Henry was born at Winchester on 1 October 1207 and succeeded
his father King John in 1216. He was hastily crowned king at
Gloucester Abbey due to the political situation and then again in
Westminster Abbey on 17 May 1220. It is to Henry that we owe the
rebuilding of the Abbey in the new Gothic style of architecture.
In 1220 he had laid the foundation stone of the old Lady Chapel
and he had a special devotion to St Edward the Confessor. He
wanted to emulate the great churches then being built in France
and to transfer Edward's body to a new shrine near which he
himself could be buried. Demolition of Edward the Confessor's
11th century church began in 1245 and the king was recklessly
extravagant in the money spent on the Abbey and its lavish
decoration. Almost all of the Church west of Henry VII's Lady
Chapel as far as one bay of the nave west of the organ screen,
dates from his reign. The bones of St Edward were translated to
the new shrine in 1269 but building ceased when Henry died on 16
November 1272. He had a magnificent funeral and his body was
temporarily buried in the old grave of the Confessor in front of
the High Altar. Nineteen years later he was placed in the
splendid tomb put up by his son Edward I, although his heart was
delivered to the Abbey at Fontevrault in France as Henry had
wished.
Henry's large tomb is of Purbeck marble with slabs of purple
and green antique porphyry set in the sides and inlaid with
gilded "Cosmati" mosaic and coloured marble and glass. Much of
this has been robbed but decoration still remains on the north
side. High on the tomb lies the superb gilt bronze effigy made by
London goldsmith William Torel. The slab on which the king lies
and the pillows beneath his head are decorated with the lions of
England. The Norman-French inscription remains around the edge
(it can be translated as: "Here lies Henry formerly King of
England Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine, the son of King
John formerly King of England, to whom God grant mercy.Amen.")
The wooden canopy was once gilt and painted but the grille which
protected the tomb has gone.
Photographs of his tomb and effigy can be obtained from the Westminster Abbey
Library.
Coronation
Henry III succeeded to the throne in 1216. London was under the control of France so instead of Westminster, nine-year-old Henry was crowned King in Gloucester Cathedral. It was 3 years later, that he was officially crowned and anointed in Westminster Abbey.
Henry was a very religious man and his favourite saint, Edward the Confessor, founded the original Abbey in 1065. He believed St Edward (who was buried in the Abbey) deserved a grander resting place. So he began rebuilding the Abbey, seeking inspiration from Gothic cathedrals in France.
He intended it to be a burial place for him and his sucessors, and a site for all future coronations. By incorporating into his design a large central crossing in front of the High Altar he created a huge space for the coronation 'theatre', where the crowning ceremonies have taken place ever since.