The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-02-03
GRAVES OF BRITISH CELEBRITIES.
The ELIMINATION of The Bodies of
Charles /. and Oliver Cromwell.


To many people who have been follow
ing the DrucesPortland case it may be
interesting 10 recall cases where the
last resting places Of great men have
been disturbed for various reasons.
W. p. Firth, r. A., tells of a relic
which was once shown him by an Of
fetal of st. Georges Chapel Windsor
fragment of the flesh of Charles l. en-
shrined in q locket--and the story its
owner told of it was this; When no
was lad he accompanied his master
and George Nv. into the vaults Of Wind
sor Castle to open a coffin of the Mar
tyr King The head mad been removed
for Georges close inspection. After the
head had been restored to the coffin the
boy discovered on the floor a piece of
flesh, which be quietly secured and pre-
served all his life as precious relic
Of the unhappy King"
The head Of Charles great enemy,
Cromwell, met with much irreverent
treatment. After the late Protectors
remains had been dug UP from their
burial place at Tyburn his head was
exposed for twenty-five years on the
top Of Westminster Hall until one
stormy night it was blown down and
was picked up by sentry who, hiding 1t
under his cloak took it home and sa
cured it in the chimney corner. II was
later sold to 4 man named Russell, one
of whose needy descendants exhibited it
in q place near Clare Market. BY him
it was sold to James Cox, owner Of
museum, who in turn parted with it
for 9230 to three men who exhibited it
in Mead Court, Bond street, at half a
crown head, and after further strange
vicissitudes it came into the possession
of medical man named Wilkinson, in
whose family ii remained a reyered pos
session down to our own time.
Rare Ben Johnsons" grave was open.
ed at dead of night in Dean Buckland's
time with the object of ascertaining
or not he had actually been
buried upright. He had A collecting
maniac VINO had been permitted to be
present overcame his reverence for Ben's
remains to the extent of carrying away
some relics, and it was only after
threat Of public exposure that they were
restored. The Venerable
Bede's bones were dug up some centuries
after his death by a monk named Alfred,
who exposed them to public view and
then carried them TO the monastery of
Durham, where in company with those
81 his pupil, st. Cuthbert, they were
found in later years huddled up in
sack
James Ms coffin lay in the church Of
The English Benedictines in Paris until
The DAYS of hte French Revolution,
when the lead was stripped from it for
into bullets before it WAS put
lnder ground. Edward Tvs tomb at
Windsor was opened about the same
Tine, and his skeleton was found
'heathed IN lead, with wisps Of brown
lair as fresh in appearance as If they
lad just been removed from q Hvina
read; and when Henry Tvs remain
we're brought to light seventy four year
lgo his bearded face was described a
most lifelike in appearance
Edward rs tomb was opened in 17TA
it the request Of the society Of ANTI
Iuaries, and his body in its royal robes
md with sceptre in his left hand was
Ilmost untouched BY time che actual
eight Of .Longshanks, BY the way, was
ound to be feet, 2 inches. A few
tears later Kings Johns body was dis
losed in equal preservation, with 4
orroded sword by bis side; and IN 1898
he brave heart of Occur de Lion was
ound beneath the cathedral of Rouen.
iclosed in two leaden caskets, and still
claiming its Snaps more than six can
uries after It had ceased to beats
rom Tit Bits.