The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-05-20
Discovery Of Emb ed Bodies.
Secretary of State

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A writer in the "London Notes and Qneriss''
furnishes the following Interesting account:
few weeks ago in clearing out the ruins
of an old chapel at Nuneham Regis, in War
wiekshire which had been pulled down all but
the belfry tower, forty years since, we thought
it necessary to trench the whole space that we
might more certainly mark ont The boundaries
of the building, as we wished to restore it in
some measure otis former state. 1t had been
used as stack yard and depository for rub
bish by the tenant of the farm on which it was,
ever since its dilaridation. We began to trench
at the west enc, and came on a great MANY
bones and skeletons, from which the coffns
had crumble away, ill finding the earth had
been moved, we went deeper and discovered a
leaden coffin, 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 around it. We cut the lead and folded
back the top, so as not to destroy il; beneath
! was wooden coffin, in good preservation, and
also without any inscription.
As soon as the leaden top was rolled back a
most overpowering aromatic smell dffised it.
self all over the place. We then unfs.tened
the inner coffin, and found the BODY Of a man
embamed with great care. and heaps Of rose
mary and aromatic leaves piled over him. On
examining the body more closely. we founll it
had been beheaded. The head was separate
ly wrapped up in linen, and the linen shirt tn at
covered the body was drawn quite over the
neck where the head had been cut off. The
head was laid straight with the bodv. and
where the joining of the neck and head should
have been, it was tied round with a broad
black ribbon. His hands were crossed on his
breast. the wrists were tied with black ribbon
and the thumbs were tied together with black
ribbon. He had a peaked beard and qnan-
tity Of long brown hair, curled and clotted
with blood. round his neck. The only mark
chest, Just above whore his hands were
crossed. on if We're the letters st. B.'' work
ed in black silk
On trenchng towards .he chancel. we came
on four leaden eofins. laid said by side with
inscriptions on each; one contained the body
Of Francis, Earl of Chichester, and Lord
nunsmure. 1858; the next the body OF the
Countess of Chinches-er, 1862; another the
body Of Lady Audrey Leigh, their daughter.
1640; and the fourth the body Of Sir John An
derson, son of Lady Chichester bv her first
husband. We opened the coffin of adv Au-
drey leigh. and found her perfectly embamed
and in entire preservation, her flesh quite
plump. as if she were alive, her face very
beautiful. and her hands exceedingly small
and not wasted. She was dressed in fine lin
en-, trimmed all over with point lace, and two
rows of lace fiat across her forehead. She
looked exactly as if she We're lying asleep,
and seemed not more than sixteen or seven
teen years old; her beauty was great, even her
eyelashes ana eyebrows were quiet perfect,
and her eyes were closed; no part of her face
or figure was at all fallen in. We also open
ed Lady Chichester's coffin, but with her the
embalming had apparently failed She was a
skeleton, though the coffin was Full of aroma
tic leaves. Her hair, however, was as fresh
as if she lived; ii was long, thick. and as soft
and glossy as that Of child, and of a perfect
auburn color.
In trenching on one side of where the altar
had been, we found another eaden coffin with
ar inscription. II contained the body of
Dame Marie Brawne, daughter of one of the
Leighs, and of the Lady Marie, daughter to
Lord Chancellor BrackleY. THIS body was
also quite perfect, and embalmed principally
with very small coffee-c olored seed, with
which the coffin was filled. and it also had so
powerful a perfume that it filled the whole
place TIE linen ribbon, &C.. were quite
strong and good in all these instances, and re-
mained so after exposure to the air. We kept
a piece out of each coffin, and ii washed with
out its being at all destroyed. Young Lady
Audrey had earrings in her ears. black enam-
eed serpent. The perfume of the herbs and
gums used in embalming them was so sicken-
ing. that we were all iil after inhaling it, and
most of the men employed in digging up the
coffins where i'll also. My object in sending
this account is, if possible, to discover who
the heheaded man was. The chapel is on the
estate Of Lord John Scott, who inherited it
from his paternal grandmother, the Duchess
of Ruchcleuch, daughter Of the Duke Of Mon
tague, into whose family Nuneham Regis and
other possessions in Warwickshire came bv
the marriage Of his grandfather with the
daughter Of Lord Dunsmure, Earl of Chches-