Westminster Abbey is the last abode of many British monarchs, including Edward the Confessor and Elizabeth I, as well as well known figures such as Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Dickens.

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Hawking's remains were buried on Friday beneath a sunlit arch, between those of Darwin and Newton, at a memorial service at Westminster Abbey.

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The last king to have his funeral there was George II on 11 November 1760, and even though this was technically a 'private funeral', thereafter more private ? though still very public ? ceremonies have taken place at St George's Chapel, Windsor, instead.

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Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral are two separate buildings. Westminster Abbey is an Anglican Church, whereas Westminster Cathedral is a Roman Catholic one. The two buildings are separated by 400m not to mention almost 1,000 years of history, with Westminster Cathedral consecrated in 1910.

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Initially Darwin was to be buried near his family home in the countryside. After persuading Emma, Darwin's scientific friends lobbied for a place in Westminster Abbey.

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The Latin inscriptions can be translated as: In the year of Christ one thousand two hundred and twelve plus sixty minus four, the third King Henry, the city, Odoricus and the abbot put these porphyry stones together.

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Pages in category Weddings at Westminster Abbey
  • Wedding of Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
  • Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy.
  • Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
  • Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.


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St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal Peculiar, and the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. St George's Chapel was founded in the 14th century by King Edward III and extensively enlarged in the late 15th century.



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Lisa Levinson, head of communications at the Natural Diamond Council, has told Metro: 'Her Majesty is an incredibly humble woman at heart who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings. '

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