Eleanor's final stop

(A view into Harby)

On 20 November 1290 Edward I and Eleanor of Castile moved on from Marnham towards Lincoln. Although the city was only about 16 miles off it seems likely that the party knew taht ELeanor could not make the entire journey in one go, and that someone had been casting about, in the days prior to the move for a good stopping point en route. Luckily two longstanding members of the household had family living nearby. John de Weston was the son of a steward of Eleanor's who had died on crusade with Edward and Eleanor. He had himself been in the household of Eleanor's son Henry, and was probably therefore raised in the royal nurseries. As his wife Christiana was one of Eleanor's ladies, accompanied her to Gascony and was sent home from there "ad pregnandum" John Weston was probably with the royal party for much of the lengthy Gascon stay.

John had a relative, Richard de Weston, who had a house at Harby, more or less healf way between Marnham and Lincoln.

And so, it was to that house that Eleanor came on 20 November. Doubtless it was inteded that she would stay only overnight or for a day or so, before moving on to Lincoln. But in fact she would die there just over a week later.

(A view of the River Trent between MArnham and Harby)