Church seeks to exhume severed head of saint

Churchwarden Sue Palmer said the hope is to make the remains "more accessible" to visitors

A church is seeking permission to exhume the skull of a saint executed on the orders of King Henry VIII hundreds of years ago.

Sir Thomas More was Henry's chancellor and his refusal to acknowledge the king's supremacy over the Church of England saw him put to death in July 1535.

And, while his body is lost in an unmarked grave within the Tower of London, his severed head was saved by his daughter and entombed with her in the family vault at St Dunstan's in Canterbury.

Churchwarden Sue Palmer said that being in possession of the "only piece of More remaining" will make the church a "centre of global interest" come the 500th anniversary of his death in 2035.

Venerated by the Catholic church as a saint in 1935, More's remains are considered holy relics and attract pilgrims from around the world.

"It's highly unusual for an Anglican Church to have a relic, especially one of a Catholic saint," said Ms Palmer, adding that More's head had to be removed from a spike on London Bridge before finding its way to St Dunstan's.

"In the wall there is a niche and behind that there is what looks like a leaden squashed football.

"At some time someone hacked a hole in that and inside is what remains of Thomas More."

Archaeologists examining the tomb have spotted "a few pieces of skull and a bit of jawbone with a tooth socket"

Although she has not seen the remains herself, the tomb has previously been opened by archaeologists, the most recent occasion being 1997.

"From what they could see there were a few pieces of skull, a bit of jawbone with a tooth socket, some unidentifiable black matter and lots of dust," Ms Palmer added.

She revealed the church is currently consulting the congregation and seeking permission from the Diocesan Advisory Committee to retrieve the remains.

And, while the intention is not to "display" them as such, general feedback suggests that many would like them to be "more accessible" to visitors.