The medieval royal family: Piety and commemoration

Henry III, one of the longest-reigning monarchs in English history, was reputed to be a devout and god-fearing man. He held in special veneration his royal predecessor, St.Edward the Confessor.

Henry’s devotion to Edward led him to rebuild Westminster Abbey, and rebury the saint in a lavish tomb which survives today. Fascinating documents held at The National Archives detail both these endeavours.

A panel of experts - Professor Stephen Church, Dr Ann Williams and Sally Badham - will discuss the two kings and their reputations for piety, as well as Edward’s tomb in the context of the Abbey and medieval monuments. There will be an accompanying display of original documents.

About the panelStephen Church is a professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia. In 2017 he published a new biography of Henry III in the Penguin Monarchs series. Stephen will be speaking about Henry III and his religious activity.
Ann Williams was a lecturer in medieval history at the Polytechnic of North London before her retirement. She has been published widely, particularly on pre-Conquest England, and will be speaking about Edward the Confessor.
Sally Badham MBE is the Vice President of the Church Monuments Society. She has written and lectured widely on church monuments and will be speaking about the shrine of Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey.