Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-12-03
nl,covery of Embalmea Bodies.


u.r;ter in the London Notes and Bueries furnishes
AanIIowing interesting account; ssaat.v Isl
Tow weeks ago, IN clearing out the ruins OF an |
bapel al Nuncham Regis in Warwckshire which |
ibpen pulled down, all but the belfry tower, 40 |
s since, we thought it necessary to trench the
,ole space, that we might more certainly mark out
boundaries Of the building as we wished to restore
IN some measure, 10 its former state. Ii has been
Vi as stack yard and depository for rubbish. by
tenants OF the farm which it was ever since its
g,rdation. We began 10 trench at the west end.
a came on great many bones and skeletons, from
rSch the collins had crumbled away till finding the
nth had been moved we went deeper, and discovered
,aden coffin, quite perfect, without date inscription
any kind. There had been an outer wooden coffin.
hich decayed but quantities of The black rotied
nod were all round it. We cut the lead and folded
ack The top, so moi 10 destroy it; beneath was
rooden coffin in good preservation and also without
|mr inscription.
As soon as the leaden top was rolled back most
Empowering aromatic smell diffused itself all over
Ebe place. We then unfaStened the inner cofhn and
|0and tbs body OF a man embamed with great care,
Ind heaps OF rosemary and aromatic leaves piled over
5m. On examining the body more closely we found
/ had been beheaded the head separately wrap
he'd up in linen, and the linen shirt that covered the
Eoly was drawn quite over the neck where the head
hal been cut off, the head laid straight with the
oIy and where the joining of the neck and head
should have been, it tied roun with broad black
inland. His hands were crossed on his breast, the
wrists were tied with black rband, AMI the thumbs
we're tied together with black Eiband. He had a
seaked beard, and quantity of long brown hair cur
ed and clotted with blood round his neck; the only
mark or anythig about him was The linen on his
chest just above where his hands crossed on
I, were the letters - I b. worked in black silk.
On trenching towards the channel We came on four
eaden collins laid side by side, with inscriptions on
each one contained the body Of Francis, Earl of Chi
chester and Lord DunSmure 1863 the next the body
Of Audrey, Countess of Chichester, 1862 another the
holy of Lady Audrey Leigh, their daughter, 1910
and the fourth the body Of Sir John Anderson of Lady
Chichester BY her first husband We opened he coli
fin of Lady Audrey Leigh, AMI found her perfectly
embalmed and IN preservation, her flesh quite plump
as if she alive her face very beautiful her hands
exceedingly small and not wasted; she was dressed
in fine linen trimmed all with all point lace, and
two lows OF lace fat acoss her forehead She look ed
exactly As if she were lying asleep, and seemed no
more than Is OF II years o'd her beauty very
great hef eyela~hes and eyebrows quite per
ect, and her ewes closed part of her face o.
figure was at al fallen IN We also opened Lady Chi
chester's ccfin but with her the emhalmng had ap
parenlly failed she skeleton, though the cohr
was full Of aromatic leaves Her hair however wa
as fresh if she lived it long, thick and sof
snd goSsy that of child, and OF perfect auburn
color
In trenching on one side of where the alter had
been found another leaden coffin with an inscrip
ton. 1t contained the body of Dame Marine Browne
laughter of of the Leigh<, and of the Lady
Marine. daughter 10 Lord Chancellor Brackley. Thi
body also quite perfect, and embalmed princpall.
with very small coffee coored seed, with which tn
coffin nearly filled. and it also had SO powerful
perfume that it filled the whole place The linen
rband &c, were quite strong and good in all thes
instances, and remained after exposure to the air
we kept piece out of each coffin and had it washes
without lis being at all destroyed. Young Lady Au
drey had earrings in her earsback enamled serpents
The perfume of the herbs and gums used in embalm
ing them was so sckenng tina, we were all i'll after in
hang it, and most of the men employed in digging N
the collins i'll also. My object in sending ,hi
account is if possible, 10 discover who the beheade
man is The chapel is on the estate of Lord JON
Scott who inherited it from his paernal grandmothel
the Duchess of Buccleuch, daughter of the Duke O
Montague, into whose family Nuneham Regis an
other possessions in Warwickshire came by the maj
rage of his grandfather with the daughter of Lor
Cunsmure, Earl Of Chichester
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