Darwin is buried inside Westminster Abbey

Darwin's family started making plans to bury him in the village where he had spent the last 40 years of his life after he passed away on April 19, 1882. Charles Darwin's body was buried in Westminster Abbey on Wednesday, April 26, 1882. The top clergy, scientists, and politicians in Britain have tickets to the funeral. The Abbey is crowded with mourners, and the doors are open to the general public as well.

Darwin was initially going to be laid to rest in the countryside, close to his home. Emma had been convinced, so Darwin's scientific allies pushed for a spot in Westminster Abbey. The London papers joined suit, with one editorial stating, "We owe it to posterity to lay his ashes among the illustrious dead." Another editorial argued, "His appropriate place is among those great worthies whose reputations are monuments in the people's history."