Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
What was found inside the TOMB OF EDWARD IV and Elizabeth Woodville in St George’s Chapel, Windsor in 1789? In this English royal history documentary from History Calling we start with the death of Edward IV in 1483, the death of Elizabeth Woodville in 1492 and the burials of this royal couple, who are well known as the parents of the Princes in the Tower and of Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII. We then look at the condition of the skeleton of Edward IV after 306 years in his coffin and the skeleton of Elizabeth Woodville (what was left of it).
I’ll discuss why the royal grave was opened during the reign of George III, what this famous Plantagenet King’s coffin looked like, why there was only one coffin found, despite there being the remains of two people, what clothes Edward IV was buried in, what condition his remains were in (including the presence of coffin goop and the stomach churning experiments which the doctors of the day ran on it), what Edward’s hair looked like, how tall he was and how the remains of Edward IV were desecrated by those who opened the tomb, with pieces of him taken and later sold at auction. I’ll even you a picture of Edward IV’s remains in his coffin. I’ll consider why Edward and Elizabeth’s remains were in such a different state of preservation and why items which should have been left with her grave were taken as well. Throughout I’ll use primary sources, including the first-hand account of Henry Emlyn, clerk of the works, who opened the royal grave and a letter by Henry W. Legee who was also allowed repeated access to the King’s remains and who stole numerous pieces of Edward IV’s hair.
#EdwardIV #ElizabethWoodville #RoyalTombs
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
WAS EDWARD IV ILLEGITIMATE?
youtu.be/Z4GzFxMNVV4
WAS EDWARD IV A BIGAMIST?
youtu.be/Z2SnrL5p6qg
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 1
youtu.be/3JcONIQQV_o
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 2
youtu.be/btl-S3Wz5pE
WHAT HAPPENED TO EDWARD V AND RICHARD DUKE OF YORK?
youtu.be/WQ6FIe4dLTo
CAN DNA IDENTIFY THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER?
youtu.be/awBM-t-cFQo
DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN AND OTHERS
youtu.be/EjCxVN7V6FA
SECRETS OF THE TOMB OF ELIZABETH I AND MARY I
youtu.be/EgLchn8Xs7I
THE BODY OF ANNE MOWBRAY, THE WIFE OF ONE OF THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER
youtu.be/uxrOlmPFntM
THE WARS OF THE ROSES PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0EVv2DJZOZT5ZyQwSJ4o7oZ
READ MORE:
John Ashdown-Hill, Elizabeth Widville, Lady Grey (2019)
amzn.to/4doVy8K
The Royal Funerals of the House of York at Windsor (Richard III Society, 2005)
amzn.to/4eQfbJd
BUY OR RENT:
Britain’s Bloody Crown Presented by Dan Jones (2016) [Documentary covering the Wars of the Roses] amzn.to/2TPep8i
The White Queen (TV show, 2013) OR amzn.to/2VcbQO5
The White Princess (2018). amzn.to/3C1NLdl
The King in the Carpark (2013). Documentary about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in 2012. amzn.to/3C0loMF
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
What was found inside the TOMB OF EDWARD IV and Elizabeth Woodville in St George’s Chapel, Windsor in 1789? In this English royal history documentary from History Calling we start with the death of Edward IV in 1483, the death of Elizabeth Woodville in 1492 and the burials of this royal couple, who are well known as the parents of the Princes in the Tower and of Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII. We then look at the condition of the skeleton of Edward IV after 306 years in his coffin and the skeleton of Elizabeth Woodville (what was left of it).
I’ll discuss why the royal grave was opened during the reign of George III, what this famous Plantagenet King’s coffin looked like, why there was only one coffin found, despite there being the remains of two people, what clothes Edward IV was buried in, what condition his remains were in (including the presence of coffin goop and the stomach churning experiments which the doctors of the day ran on it), what Edward’s hair looked like, how tall he was and how the remains of Edward IV were desecrated by those who opened the tomb, with pieces of him taken and later sold at auction. I’ll even you a picture of Edward IV’s remains in his coffin. I’ll consider why Edward and Elizabeth’s remains were in such a different state of preservation and why items which should have been left with her grave were taken as well. Throughout I’ll use primary sources, including the first-hand account of Henry Emlyn, clerk of the works, who opened the royal grave and a letter by Henry W. Legee who was also allowed repeated access to the King’s remains and who stole numerous pieces of Edward IV’s hair.
#EdwardIV #ElizabethWoodville #RoyalTombs
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
WAS EDWARD IV ILLEGITIMATE?
youtu.be/Z4GzFxMNVV4
WAS EDWARD IV A BIGAMIST?
youtu.be/Z2SnrL5p6qg
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 1
youtu.be/3JcONIQQV_o
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 2
youtu.be/btl-S3Wz5pE
WHAT HAPPENED TO EDWARD V AND RICHARD DUKE OF YORK?
youtu.be/WQ6FIe4dLTo
CAN DNA IDENTIFY THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER?
youtu.be/awBM-t-cFQo
DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN AND OTHERS
youtu.be/EjCxVN7V6FA
SECRETS OF THE TOMB OF ELIZABETH I AND MARY I
youtu.be/EgLchn8Xs7I
THE BODY OF ANNE MOWBRAY, THE WIFE OF ONE OF THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER
youtu.be/uxrOlmPFntM
THE WARS OF THE ROSES PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0EVv2DJZOZT5ZyQwSJ4o7oZ
READ MORE:
John Ashdown-Hill, Elizabeth Widville, Lady Grey (2019)
amzn.to/4doVy8K
The Royal Funerals of the House of York at Windsor (Richard III Society, 2005)
amzn.to/4eQfbJd
BUY OR RENT:
Britain’s Bloody Crown Presented by Dan Jones (2016) [Documentary covering the Wars of the Roses] amzn.to/2TPep8i
The White Queen (TV show, 2013) OR amzn.to/2VcbQO5
The White Princess (2018). amzn.to/3C1NLdl
The King in the Carpark (2013). Documentary about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in 2012. amzn.to/3C0loMF
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
