Archbishop’s head examined: The Church of England Newspaper, March 25, 2011 p 6.

The head of Archbishop Simon of Sudbury, from the collection of the Sudbury Historical Society

First published in The Church of England Newspaper.

The head of the Archbishop of Canterbury was subjected to CT scan last week at West Suffolk Hospital

On March 16, forensic scientists led by Professor Caroline Wilkinson from the University of Dundee scanned the mummified head of Simon of Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury killed during the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381.

The CT scan will allow a forensic sculptor to reconstruct the face of the archbishop in clay.  The finished model will be unveiled later this year.

Born in Sudbury, Suffolk, Simon was named Bishop of London in 1362 and was translated to Canterbury in 1375.  In 1380 he was also named Lord Chancellor by King Richard II.

In 1381, the 14-year old king levied a poll tax to finance military campaigns overseas.  Attempts to collect the tax prompted uprisings in Essex and Kent, and a march on London.  Archbishop Sudbury and Sir Robert Hales the Lord Treasurer took refuge in the Tower of London, but were seized and taken to Tower Hill where he and Hales were beheaded on June 14, 1381.

The archbishop’s body was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, but his head, which had been placed on a spike on Tower Bridge, was brought back to Suffolk in a barrel of brine, and buried at St Gregory’s Church in Sudbury.

The Rev Jenny Seggar, assistant curate at St Gregory’s Church, said: “Simon is thought to be one of the best preserved mummified heads in the country, so his skull is a quite important historical artifact.”

“We are really quite excited about the project, which is a fantastic opportunity to find out what he looked like. Although it is difficult to tell from a skull, we have all stared into his face so often that I think we have a reasonably good idea of what to expect,” she said.

Nigel Beeton, imaging services manager at the hospital, said his staff at the West Suffolk Hospital were “enthusiastic about working with such an unusual and interesting artifact and are looking forward to seeing the final results once the reconstruction work has been completed.”