The Washington herald., 1909-06-20
HEADS ASTRAY.
Haydn's Centennial Leads to an Odd Conflict

kinson OF Seal, near SevenOaks, in Kent.
IL may be remembered that on the restor-
alton OF Charles II the body Of the great
protector was disinterred from its tomb
in Westminster Abbey and. after being
suspended from the gallows al Tyburn.
was buried at the foot thereof, though
not before the head had been cut OF
and impaled along with those Of IretOn
and Bradshaw. on pixies stuck on the
roof OF Westminster Hail
CromwelTs daughter Lady Faueonberg
I by means of a liberal disbursement Of
money in the form OF bTibes, managed TO
secure from the public executioner OF the
day her fathers headless body. conveyed
/ il secretly 10 NeWburgh PriOry. her place
| In Yorkshire and caused Il 10 10 be i'm
INJURED in the walls Of one Of the upper
rooms. For several generations the To-
cality was preserved as a family secret.
But now a marble tablet affixed 10 the
wall Of one Of the most remote of the
rooms on the upper floor bears an in
! scription 10 the effect that behind the
mass OF stone 20 which the tablet has
/ been attached lies the body Of the prOtec-
tor. Sir George Wombwell, one OF the
heroes Of Balaklava, and the owner OF
Newburgh Priory. is a grandson of Lady
Anne Bellasyn. the daughter and heiress
Of the last Lord FaucOnberg. and as such
a descendant OF Oliver Cromwell
With regard TO the head of the Protec-
I tor. some twenty-five years after having
been impaled on the roof Of Westminster
Hall, il was blown down in a storm, and
secured by one Of the sentinels on duty.
who carried Il home. Owing 20 the hue
and cry that followed its disappearance.
he did not attempt 10 dispose OF 1t. But
on his death il was sold by his widow
| md
sells. one OF whom. Sir John Russell.
married Frances Cromwell the fourth
daughter of the Protector
! A descendant Of Sir John. OF the name
Of Samuel. however. became heavily in
volved In debt, and was compelled TO re-
| linquish the head. which he had inherit
ed. 70 a Snowman. OF the name Of James
Cox, for the sum of G11S. the original
deed Of sale being in the possession OF
Mr.. Wilkinson. After that the head
| passed through two or three hands, by
purchase. until Ii reached the Wilkinsons
about a hundred years ago. II is pre-
served IN a couple Of caskets. the outer
one being OF polished elm while within
is the original oaken casket. black with
age. in which II was first placed by the
Russells when they purchased II from the
sentiners widow and daughter. The
brown-skinned head is srn pierced by the
pike which bore II on Westminster Hall
and the point. attenuated by rust and ex-
posure, emeTges from the top Of the skull
slightly TO the right OF the center. The
embalming was excellent, so excellent that
the eyelids, tongue and nose are still per
i feet Two teeth remain In the Jaws. and
as convincing evidence Of the skulls au-
| thenticity. the famous wart on the right
eyebrow can still be traced. II may be add
ed that the measurements Of the original
death mask OF Cromwell. preserved in
the British Museum. and the measure
ments Of this skull In Mr. wilkinson :
possession, coincide completely; and
moreover. Mr.. Wilkinson has a mass Of
documentary evidence completing all the
length Of the chain OF more than two
and a half centuries which have elapsed
since the body Of Cromwell was eXhumed
from the tomb Of Henry VS. chapel. in
Westminster Abbey.
II was the samuel Russell, by and by,
who sold the head of his famous an
fcestor TO the Snowman. who, before losing
his money. sought permission 10 assume
the name OF Cromwell in lieu Of that OF
Russell. not only by reason OF his de-
scent from the protector. but aIso owing
70 the fact that he was married 20 the
only daughter and heiress Of Thomas
Cromwell Of Chestnut the last male
| representative Of the family 10 which the
protector had belonged. George III. how
ever, would not hear Of this being done
and vetoed the application Of Samuel
Russell with the words. mo, no-no more
Cromwells,' IL is a peculiar fact that al
though almost 1000 people can establish
their descent from the protector, and are
proud 20 do so. among them the Marquis
| OF RipOn. Lords Chichester, Clarendon
/ Morley. ByttOn. Walsingham. Darnley
and Avebury, as we'll as the late Charles
Stewart Parnell and Sir George Womb
we'll; yet there IS no living representative
OF his family that bears his name.
Among the other heads separated from
their bodies is that OF Col. Townley
whose head, after his execution on Tower
. Hill for his participation in the Jacobite
/ rebellion Of Has, was spiked on old Tempt,
Bar. at the entrance Of the city, subse-
quently recovered by his relatives and
preserved under the altar OF the chape
Of Townley Hall. until the sale OF Town
: ley Hall. I believe that il is now in the
I custody Of his descendant, Lady OHagan
The private chapel Of OcbWel Manor
the historic residence OF Sir Edward anc
= Lady Barry, near Maidenhead. contains
2 the heads Of the original owner ant
I builder Of the manor namely. Sir Henry
NOrreys, who. suspected Of an intrigu,
] with Queen Anne Boleyn. was consigned