Edward I is one of the most notorious rulers of English history. With a reputation for military brutishness and political ruthlessness, he was rumoured to have once frightened a man to death. But in November 1290, one event brought this warrior king crashing to the ground: the death of his beloved wife, Eleanor of Castile. The royal entourage, who were based in Lincoln at the time, spent the dark days of December 1290 returning the body of the queen to Westminster Abbey. To mark this procession - the longest in English history - Edward did something quite remarkable. He ordered 12 crosses of golden stones to be erected along the route. Seven centuries later, Alice Loxton traces the footsteps of the cortege, uncovering what remains of the most romantic story of England’s history.