head following death september given public funeral westminster abbey equal monarchs defeat king charles english civil war charles subsequent lord protector ruler legacy passed son richard overthrown army monarchy established king charles_ii living exile recalled charles new parliament ordered body posthumous execution hanging morning till afternoon bodies cut heads placed foot spike location trial charles storm broke pole head stood throwing ground sources date hands private collectors museum owners march buried cambridge symbolic value head changed time pole london skyline gave potent warning spectators 18th century head curiosity head admired dismissed fake centuries dismissed head fraudulent emergence rival true head scientific archaeological analysis carried prove identity inconclusive tests culminated detailed scientific study concluded based study head evidence moral certainty head belonged background born april led england republic monarchy house_of_lords execution king charles january rule lord protector beginning december personal rule royal predecessors maintained sole power lived royal palaces formally offered title king mind conscience turned suffered illness family tragedy died afternoon september old style death funeral treated respect afforded english monarchs september body moved lie state opened public october body sealed lead coffin turn placed wooden decorated coffin placed life like decorated royal symbols including rich suit uncut velvet laced rich gold lace sic royal large like laced fur rich strings gold head cap purple velvet chair stands set stones elaborate funeral procession delayed twice hesitant preparations way london november body buried westminster abbey weeks earlier fast decay time funeral procession dead months erected receive coffin similar king james expensive body lay westminster restoration stuart monarchy charles son king charles_ii trial conviction sentencing surviving participated trial execution charles hanged drawn dragged streets hanged neck cut live alive beheaded cut quarters addition recalled parliament ordered posthumous execution deceased laws treason placed traitor remains king disposal heads displayed bridges tower london conspicuous points london quarters distributed similar display leading provincial cities body hidden wall middle aisle took effort wood cloth difficult shift january bodies taken joined following day body taken execution morning january anniversary execution king charles bodies open dragged streets london body hanged public view clock afternoon taken head severed blows placed wooden spike foot pole raised conspiracy theories exist happened body including daughter mary rescued pit interred husband home sealed stone vault claimed contain remains generations family refused requests including open stated likely body thrown pit remained journey head remained spike late counting temporary removal roof maintenance position head relation heads called question pearson argued 1930s originally understood position traditionally head middle right left disputed reveal study upheld originally understood position careful analysis contemporary poems plans circumstances came private ownership rumoured tied great storm end reign broke pole bearing head throwing ground sentinel guarding office came hid stored hidden chimney house loss head significant london time searched hoping claim considerable reward offered safe return guard seeing ordered possessing certain office afraid secret evidence established whereabouts head following fall westminster hall possession swiss french collector displayed private museum london according museum internationally famous ranked attractions london time attracting visitors traveller named impressed saw hearing sell head equivalent today british money surprise monstrous head dear worthy english russell cox death head shifted importance status atop high london skyline gave sinister potent warning spectators 18th century curiosity attraction lost original sinister message head fell prominence late 18th century possession failed comic actor named russell rumoured relative plausible number alliances possible head sold russell family death easy target sale spotted prominent convinced circumstances identical head cox offered today money poor considerably debt russell refused dear knew sacred great ancestor russell correct care head drunken gatherings passed head leading erosion features russell possibly connections offered head master college master interested cox head different approach offered russell small sums money gradually reaching total russell pay loan recalled option head pearson argued cox pursuit head appears retail investment time acquisition rich longer owned museum display intention cox sold head today money brothers named hughes interested starting display bond street brothers acquired head related items thousands posters produced event exhibit marred doubtful hughes brothers publicist wrote cox ask gaps journey cox leading concerns sold fake come documentary history head came hands improvised story head instance head cut precisely case respect head question beheaded story stuck vain exhibition failure entrance fee high shillings equivalent rumours head fake prevalent 19th 20th centuries despite failure hughes brothers exhibition hughes daughter continued showing head wanted offer sir desired seeing remains old sic republican mention blood considering purchase wrote lord liverpool stated strong objection naturally arise exhibition human remains frequented persons sexes ages failure sell public museums forced daughter sell privately sold family remain burial attending breakfast shown head wrote great surprise seen head picture bust stone marble sic paris real head coinciding release letters speeches asked view head basis friend visit wrote scathing dismissal authenticity head hair flesh beard written history bearing think bad debt years ago affair appears fraudulent element pleasant especially case like oliver pearson agree dismissal based historical scientific fact conceded head man distinction known man distinction manner previous years conducted examination skull called skull claims head skull supposed history visited home skull shortly examination dismissed skull fake declared head real head examination comparisons head archaeologists dismissed head fake absence firm evidence whereabouts head wary declaring head genuine concluded study unable verify head identity uncertainty increased public demand scientific examination reluctantly allowed head taken examination page report concluded moral certainty head died head son called wished organise proper burial head public display contacted welcomed burial interred march secret location near preserved oak box family kept head box placed container buried witnesses including family representatives college secret burial announced october authenticity body authenticity head long debated resulted number scientific analyses notable detailed study conducted 1930s concluded head rumours conspiracy theories circulated head fell according rumours surrounding body immediately death merely good born active legend claims conveyed secretly site greatest victory glory midnight burial field hide evidence burial legend written claims reliable attended sickness said coffin sunk deepest following death fearful consulted dispose corpse pretend sic burial prevent falling hands resolved wrap lead aboard barge sink deepest thames night following death samuel wrote story heard life bodies kings england grave means known certainly head set post kings story accuracy suggests irony posthumous act possibly carried english monarch story suggested body substituted charles adding describes greater events january story known false tomb opened remains including cut severed head remained argues impossible body substituted posthumous execution proposition bodies abbey found tombs prompting government graves forward body arrived day prompting real body hanged alternative theory friends guards attending body privately small near dragged bodies body buried faces bodies heavily clearly visible witnesses expressed doubt bodies evidence supporting theory head authenticity head called question number occasions hughes brothers failure piece solid history head possibly partly responsible failure attract visitors discovery skull reputed head rival claim events add story head oliver skull blown north leads taken gave warner living westminster warner sold broad pieces gold skull taken dove chest death head seen late south hall archaeological evidence authenticity skull pierced skull trace skin hair showing
Oliver Cromwell's head