Eleanor Cross Memorial Plaque

The Eleanor Crosses were a series of 12 stone monuments erected in the east of England by Edward I. They were built between 1291 and 1295 in memory of his wife, Eleanor of Castile. The crosses marked the nightly resting places along the route taken when her body was transported to Westminster Abbey.

The crosses stood at Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St Albans, Waltham, Cheapside and Charing. Note that the current names of both Waltham and Charing reflect their association with these crosses.

Most of these crosses, including the one in St Albans, are now lost. Wear-and-tear may have taken their toll on the Eleanor Cross in St Albans, particularly given the amount of cart and barrow traffic that would have passed nearby. The main damage, however, may have been deliberate vandalism by Parliamentary troops garrisoned in the town in the early 1640s.

The exact location of the original cross is unknown, but this fairly insignificant plaque on the Clock Tower is a reminder of ancient history and enduring love.