2830: 
that she devised to him the whole of her 
disposable property, by a will which is 
dated on the day of her decease, although 
that event Occurred “ between two and 
three of the clocke in the morning.” - 
Her body was embalmed, and wrappéd 
in lead in the usual manner; and great 
preparations were made for her inter- 
ment in the chapel of Sudeley Castle, 
notwithstanding the late king had directed 
tbat her remains should be deposited 
with his own, and those of his other fa= 
vourite queen, Jane Seymour, in a vault 
prepared for that purpose at Windsor. 
The funeral procession commenced 
with a long train of gentlemen and 
esquires, knights, officers of household, 
and gentlemen ushers. Then followed 
the corpse, supported by six gentlemen 
in black gowns and hoods, preceded by - 
a herald ‘‘in cote,” and. surrounded by 
attendants bearing torches. The chief 
mourner on this solemn occasion, was 
the amiable and interesting lady Jane 
Grey, who was followed by a numerous 
assemblage of ladies, arranged according 
to their rank, and these were succeeded 
ty a band of yeomen, who closed the 
precession. 
Dr. Coverdale,* who had been the 
almoner of the deceased queen, per- 
furmed the service, and preached a 
* goode and godlie sermonde,” in which: 
he assured his audience, that the accuse 
tumed offering which was made to the 
aims-box, was not ‘don anye thinge to 
profiytt the deade, but for the poore 
onive.” 
‘The daughter of Katherine, whose 
name was Mary, did not long survive her 
pniortunate parents. The execution of 
Seymour took piace on the 20th of 
March, 1549, and he then committed 
her to the care of the duchess of Suffolk. 
She was svotatier restored to that rank 
of which she had been deprived by her 
father's attainder, and died the same 
year, 
For upwards of twu centuries, the body 
Of Katherine was allowed to rest quietly 
in the earth, but becoming at length an 
abject of curiosity, in consequence of 
the publication of a breviat of her bu- 
Pel DE SAORI ePID NE ISI URE: S54 Nt 
* This active and zealous reformer, was 
gonsecrated bishop of Exeter, in 1549, but he 
was aiterwards compelied to vacate his see, 
ant Ay to the Continent for'refuge during the 
persecution of queen Mary, by whom he was 
designed to have been sacrificed. “His ad- 
¥ances ave prevented his resuming his epis- 
cop.l functions, when-Elizayeth ascended 
the throsie, 
yf Pe 
Letters from Cheltenham. 
[Oct. I, 
rial, a party of ladies, in’ 1782, directed 
her coffin to be sought for in Sudeley 
chapel. Jt was soon discovered, ata 
very sinall distance from the surface; and 
when opened, the body was found covered 
with cerecloth, and in very complete pre- 
servation. No care was taken to close 
the apertures made in the lead, so that 
when the coffia was again exposed, in - 
1784, the face was entirely decayed. 
In 1786, the queen’s remains were once 
more disinterred by Dr. Nash.* He 
found the coffin that contained them, to 
consist’ of a sheet of lead, fitted closely 
to the body, and on the part that covered 
the breast, was the following inscription: 
“K.P. here lyethe Katherine, wife to 
kyng Henry VILL. and the wife of Tho- 
mas, lord of Sudeley, high admy—~ of 
England, and ynkle to kyng Edward VI. 
1548.” He examined one of her hands, 
which was somewhat discoloured, but 
yet quite perfect, and then respectfully 
placed the coffin in its original situation, 
But the ashes of Katherine were not. 
eren now suffered to repose In peace. 
Her grave was again violated with a sa- 
crilegious temerity that had neither the 
plea of antiquarian research, nor of 
scientific curiosity, to extenuate the out- 
raze. The body, almost decayed, was 
taken out of the coffin; the hair, which 
was long and beautiful, although some- 
what discoloured by damp, was cut off; 
and the next day, a deep grave was pre- 
pared near the centre of the chapel, 
where the mouldering relics were finally 
deposited, 
Dr. Parkhurst, afterwards bishop of 
Norwich, who was one of her chaplains, 
wrote for her a Latin epitaph, which 
Strype has preserved, and which proba- 
bly was inscribed on her tomb. | It has 
been thus translated: . 
In this new tomb, the royal Kath’rine lies, 
Flower of her sex, renowned great and 
WiSe : 4 
* Itis a singular circumstance that the re-- 
mains of the marquis of Northampton; the 
queen’s only brother, should also have been . 
impiously disturbed. He died October 28, 
1571, and was buried at the upper end of the , 
choir of ‘the coliegiate church of Warwick, 
where ‘* his body was dug up in the reign o 
James I. to make rvom for an ordinary gen — 
tlewoman. It was found perfect, with the 
skin entire, dried to the bones, with rosemary * 
All which weré - 
so preserved by the dryness of the ground ~ 
and bays lying in the coffin. 
wherein they lay, it being above the arches 
of that vault, whichis under the choir, and 
1 a Sandy soil,” 
A wifes 
