The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-11-25
THE DAILY DISPATCH
DISCOVERY OF EMRAI.MFD aonIEs

writer in the London Notes and Queries fur.
nishes The following interesting account:
A few weeks ago, in clearing out the ruins of nm
old chapel at Nuneham Regis, in Warwickshire
which had been pulled down, all but the belfry
tower 40 years since, we thought Ii necessary To
trench the whole space, that we might more GER
tainly mark out the boundaries of the building, as
we wished TO restore it, in some measure to its
former state. II has been used as a stack yard and
depository for rubbish, by the tenants of the
farm on which |. was, ever since its ilapidation
We began to trench at the west end, and came on
great many bones and skeletons, from which the
cotins had crumbled away, till, finding the earth
had been moved, we went deeper, and discovered
leaden cottin, quite perfect without date or in
scription of any kind There had been an outer
| wooden coffin, which was decayed, but QUANTITIES
| OF the black rotted wood were all round it. We
cat the lead and folded back the top, as not to
| destroy II; beneath was wooden coffin in good
| preservation, and also without any inscription.
AS soon as the leaden top was rolled back most
overpowering aromatic smell dfused Itself all over
| the place We the1 unfastened the inner coffin
| and found the body of man embalmed with great
| care, and heaps of rosemary and aromatic leaves
| piled over him. On examining the body mese
closely We found i. mad been behesded; the head
was separately wrapped up in linen, aud the linen
| shirt that covered the body was drawn quite over
| the neck where the head had been cut off the
| head was laid siraigh with the body, and, where
| the joining of the neck and head should have
| BEEN it was tied round with broad black riband.
II
were tied with black riband, and the thumbs were
tied together with black riband. He bad peaked
beard, and quantity If long brown hair, curled
and eetted with blood round his necS; the only
| mark on anything about him was on the linen on
his chest, Just above where his hands were crossed
on it were the letters 50 L B." worked in black silk
On trenchiDg towards the chancel We came or
four leaden collins laid side by side with nscrip
ton on each one contained the body OF Francis
Earl of Chichester and Lord Dunsmure 1868; til,
next the body Of Audrey, Countess OF Chichester
1862 snotner the body OF Lady Audrey Leigh
their daughter, lf40; and the fourth the body o
Sir John Anderson, son OF Lady Chlchetter D!
her first husband. We opened the coffin OF Lad.
Audrey Leigh, and found her perfectly embalmet
and in preservation, her flesh quite plump as
she were alive, her face very beautiful, her hand
exceedingly small and not wasted; she was dresses
in fine linen trimmed all over with all point lace
and two rows of lace fiat across her forehead. Sh
looked exactly if she were lying asleep, AM
seemed not more than 10 or IL years old; her beau
iy was very great; even her eyelashes and ey
srows were quite perfect aud her eyes wer
closed; no part of her face or figure was at al
fallen n. We also opened Lady Chiches'ers co
fin, but with her the embalmirg had apparent
failed; she a skeleton, though the coffin wa
full of aromatic leaves. Her hair, however, wa
as fresh if she lived: it was long, thick, and q
soft ard glossy as that OF child. and OF periec
auburn cUlor.
In trenchipg on one side of where the altar ha
} been We found another leaden coffin with an II
|
Browne, daughter of one of the Leighs, and OF th
Lady Marie, daughter to Lord Chancellor Brackel
This body also quite perfect, and embalme
principally with very small cottee-coored seet
with which the coffin was nearly filled, ard it ale
had so powerful perfume that it filled the who
place. The linen, riband, &c, were quite stron
and good in all these instances, and remained 6
after exposure to the air ; we kept piece cut {
each coffin, and had it washed without its being
all destroyed. Young Lady Audrey had earring
/, in her ears-black enamelled serpents. The pc
fume of the herbs and gums used in embamin
them sickening that we were all ill after il
haling it, and most OF the meA employed in diggin
up the cotins we're i'll also My object in sendln
this account is, if possible to discover who the bs
headed man is. The echapel is on the estate OF Lor
J John Scott who inherited it from bis patterns
grandmother, the Duchess of Buccseueh oaughte
Of the Duke of Montague, into whose family Nuns
ham Regis and o'her possessions in Warwickshir
came by the marriage of his grandfather with tn
daughter OF Lord Dunsmure, Earl OF Chichester.
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