Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-08-11
DEAD ENGLISH KINGS.
Interesting Explorations AmOrN
the Royal TOnbs OF WsstminstsT
Abbey.

Abbey.
Moncure ID. Conway writes from Lon
don TO the Cincinnati Commercial NJ
follows:
The Deem Of Westminster has just
given before the Society Of Antiquarians
an interesting account Of several Kings
skulls. Shakspeare's words, Come, LEI
us sit on the ground aud talk Of the death
Of Kings" are hardly polite enough to
quote at a moment when so many Princes
are lying around loose; but the antigua
rians fell into this vein on Thursday
evening, and listened with deep attention
to Dean Stanley's narrative. He has
just explored the tomb of Richard II
the King whose splendid beginning and
miserable end made old Froissart say:
81 have seen too strange things in my
time" Two sets OF human bones were
found in the tomb OF Richard, male and
female; it was certain that the female
was Annie, OF Bohemia, and the Dean
discussed whether the others were the
remains Of Richard. The measurement of
the skull showed it TO be below the aver
age size ofthe English skull ;howeyer, Mr.
Richmond thought the skull would agree
with the character OF the Kings. Sprigs
of poplar, considered in his time pre-
ventiVe against witchcraft, we're found
in the tomb. Rushes were there, also,
proving that the tomb though ran
sacked, had never been actually entered.
Some rubbish was found which must
have been cast in by passersby. The
tomb of Henry. Ill had also been ex-
plored by the Dean. About the identity
of Henry remains there is no doubt The
casting of the efiigy upon it is nearly pei
feet although it was among the first OF
such castings The coffin was found
covered with cloth Of gold, and that COW
cred with dust. The cloth had so lost its
strength that breath from the mouth
would change any bit Of it to dust. The
Dean is responsible for having disturbed
thelbones of many an old monarch in the
interest of Science. 1t is curious that
while so many of such tombs have been
opened, no one yet dares to suggest the
exploration of that of Shakespeare. The
tomb of William Rufus was opened to
find whether the story OF his death by
the arrow of Tyrrell was true. as the
legend said that the arrow had been bu-
ried with the King. Sure enough the
arrow was found. Also the grave
of John Hampden was explored, to
see il it were true that he had lost
a hand in his engagement with Prince
Rupert, and the amputated hand
was found. But although the fearful
imprecatiOn written ON the supposed
only supposed-grave of Shakespeare
leads many to suspect that some expla-
nation of the confessed mystery sur
rounding him lies buried there; that i'm
precation seems to be the reason why no
one proposes to dig into it. Indeed, so
much superstition invests that grave in
the Stratford Church that it is likely that
the villagers would rise up in arms at
any such attempt rs was once made by
Miss Bacon, the American monomaniac,
whom some OF the Stratfordians say, no
sooner raised pick over the grave than
she was struck with madness. But it is
plain from the explorations of Dean
Stanley in Westminster Abbey that such
divinity doth not hedge about King as
hedges about the immortal Williams,
as the French call him.