Eleanor Crosses

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The crosses erected by Edward I to commemorate his queen, Eleanor, \\hose body was brought from Nottingham- shire to Westminster for burial. At each of the following places, where the body rested, a cross was set up: Lincoln, Grantham, Stam- ford, Geddington, Northampton, Stony Strat- ford, Waltham, West Cheap (Cheapside).

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Eleanor Crosses” mean?

The crosses erected by Edward I to commemorate his queen, Eleanor, \\hose body was brought from Nottingham- shire to Westminster for burial. At each of the following places, where the body rested, a cross was set up: Lincoln, Grantham, Stam- ford, Geddington, Northampton, Stony Strat- ford, Waltham, West Cheap (Cheapside).

Is “Eleanor Crosses” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.