Secrets Unveiled: Inside Catherine of Aragon's Coffin

Secrets Unveiled: Inside Catherine of Aragon's Coffin

Curiously, although Henry had come to despise Catherine by the end of her life, he still arranged for an elaborate tomb after her death, though she was buried at Peterborough Cathedral rather than the prestigious Westminster Abbey. Catherine passed away on January 7, 1536, at the age of 50, and her final resting place was chosen by Henry due to its proximity to Kimbolton Castle, where she had died.

When Catherine of Aragon’s coffin arrived at Peterborough Cathedral, it was carried into a space adorned with symbols representing both her legacy and the English monarchy. John Howy, who succeeded the executed Bishop John Fisher, led the funeral service. His sermon, likely influenced by Henry VIII, was a controversial one. Howy falsely claimed that Catherine, on her deathbed, had renounced her title as Queen of England, declaring she was never truly queen. This disrespectful statement shocked many, including the Imperial Ambassador Eustace Chapuys, who was prevented from attending.
Despite the growing tension and Henry VIII’s disdain for Catherine, he still saw to it that she was given a respectable burial. However, the tomb he commissioned for her was later destroyed during the English Civil War when Parliamentarian soldiers ransacked the cathedral, leaving little trace of the memorial.
The story took an even darker turn in the 18th century. In 1777, over two centuries after her death, Catherine’s grave was disturbed. The motivation for exhuming her remains remains unclear, though rumors had circulated for years that Catherine was not buried alone. Some speculated that she shared her grave with Catherine Willoughby, a prominent woman rumored to have been considered as a potential seventh wife for Henry VIII.
To investigate, cathedral officials decided to open the tomb. They found only one coffin—Catherine of Aragon’s. While most of the officials deemed it improper to open the coffin further, one witness decided to act on his own. Armed with a drill, he bored a hole into the coffin. Through this opening, he inserted a wire with a hook, pulling out a piece of the black and silver cloth that had been used to wrap Catherine’s body.
This unauthorized act of tampering with her remains was both shocking and unnecessary, reflecting the strange fascination surrounding Catherine of Aragon long after her death.

The man who tampered with Catherine of Aragon's coffin managed to tear a piece of her burial cloth, pulling it from the tomb. As he brought the fabric into the open air, he noticed the lingering scent of embalming fluid, still present centuries after her death. However, once exposed to the elements, the delicate cloth quickly disintegrated, crumbling away upon contact with the air. This was the only known instance in which Catherine’s coffin was breached. Afterward, her remains were reburied, and in later years, a more modern Victorian-era tomb was erected, recognizing her as a Queen of England.
What was particularly disturbing about this incident was the damage caused by a single drilled hole. It’s believed that this small opening allowed air to enter the coffin, hastening the decomposition of Catherine's remains. The embalming fluid, which had preserved her for so long, could no longer protect her body from exposure to the elements. Despite the significant harm inflicted, those responsible were never held accountable for the desecration.
Catherine’s final years were marked by her virtual imprisonment at Kimbolton Castle, as Henry VIII banished her from court and moved on to pursue younger women. Their once harmonious marriage had deteriorated as Henry’s attention shifted. Even in death, Catherine’s memory was not spared from disrespect, as her coffin was pried open out of mere curiosity.
Today, if you visit Catherine’s burial site, there is no grand tomb or effigy marking her final resting place. Instead, a simple slab notes her burial, a quiet and modest end for a woman who had once been Queen of England.