Hi there!
Hope you’ve all had a smashing week? I’ve been cracking on with lots of writing and have also taken over the Instagram squares of @lovebritishhistorypics. Go check out their excellent account, have a look at my takeover and give them a follow for interesting pictures and facts about Britain’s epic history!
This week’s newsletter is full of things I love the best. First up, we have the strange story of Simon of Sudbury’s head…
Head in a Box
Who was Simon of Sudbury and why is his mummified head in a box in the wall of a church?
Simon of Sudbury was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his violent death in 1381, and had also crowned the young King Richard II in 1377. To get an understanding of why the rebels of the Peasant’s Revolt took against him, we need to look at the economic background of the time.
Yersinia Pestis
The Black Death pandemic of the late 1340’s and early 1350’s decimated around 48% of the population of Europe. The plague was caused by a bacteria (Yersinia Pestis) carried by the fleas of rats.
In the simplest of terms, the Malthusian-esque reduction in population meant there were less people to work the land, leading to higher wages and the end of serfdom. The increase in social mobility and wages did, however, also lead to more stringent laws and increased taxes. This is where we get back to dear old Simon.
Simon was also Lord Chancellor during the final year of his life and the lower classes blamed him, the treasurer, Sir Robert Hales, and the king’s uncle John of Gaunt for unpopular taxes, such as the poll tax of 1381. Tensions had been steadily rising since the Statute of Labourers in 1351 had attempted to put a limit on wages during the labour shortage. The people had started to realise their power.
This unrest came to a head with the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381. Discontented rebels under the leadership of Wat Tyler marched on London and destroyed the Savoy Palace, owned by John of Gaunt. The rebels then stormed the Tower of London and took Simon and Sir Robert Hales by force, before beheading them.
The revolt petered out less than a month later and led to one of the greatest moments of Richard’s reign (that’s another story altogether!), but it wasn’t the end of the story for poor old Simon’s head.
Where did it go?
Rather than remaining a footnote in the history books, Simon has retained a modicum of fame due to his head being removed from a traitor’s spike on Tower Bridge and being brought back to the Suffolk town of Sudbury.
His semi-preserved head has remained in St Gregory’s Church ever since, and currently sits in the box in the wall that you can see in the picture. The skull still has skin attached.
In 2010, a project began to reconstruct Simon’s face and a CT scan was taken of his skull, with casts made. University of Dundee student, Adrienne Barker, reconstructed the muscles and skin on the skull using data she had gathered studying it.
The model is now on permanent display at St Gregrory’s Church. And that is how Simon’s head is in a box.
The Weekly Edit
Watching
Make-up: A Glamorous History (BBC 2)
If, like me, you are into the everyday life of people from the past then this show is for you. In this series, make-up artist Lisa Eldridge takes us on a journey through the makeup and skincare used in different historical periods.
The first episode out is all about the Georgians and I can tell it is already my favourite, without even seeing the others.
Lisa explains that more was more to the ostentatious Georgians (well the rich ones anyway!) and that they liked their makeup to match this ethos.
She visits a plethora of historic sites and consults scientists and archivists to recreate and use traditional 18th-century cosmetics for her final recreation of the look of the day.
Highlights from the show for me were the creation of Georgian eyebrow pencils using cloves (will be trying this!) and how hair powder seemed to be the original dry shampoo.
This is TV content that I cannot get enough of!
Next episode is about the Victorians and is on Tuesday at 9pm, BBC 2.
Instawho?
Through the Instagram takeover series on @lovebritishhistorypics I discovered another great history-based account.
@jammyhistory‘s Insta squares are stuffed full of fascinating history snippets and lots of stuff that makes you go “I did not know that!” 😂
Fully recommend having a look and giving them a follow!
I hope you enjoyed learning about Simon of Sudbury’s head, and I heartily recommend checking out Make-up: A Glamorous History ahead of the next episode.
As always get in touch with any requests.
See you Friday!