CROMWELL’S HEAD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1011, 29 June 1911, Page 4

CROMWELL’S HEAD.

The members of the Royal Archaeological Society held a somewhat “ creepy ” seance in London a few weeks ago. They met to discuss the question as to which of two skulls, each of which has been brought forward at various times as that of Oliver Cromwell, was the genuine article. For the sake of convenience the skulls, which were produced at the meeting and handed round for inspection, may be described as No. 1 and No. 2. Skull No. 1 forms part of the Ashmoleau Museum collection, and was tor many years believed to be authentic. To-day, however, the opinion generally held by men of science coincides with that of Professor Rolleston, one of the curators of the museum, whose verdict on the skull was humorously and sarcastically summed up thus: “If this is Cromwell’s skull, it must have been when he was a youug man.” Skull No. 2 is the pride of the private collection of the Rev H. R. Wilkinson, and upon it the interest of the meeting centred. Mr Wilkinson read a paper iu which were summarised ail the facts knowu concerning the skull, which came into the possession of bis great-grandfather more than a hundred years ago. The great Protector died in 1655, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. On the first anniversary of King Charles’s execution after the Restoration, Cromwell’s body and those of bis son-in-law (Ireton) and of Bradshaw (who presided at the King’s trial) were taken from their resting-places and drawn on sledges to Tyburn, where they were hung oa the “ triple tree,” after which their bodies, except the heads, were buried at the foot of the gallows, the heads being stuck on pikes and set up on or in Westminster Hall. Pepys, who was seldom far off when anything of interest was going on, says: “ I went to Westminster Hall, where I saw the heads of Cromwell, Bradshaw and Ireton set up at the further end of the hall.” As

to what became of Cromwell’s head afterwards we know nothing save by tradition. More than 100 years later a man named Russell, an obscure actor, who claimed to be related to the Cromwell family, exhibited iu Clare market the skull now in the possession of Mr Wilkinson. The story he told was that one night the head was blown down, and fell at the feet of a sentry, who picked it up, put it under his cloak, and took it home with him. He said nothing of his find, which he hid, but on his death-bed he told the members of the family all about it, and they sold it to an ancestor of Russell. Alter it had beeu exhibited it was purchased by James Cox, who exhibited it in Mead Court, Bond street, in 1793. The next possessor was a niece of the museum keeper, who sold it to Mr Wilkinson’s great - grandfather. The hair-covered head is transfixed by a spike on the broken end of a pole, and there is a quantity of hair on the face. The spike protrudes about hall an inch from the top of the cranium. The wood of the pole is certainly very old and worm-eaten. The head is uudoubtedlylthat of a body that had beeu subjected to a costly embalming process. Embalming wqs a very rare process in England in the seventeenth century, and we know to-day lor a fact that Cromwell’s body was embalmed. These facts give support to the theory that Mr Wilkinson’s head is the “Simon Pure,” and the eminent scientists who were present at the meeting came to the conclusion that it was “ extremely probable ” that the head was that of the famous Protector.