Handel's funeral was a huge ceremony
Handel signed a codicil to his will three days before his death in 1759, stating that he hoped to be buried in the Abbey and that his executor erect a monument for him.
Handel's funeral was a huge ceremony because of his fame and how much he was loved by the English people, including the royal family. A fascinating George Handel fact is that over 3,000 people came to say their final goodbyes at his funeral. The choirs of Westminster, St Paul's, and the Chapel Royal performed at his funeral. Among those in attendance were Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and Rudyard Kipling.
The service was performed by choirs from the Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, and the Chapel Royal. Mr. Gordin was the Undertaker, and George Amyand paid the service and lead-lined coffin fees (£45 5s. 6d), while Roubiliac paid £25 to erect the monument and 6 guineas to lay down a gravestone. The inscription on his black marble gravestone in the south transept reads: "GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL BORN YE 23 FEBRUARY 1684 DIED YE 14 OF APRIL 1759."
According to a 19th century Abbey history, it depicts "a demi-man couped, his left arm a-kimbo, his right holding up a bottle" (i.e. the top half of a man's figure with one arm bent at the elbow and the other holding a bottle). The same arms are shown between two elephant trunks in the crest above. It's unclear why he chose these specific emblems for his coat of arms!
