Could Shakespeare’s skull have been found? Why Church ruling means we may never know
By Emily Gosden for The Telegraph, 1 November 2015
Legend has it, it could be the skull of William Shakespeare – robbed from the playwright’s grave to win a £300 bet.
But clergymen attempting to solve a centuries-old mystery over the identity of a lone skull found in a Worcestershire church vault have been thwarted by a senior church lawyer – who has barred them from carrying out DNA testing.
According to local folklore, the skull, in a vault beneath Sheldon chapel at St Leonard’s Church in Beoley, Redditch, was stolen from the playwright’s tomb in Stratford as part of a wager set by the art historian Horace Walpolein the 1700s.
Rev Paul Irving, vicar at St Leonard’s, applied to the Church of England’s Consistory Court for permission to temporarily remove the skull for DNA testing, as part of a new documentary investigation into the claims.
But the application, which was supported by other local clergymen, has been thrown out by Charles Mynors, Chancellor of the Diocese of Worcester, who ruled there was nothing to link the skull to Shakespeare.
To Drug Test Shakespeare’s Bones Or Not To Drug Test Them? That Is The Question
By Kristina Killgrove for Forbes, 4 November 2015
No one is entirely sure what is in the grave of William Shakespeare, who was buried in Stratford, England, on April 25, 1616, two days after his sudden death, perhaps from fever. Presumably, most of his skeleton is there, but it’s possible that Shakespeare’s skull was stolen in the 18th or 19th century. Art historian Horace Walpole supposedly put a bounty of £300 on Shakespeare’s head in 1769, daring people to brave the curse on anyone who would disturb his bones. And legend has it that someone named Dr. Frank Chambers did just that… but then returned it. Another rumor says the skull was stolen and removed to St. Leonard’s Church at Beoley, Redditch, around 15 miles away. This centuries-old rumor is back in the news this week as clergy at St. Leonard’s petitioned to DNA test a lone skull found in a church vault to see if it is that of the Bard.
Shakespeare’s skull raises questions about the purpose of identifying the remains of historical people. From Richard III to Lisa Gherardini (Mona Lisa), it seems that archaeologists, clergy, art historians, and other lovers of history are keen to disinter the famous and pore over their bones for clues to their lives, while others are content to let the dead rest in peace. This is not even the first time that someone has asked to dig up and test Shakespeare, though.
Photo from The Telegraph.
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