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The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Church seeks to exhume head of Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More… 500 years after it was put on a pike
THE head of Sir Thomas More, the Catholic martyr and former Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, could soon be dug up, five centuries after it was boiled and placed on a pike. St Dunstan's Church in Canterbury has revealed plans to exhume and preserve the centuries-old relic, with hopes of putting it on display. 4 4 4 The remains would be placed in a shrine in 2035, lining up with the 500th anniversary of More's execution. More was Henry VIII's lord chancellor but was best known for defying the King and was executed for treason in 1535 in Tower Hill, London. The lawyer, author and philosopher refused to accept Henry as head of the newly formed Church of England - a decision that cost him his life. While his body was buried in the Tower of London, his head was parboiled and mounted on a spike on London Bridge as a grim warning to others thinking of crossing the king. More's daughter, Margaret Roper, secretly recovered the head, reportedly preserving it in spices and keeping it with her for the rest of her life. When she died in 1544, the head was buried alongside her and in 1578, her remains, along with her father's head, were transferred to the Roper family vault at St Dunstan's Church, where it's been ever since. Now, church leaders say the time has come to unearth what remains and preserve it using modern conservation techniques. A statement read to the congregation at St Dunstan's last Sunday confirmed that the parochial church council (PCC) has agreed to begin the process if granted permission, The Times reported. It read: "What the PCC has agreed, subject to all the right permissions being granted, is to exhume and conserve what remains of the relic, which will take several years to dry out and stabilise. "We could just put it back in the vault, maybe in a reliquary of some kind, or we could place the reliquary in some sort of shrine or carved stone pillar above ground in the Roper chapel, which is what many of our visitors have requested. "We'd really appreciate your ideas and thoughts." The move could turn the quiet Kent parish into a major draw for pilgrims, tourists, and history buffs but first, the church needs the green light from church authorities. It would also require around £50,000 in donations to make it happen. The relic could take several years to fully stabilise and dry, but once conserved, the church plans to either place it back in the vault or move it into a custom-built shrine or stone pillar inside the chapel. Visitors have reportedly been asking to see the relic for years, and the church is now inviting ideas from the community about how best to honour More's legacy. The church hopes to raise tens of thousands of pounds to fund expert archaeologists and conservation specialists but Rev Jo Richards, rector of the benefice, said early reaction from the congregation has been positive. Church courts don't often approve exhumations, but in this case, supporters hope More's global significance as a saint, scholar, and martyr will help make the case. More is also officially regarded as a holy relic by the Catholic Church, which could help the Church's case. He was a respected lawyer and the author of Utopia, a visionary text imagining an ideal society but was also a firm defender of the Catholic faith. While he's remembered for his courage and moral conviction, More also played a part in persecuting heretics, those who had different beliefs, defending their executions in his writings. Even so, his private life was marked by generosity, wit, and deep religious devotion, according to those who knew him. His friend Erasmus called him 'the most virtuous man in England'. If the project goes ahead, work could begin in the next few years, with the shrine ready in time for the anniversary in 2035. 4
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Church bids to exhume head of Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More - five centuries after it was put on spike when he was executed
Sir Thomas More's head could be exhumed 500 years after it was parboiled and put on a spike on London Bridge. St Dunstan's, an Anglican church in Canterbury, Kent, where the remains of Henry VIII's lord chancellor lie, has launched a bid to have them unearthed and placed in a shrine. More was beheaded at Tower Hill in 1535 after he refused to acknowledge the monarch as head of the church following Henry's break from Rome. His body was buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London, but his head was taken from the scaffold and put on a spike on London Bridge. Amid fears More's head would be thrown in the Thames, his daughter Margaret Roper rescued it and reportedly kept it in spices for the rest of her life. It was then buried with her and transferred to the Roper family grave at St Dunstan's in 1578, where it has been kept in a vault behind metal bars ever since. More was declared a martyr by the Vatican in 1935 - meaning his remains are now considered a holy relic in the Catholic Church. According to The Times, St Dunstan's is seeking to exhume More's remains in time for the 500th anniversary of his death in 2035. However, the church will need to get permission from the commissary court in Canterbury before any work can go ahead. It is understood that the congregants at St Dunstan's church were told about the plans last Sunday. A statement read: 'What the [parochial church council] PCC has agreed, subject to all the right permissions being granted, is to exhume and conserve what remains of the relic, which will take several years to dry out and stabilise. 'We could just put it back in the vault, maybe in a reliquary of some kind, or we could place the reliquary in some sort of shrine or carved stone pillar above ground in the Roper chapel, which is what many of our visitors have requested. We'd really appreciate your ideas and thoughts.' Thomas More was a lawyer, philosopher and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII. He is best known for his opposition to Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church. More refused to recognise the king as head of the Church of England, leading to his execution for treason. He was canonised as a saint in 1935. Historically, More was both devout and intellectual, known for his wit and integrity. However, he actively persecuted Protestants, defending the execution of heretics in The Confutation Of Tyndale's Answer: 'And for heretics, as they be... the clergy doth denounce them. And as they be well worthy, the temporalty doth burn them.' Yet More's kindness in his private life was also noted by his contemporaries. Erasmus, a close friend, described More as gentle and loving, and said his refusal to take the oath was a principled stand.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Thomas More's head may be exhumed 500 years after it was put on a pike
Thomas More's head could be exhumed 500 years after it was put on a pike on London Bridge. St Dunstan's, an Anglican church in Canterbury where the remains of the Tudor lawyer lie in a vault, has applied for permission to have them unearthed to potentially place in a shrine. Henry VIII's lord chancellor was put to death in 1535, after refusing to recognise the king as head of the Church of England when he declared independence from Rome during the Reformation. More was martyred by the Vatican in 1935, meaning his remains are considered a holy relic in Catholicism. The parochial church council (PCC) at St Dunstan's is looking to prepare More's remains in time for the 500th anniversary of his death in 2035, but requires permission from the commissary court in Canterbury, which rules on church buildings and grounds, The Times reported. More was an influential theologian whose 1516 book Utopia described the political system of an imagined ideal state. The philosopher was a fierce critic of the Protestant Reformation, and opposed Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church. More, who is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, was buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London, but his head – after being parboiled – was placed on a pike on London Bridge. His daughter, Margaret Roper, rescued the head to prevent it from being thrown into the Thames, and is believed to have kept it in spices for the rest of her life. The head was buried with her when she died in 1544, and when her body was transferred to the Roper family grave at St Dunstan's in 1578 it was brought along. It has been stored in a vault behind metal bars at St Dunstan's ever since. Plans to conserve and enshrine Congregants at St Dunstan's were informed of the church's decision to exhume the remains last Sunday, The Times reported. A statement said: 'What the PCC has agreed, subject to all the right permissions being granted, is to exhume and conserve what remains of the relic, which will take several years to dry out and stabilise. 'We could just put it back in the vault, maybe in a reliquary of some kind, or we could place the reliquary in some sort of shrine or carved stone pillar above ground in the Roper chapel, which is what many of our visitors have requested. We'd really appreciate your ideas and thoughts.' The church will seek to raise £50,000 from More's devotees to pay expert archaeologists for the conservation project, it was reported.
