As we entered Gloucester Cathedral I was fascinated to see that there is a plaque commemorating two famous people linked with the Cathedral: Edward II and Beatrix Potter. This seems a very strange juxtaposition of two unlikely people.
The tomb of Edward II is spectacular. Edward’s burial site at St Peter’s Abbey, refounded as Gloucester Cathedral during the Reformation in the sixteenth century, sits under an arch on the north side of the Presbytery adjacent to the Ambulatory, up near the high altar.
Whether Edward II was murdered at Berkeley Castle on 21 September 1327, or he in fact survived and lived out the remainder of his life in Italy, dying around 1341, one thing is certain. All agree that Edward II’s mortal remains do in fact lie underneath his magnificent tomb.
I've had something of a soft spot for Edward II since studying Marlowe's play for A' Level and seeing a brilliant performance at the Old Vic. But it was Sellars and Yeatman's wonderful 1066 and All That which made this Medieval king so memorable:
"Edward II was so weak that he kept banishing his favourites and then unbanishing them again. The Barons therefore became so impatient that they deposed Edward without even waiting for any false claimants to the throne. Thus Edward III became King. Shortly afterwards HORRIBLE SCREAMS were heard coming from Berkeley Castle where Edward II was imprisoned and the next day he was horribly dead. But since not even the Barons would confess to having horribly murdered him, it is just possible that Edward had merely been dying of a surfeit in the ordinary way."