Westminster Abbey

Today I made an extra trip to Westminster Abbey! 

While Westminster Abbey is an exciting institution for any student of history, the purpose of my visit was an unusual one: to see an unmarked grave. Samuel Foote, a one-legged comedian from Georgian London, was buried near the Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. This location superficially seems appropriate, as Foote contributed greatly to the development of modern comedy. However, Foote's demise came shortly after he was accused of attempted sodomitic rape. The trial was widely publicized and, although Foote was found to be not guilty, he died surrounded by a media frenzy. Foote's biographer, Ian Kelly, notes that at the time of Foote's death, his name was "practically unmentionable." Consequently, Foote's remains were smuggled into Westminster Abbey at night by his friends and he was buried in an unmarked grave. (I like to think he was buried near the remains of David Garrick, so Foote could continue to annoy him in death as he did in life!)

For more information about Westminster Abbey, see the full website at https://www.westminster-abbey.org/