The Secret Gravestones Beneath Somerset House

By · March 26, 2010 at 14:42 pm · 7 Comments · Miscellaneous · Report an error ·

The grand Portland Stone edifice of Somerset House is a place of merriment, arts, concerts and sedate riverside dining. But beneath the elegance and grandeur lies a little-known sequence of passages, chambers and vaults. We took a remarkable tour beneath the famous courtyard and into the ‘Deadhouse’, which contains the gravestones of 17th Century courtiers. Click through the gallery above for details – oh, and help us translate the grave stones.

The tours are free, run every Thurday and Saturday and are totally recommended. As well as visiting the deadhouse and surrounding passages, the walk also takes in the elegant Nelson stairway and the barge house, where you can see one of only two surviving 18th Century Navy Commissioners’ barges.

With kind thanks to Alan Patient and London Remembers for the recommendation.

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  • http://undefined Peter Gasston

    I took this tour recently; was really interesting. A couple of days later we saw it doubling for Newgate Prison in the new Sherlock Holmes film!

    But you didn’t get a photo of my favourite gravestone:

    Doctor Blasius Nunus Manhans Luzitanus

    • http://undefined M@

      I did, but it didn’t turn out very well unfortunately.

  • http://undefined zefrog

    Translations of the tombstones:

    Here lies the body of deceased Catherine Guilermet, living wife of Jehan Bluteau, “potage” of the teh Queen of the great britain which died May 7, 1633

    pray to god for her soul

    ————————————-
    (there are bits I couldn’t read properly in this one)

    Here lie the entrails of the late high and powerful lord, Sir James D’Angenne(?), knight, marquis of Pougny(?) and of Boisorgant(?), lord of the Rivaudierelle, Chastellier, Orsemont, Montigny and other places. state councillor of the very chirstian king and his embassador to the serenissime king of the great Britain, deceased at Rygate [...] the 9th day of January 1637(?) [...] new

    pray to god for his soul

  • http://undefined zefrog

    Re the potage thing. my feeling is that it should read “potagère” or “potager”, which would mean that Catherine or her husband were the people in charge of soups in the queen’s kitchens or perhaps in charge of her vegetable garden.

  • http://undefined M@

    Brilliant work, Zefrog. Many thanks.

  • http://undefined zefrog

    No prob. It’s old-fashioned French and some of the wording is a bit odd so have tried and kept it that way in the translation.

  • Janjon

    They aren’t just gravestones – they are graves according to the Somerset Hse person I spoke to.
    British History Online  website has a good description of the way in which the Catholic faith was practised there by the Queens of James 1 & Charles 1 hence the C17th dates on the gravestones.
    Bit surprised the remains haven’t been removed !

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