Times
2 days ago
- General
- Times
Church seeks to exhume skull of Thomas More for 500th anniversary
A church in Canterbury wants to open up its vault to see what remains of Sir Thomas More's head, almost 500 years after it was chopped off on Tower Hill and retrieved from a spike on London Bridge by his daughter. Parts of the Tudor lawyer's skull could go on public display after the church applied for permission to exhume and preserve the remains and potentially place them in a shrine. Although it is an Anglican church, St Dunstan's is a popular site for Roman Catholic pilgrims, particularly from the US, who come to venerate the final resting place and only known remains of the former lord chancellor. He was put to death in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII after refusing to recognise the king as head of the Church of England following his declaration of the church's independence from Rome during the English Reformation. More was canonised as a martyr by the Vatican 400 years later in 1935, making his remains holy relics in Catholic teaching. The parochial church council (PCC) at St Dunstan's wants to prepare More's remains in time for the 500th anniversary of his death in 2035 but needs permission from the commissary court in Canterbury, which rules on church buildings and grounds. After his execution, More's body was buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London but his head, after being parboiled, was placed on a spike on London Bridge. A month later, his daughter, Margaret Roper, was rowed up the Thames and rescued the head to prevent it from being thrown in the river. She is thought to have kept it in spices to preserve it for the rest of her life. After her death in 1544, Roper was buried in Chelsea. When her body was moved to the Roper family grave at St Dunstan's in the 1570s, her father's head was brought with it, inside a lead casing. Shortly afterwards, a new vault was created, with More's head placed behind metal bars in a niche in the wall. The church played a role in the story of another Henry and Thomas. Henry II stopped there in 1174 to change into a sackcloth to begin a penitential pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral over his role in the murder of Thomas Becket four years earlier. Last Sunday, the congregation at St Dunstan's was told of plans to mark the 500th anniversary of More's death, and that the church gets 'one or two requests a year to chip off a bit of skull and post it somewhere in the world' to devotees of More. • Thomas More — saintly victim or fanatical torturer? 'What the PCC has agreed, subject to all the right permissions being granted, is to exhume and conserve what remains of the relic, which will take several years to dry out and stabilise,' the statement said. 'We could just put it back in the vault, maybe in a reliquary of some kind, or we could place the reliquary in some sort of shrine or carved stone pillar above ground in the Roper chapel, which is what many of our visitors have requested. We'd really appreciate your ideas and thoughts.' The church will seek to raise £50,000 from More's devotees around the world to start the project and pay for expert archaeologists and conservators. No one has set eyes on More's remains for almost 30 years since the vault was last opened in 1997. A video from the time shows that the lead casing around the skull was partially opened, accelerating the decay. All that remained, before the vault was re-sealed, was some fragments of cranium, a piece of lower jaw, and lots of dust. The vault was accidentally opened in the 19th century during renovations. An unusual drawing was made showing an intact skull 'grinning' out from a casket, but Sue Palmer, a churchwarden, doubts the artist set eyes on it himself. The church said: 'Having the relic deteriorating in a vault is not good enough for many who venerate Thomas More. He's here, he's staying here — despite many of our Catholic visitors who would like him back — and we need to consider our ecumenical responsibility.' The Venerable Dr Will Adam, Archdeacon of Canterbury, said: 'The 500th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Thomas More provides an opportunity to reflect on past divisions and redouble efforts towards reconciliation and Christian unity.' Church courts often refuse requests to exhume remains unless in exceptional circumstances so as not to disrupt the 'permanence' of burial. Saints and relics are not typically venerated in the Anglican tradition. Church of England officials want to ensure that any shrine would be appropriate in an Anglican church. Palmer said she was 'expecting views on both sides', but the Rev Jo Richards, rector of the benefice, said the congregation seemed positive about the plans on Sunday. She said there was already a steady stream of two or three pilgrims a day, adding: 'We're blessed the church is open every day from nine to five. For me, it's mission through pilgrimage, heritage and for tourists as well. But predominantly a place of pilgrimage. If that encourages people to come into the church and they encounter God, that to me is the good news.'
