As Mr Spock would say… “Fascinating”…
When Thomas Cromwell was executed on July 28, 1540, his head was placed on a spike and displayed on London Bridge, a common practice for traitors during that era. However, there is no clear evidence to suggest that his head was later reunited with his body for burial in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London.
Typically, in executions of high-ranking individuals during the Tudor period, the head and body were treated separately, and once the head was displayed, it was not customary for it to be interred with the body. Thus, it is highly likely that Cromwell’s body was buried without his head.
Sources such as Antonia Fraser’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Thomas Cromwell: A Life discuss Cromwell’s downfall and execution but do not confirm that his head was included in the burial. The fate of his head after its display on London Bridge is undocumented, which aligns with the general practice of its time.
The Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula remains a significant historical site, holding the remains of many figures executed during the Tudor period, though detailed records of interments often omit specifics about the condition of remains.
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Fun Fact: someone stole Shakespeares head. They used ground penetrating radar and it’s empty where his head should be
They were totally doing the “Alas poor Yorick” scene with Shakespeare’s skull. You KNOW they were. Talk about meta.
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Can’t say I have. Was that a line from the show? 'Cause I don’t remember it.
Ohhhh, you mean the Beavis and Butthead episode??!!
Funny story about that. My friend got me the DVD as a present, and when I was watching the extras, they mentioned that they did focus groups all over the country. And in EVERY state, they found that males liked the show while women absolutely hated it – in EVERY state EXCEPT for one.
And I said, “MICHIGAN!”
And they were like, “Michigan.”
Why I knew is an even better story, but it’s late…
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Scientific American + Shakespeare. Cool things we learn at Groovytown University!
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Cromwell was a crazy asshole to begin with, I’d have simply fed both the head and cadaver to the dogs personally.
I think the crazy asshole was really Henry VIII. He suffered a near fatal head injury jousting and that, plus almost total power and an obsession with fathering a male heir, made him batshit crazy. His forte was to take all Cromwell’s good ideas and claim them as his own and to blame Cromwell for all Henry’s bad ideas that he insisted be carried out. That being said Cromwell was ruthless, ambitious and out to climb the greasy pole.
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He had gout too, didn’t he? At least he sired Elizabeth.
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The really early ones that first came out on Liquid Television were really good. It was very crude animation, but that’s what gave it its charm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0HpG7Nx7fA
He had a badly ulcerated leg which made it difficult to walk and apparently stank the place out. He also sired “Bloody” Queen Mary, Edward VI and Henry Fitzroy by a mistress, Elizabeth Blount.
