Queen Eleanor
Queen Eleanor
Queen Eleanor, wife of King Edward I, has direct links with Dunstable.
She died in 1290 in Harby, near Lincoln. The King wanted her to be buried in
Westminster Abbey, so her body had to be taken back to London. This journey took
13 days and followed a route that stopped at several important religious houses
including the Priory at Dunstable. When it arrived at Dunstable, the coffin was
placed near the crossroads so the local people could mourn the dead Queen. The
coffin was then guarded inside the Priory by the Canons overnight before
continuing on to St Albans.
To mark each of the over-night stopping places, King Edward ordered that large crosses be erected. The Eleanor Cross at Dunstable was smashed to pieces by Cromwell's soldiers in 1643 when they were destroying anything connected with royalty.
In 1985, the shopping precinct in High Street North, Dunstable, was named after Queen Eleanor and a modern statue of the queen was built.
Further Reading:
- Dunstable in detail, by N. Benson (Book Castle, 1986)
- Dunstable down the ages: an outline history from prehistoric to modern times, by V. Evans & J. Schneider (Book Castle, 2002)
- Priory church of St Peter, Dunstable: a brief history, by F. Fowler (Parochial Church Council, 1977)
- In memory of Eleanor: the story of the Eleanor Crosses, by P. Priestland (Ashbracken 1990)
- Streets ahead, by R. Walden (Book Castle, 1999)
