THE KING WHO HAS A CROWN WORTH ONLY TWO SHILLINGS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19107, 27 June 1930, Page 8

THE KING WHO HAS A CROWN WORTH ONLY TWO SHILLINGS.

To-Dai/s Signed Article.

Specially Written For The “Star”

By

R. De Cordova.

The head of the effigy of King John in the choir of Worcester Cathedral whose tomb is about to be restored has, for nearly sixty years, worn a tin crown which cost a florin. Thus ignominiously was one of the worst men, but, by reason of Magna Charta, one of the best known kings who ever ruled England, crowned when the great restoration of the cathedral took place between 18 63 and 1874. By reason of its being a royal tomb, the Dean and Chapter at that time appealed to the Government for aid towards its repair. Without admitting any liability, the Government sent down an official of the Board of Works and he reported, “ the question is what is best to be done with this dingy relic, which will soon be surrounded by the new floor of the renovated choir, when all but the tomb will look new.” To bring the tomb into line with its surroun dings he recommended “ that the effigy be re-gilt, the shields touched up, and a metal crown placed on the head.”

were sent from London to Worcester to do this, and with a piece of tin whose value was two shillings, cut into shape, they considered they had made a suitable metal crown. Such an act of vandalism naturally drew protests from people with ideas of greater fitness, and “The Times/' on April 12, 1873, published a letter in which the writer said, “it was stated in February that the tomb of King John had been scraped and it is intended to re-crown him. The coronation has since been performed, and the effect is by no means pleasing. In fact, the recumbent figure of the monarch and of the two bishops, one on either side, are gilt, and the effect in contact with the plain, dingy stone of the tomb is most glaring.” The Gilt King. In the following October another letter appeared in “The Times” in which the writer, after describing how the effigy of King John had been originally painted, said: “It is somewhat startling in the face of such reliable evidence as to the proper colours, to find that the whole figure has been lately gilt from head to foot, with the strange addition of a second crown in gilt metal placed over the original carved one, and bearing but slight resemblance to it.” In the interval between that restoration and to-day, the tomb has become deplorably shabby, a shabbiness emphasised by the recent restoration of the Beauchamp and Wylde tombs in the Nave by the descendants of these families. It is now proposed to remove the tin crown and the gilding over the whole figure and restore the original colouring of the effigy, as was done a year or two ago with the statue of Queen Elizabeth in the niche over the porch of the Church of St Dunstan’s in the West in Fleet Street. His Epitaph. Is this way the act of vandalism committed over half a century ago will be repaired and something of that dignity which appertains to all monarchs in a cathedral will be restored to the tomb of the king whose vices were so widely recognised that his popular epitaph was written in these words:— “With John’s foul deeds England’s whole realm is stinking As doth hell, too, wherein he now is sinking.”

Fear of that hell was one of the most striking characteristics of King John who, although he did not believe in God, did believe in the magical powers of the bones of St Wulstan to which people throughout the Midlands used to make pilgrimage and which John himself visited several times. To obtain the protection of the saint as well as of St Oswald, whose body also lies there, John desired that his body should be buried in the cathedral, as recorded by Shakespeare in the words: “At Worcester must he be interr’d For so he willed it." To ensure this John, shortly before his death executed a codicil containing this desire, and the document is still preserved and may be seen in the Chapter House. His Servants Fled. When King John died and his servants fled, taking everything that they possibly could, his body was dressed in the nearest approach to Royal garments by the soldiers and taken by them to Worcester, where it was busied by the then bishop between the two saints. Obedient to the superstition of the time. John, realising that he had no chance of entering Heaven, hoped that if his spirit was found in the company of Worcester’s two saints he might be allowed through the Golden Gate, and to increase his chance he ordered that his head should be wrapped in a monk’s cowl, thinking he would thus be better able to avoid recognition by St Peter. Later, a little while before the dissolution of the monastery, the present altar tomb, with the marble slab and effigy was erected. Centuries after antiquarians began to question whether John’s body was in the tomb and to suggest that it had been buried in the Lady Chapel. Eventually, in 1797, to settle the matter the tomb was opened and inside was the coffin containing John’s body with the remains of the Royal robes and the monk’s cowl in which his head had been wrapped. Thus, for over four hundred years the tomb has stood in its present position, and it is not wonderful, therefore, that it should be in need of restoration. (Anglo-American N.S. Copyright.)