Who Is Buried in Westminster Abbey? Royal Tombs and Famous Graves

About 3,300 people lie in the church and cloisters, from Edward the Confessor and Elizabeth I to Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and the Unknown Warrior.

Visit

The nave and the royal tombs are on standard admission. Westminster Abbey tickets.

Location

The church and cloisters of Westminster Abbey, 20 Dean's Yard, London SW1P 3PA.

Visit duration

The Abbey suggests one and a half to two hours. Plan your visit.

Burials

About 3,300 people, and more than 600 monuments.

Westminster Abbey Burials in Brief

Westminster Abbey is a church you walk across rather than around: most of its dead lie under the floor you are standing on. About 3,300 people are buried in the church and cloisters, among them kings and queens, scientists, writers and a single unnamed soldier. Some have grand painted monuments; others are marked by a small stone set into the paving.

The royal tombs cluster at the east end, around the shrine of Edward the Confessor and in Henry VII's Lady Chapel. The scientists are in the nave, the writers in the South Transept, and the Unknown Warrior lies at the west end of the nave. For the monks, the kings and the rebuilding that came before all of this, read how Westminster Abbey came to be.

Edward the Confessor's Shrine and the Medieval Kings

The Abbey's burials begin with its founder. Edward the Confessor died on the night of 4 to 5 January 1066 and was buried before the High Altar of the church he had just built. He was made a saint in 1161, and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage.

Henry III, who rebuilt the Abbey around him, gave Edward a new shrine decorated with Italian Cosmati mosaic. On 13 October 1269 Henry and his companions carried the coffin to it themselves. The shrine was stripped when the monastery was dissolved, and Mary I restored it around 1557, putting Edward's coffin back in place.

Medieval kings wanted to lie close to the saint. St Edward's Chapel holds Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, and Henry V. The chapel is only open on a verger-guided tour, because its floor is fragile, and photography is not allowed at the shrine.

Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots: Two Queens, Two Tombs

Two rival queens face each other across Henry VII's Lady Chapel. In the north aisle lies Elizabeth I, and beneath her, in the same vault, is her half-sister Mary I. Elizabeth's coffin was placed on top of Mary's in 1606, and James I paid for the white marble monument, carved by Maximilian Colt and painted by Jan de Critz.

In the south aisle is Mary Queen of Scots, the cousin Elizabeth had executed in 1587. Mary was first buried at Peterborough Cathedral. Her son James I had her moved to the Abbey in 1612 and gave her a monument under a tall canopy, with a white marble effigy and a crowned Scottish lion at her feet.

James I is buried in the same chapel, in the vault of Henry VII, so the king who united the two crowns lies within a few metres of the two queens: the one he succeeded and the mother he last saw as a baby.

Isaac Newton's Grave and the Scientists in the Nave

The scientists are gathered in the nave, close to the choir screen. Sir Isaac Newton was buried there on 28 March 1727, after his body lay in state in the Jerusalem Chamber. His monument, by Michael Rysbrack and William Kent, shows him reclining on his books, below a celestial globe crowned by Urania, the muse of astronomy.

Charles Darwin followed on 26 April 1882, buried in the north aisle of the nave near Newton. The President of the Royal Society passed the request to the Dean, saying the honour would be welcomed by people of all classes and opinions, and the Dean agreed.

Stephen Hawking joined them in 2018, when his ashes were interred in the nave near the two. His Caithness slate stone, designed by John Maine, carries his equation for the radiation of a black hole and borrows Newton's own wording: here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking.

More Westminster Abbey Graves to Look For

The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

At the west end of the nave lies a British soldier from the First World War, buried on 11 November 1920 in soil brought from France under a slab of black Belgian marble. It is the one grave in the Abbey visitors are asked not to walk on, and royal brides send their bouquets to it.

Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

Pietro Torrigiano's tomb for Henry VII and Elizabeth of York has gilt bronze effigies on a black marble base behind a bronze grille. They were the first monarchs buried in a vault under the Abbey floor rather than in a raised tomb chest.

George II, the last king buried here

George II was buried in the Lady Chapel on 11 November 1760, next to Queen Caroline. At his wish the sides of both coffins were removed so their dust could mingle. He was the last monarch buried at the Abbey; later sovereigns went to Windsor.

The writers in the South Transept

In the South Transept, the Abbey honours Britain's writers. Geoffrey Chaucer was buried there first, and Poets' Corner grew up around his tomb, with graves and memorials to the poets and novelists who followed.

Westminster Abbey: Entry Ticket

Highlights

Explore the rich British heritage encapsulated within the Abbey’s walls.

Use an audio guide available in multiple languages to enhance your visit.

Witness the place of significant historical ceremonies including coronations and royal weddings.

Enjoy the freedom to move through the Abbey without time pressure.

Access one of the United Kingdom’s most important Gothic architectural landmarks.

Seeing the Tombs on Your Visit

The nave, the Lady Chapel and the South Transept are all on the standard sightseeing route, open Monday to Saturday. St Edward's Chapel is the exception: you can only go in on a verger-guided tour. Allow one and a half to two hours, keep to the Abbey's photo rules, and step around the Unknown Warrior's stone.

Westminster Abbey Burials: Your Questions

Who is buried in Westminster Abbey?

About 3,300 people, including monarchs such as Edward the Confessor, Henry V, Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, scientists such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking, many writers, and the Unknown Warrior.

Where is Elizabeth I buried?

In the north aisle of the Lady Chapel, in the same vault as her half-sister Mary I.

Where is Mary Queen of Scots buried?

In the south aisle of the Lady Chapel. She was first buried at Peterborough Cathedral, and her son James I moved her to the Abbey in 1612.

Where is Isaac Newton buried?

In the nave of Westminster Abbey, in front of the choir screen and close to his monument. Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking lie nearby.

Is Queen Elizabeth II buried in Westminster Abbey?

No. Her funeral was held at the Abbey, but she is buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor. No monarch has been buried at the Abbey since George II.

Can you walk on the graves in Westminster Abbey?

Yes, most are set into the floor. The Unknown Warrior is the exception: visitors are asked not to step on that stone.

Can you see Edward the Confessor's shrine?

Only on a verger-guided tour, because the chapel floor is fragile. Photography is not allowed at the shrine.

Who was the last king buried in Westminster Abbey?

George II, in 1760. Later monarchs have been buried at Windsor.