The Worthington advance., 1875-03-12

|parted with his museum he sold the
head Of Cromwell for 1f230 to three men,
who bought it about tho time Of the
French Revolution to exhibit in Mead
court, Bond street, 1t half.a.crown a
head. Curiously enough, it happened
that each of these gentlemen died Z. aud.
den death, and tho head cama, into tho
Ipo1ssgsiqa of the sth1vS niecsss sof TIE last
imam Who died. Thee young lslies, nor
vous at keeping it in the house, asked
take care Of it for them, and they subse-
quently sold to him. For tho next 1if-
teen or twenty years Mr.. Wilkinson was
IN the. habit Of showing it to ali the dis.
tinguished men of that day, and the head,
much treasured, yet remains in the
family.
| The circumstantial evidence is very
curious. It is the only head in history.
which Is known to have been embalmed
tand afterwards beheaded. On the back
Of the neck, above the vertebrae, is the
mark of the cut of an axe where the ex-
ecutioner, having, perhaps, no proper
block, had strucktoo high, and, laying
the head in its soft, embalmed state on
the block, fattened the nose on one side,
making it adhere to the face. The hair
grows promiscuously about the face, and
the beard, stained to exactly the same
color by the embalming liquor, is tucked
up under the chin, with the oakcn staff
Of tho spear with which the head was
stuck up on Westminster Hall, which
staff is perforated by worm that never
attacks cak until It. has been for many
ISears exposed .to the weather.
The iron spearhead, where it protrudes
above the skull, is rusted away by the nc.
tion Of the atmosphere. The jagged way
in which the top Of the skull is removed
throws us back to time when surgery
was in its infancy, while the embAlming is
80 beautifully done that the cellular pro.
cess of the gums and the membrane of
the tongue are still to be seen. Several
teeth are yet in the mouth; the membrane
Of the eyelid remains; the pia-mater and
the dura-mater, thin membranes, which,
! believe, lie over the brain, may be seen
Iclinging to their inner and upper part of
the skull. The brain was, Of course, 70.
moved, but the compartments are very
distinct. When tho great sculptor, Flax.
man, went to sec it he said at once, s'You
will not mind my expressing any disap-
pointment may feel on seeing the head!'
''Qh, no." said Mr.. Wilkinson, ''but will
you tell me what are the characteristics
by which the head might be recognised"
"Well," replied Flaxman. Il know
. great deal about tho configur.
alton Of the head of
Oliver Cromwell. He had low, broad
forehead, large orbits to the eyes, high
tseptuu' to the nose, and high cheek
bones; but there is one feature which
will be with me crucial test, and that is
that, instead ofhaving the lower jaw.bonc
somewhat curved, it was particularly
ort and straight, and set out at IN
angle, which gave him jowlish appear.
ance.' The head answered exactly to
the description, and Flaxman went away
expressing himself As convinced and de.
lighted.
The head has also length from the
forehead to the back Of the head which
is quite extraordinary, and one day, be.
fore Mr.. Wilkinson retired from practice
his assistant called him into the surgery
to point out to him how exactly the
head Of. { lad who was there as a patient
resembled the embalmed head of Crom.
we'll upstairs, and dmore particlarly in the
extreme length between the forehead and
the occiput.
Mr.. Wilkinson mentioned the circum.
Stance to tho gentlemen who brought the
lad to him. "No WONDER" said the gen
t1emaB, ''for this lad is a direct descen.
dant Of Oliver Cromwell, whose name,
like this boys, was we'll" 1t was curious
that this type should reappear or remain
latter so many years. - =
When the head was in the possession of
Samuel Russell, he was frequently intox-
icated when he showed it to his friends,
and then cut off pieces of tho hair, until
the head was closely cropped.
A correspondent in the Globe Of the
28th of September, or thcreabouts, be.
lieved that the body of Cromwell, after
removal from the Abbey, was buried in
Red Lion Square, and another body sub
|stituted and sent on. to Tyburn with
Ireton and Bradshaw. But it is not prob
able that they coulG have obtained an
embalmed body for the purpose.
The smbalmed head is now in tho pos.
session Of Mr.. Horace Wilkinson, Seven
|osks, Kent.
There is \ small hole where tho wart
was on his forehead, and the eyebrows
met in the middle. The head has the
appearance of hard, dry leather.