Is This the Bag That Held Sir Walter Raleigh’s Mummified Head?
Legend has it his wife retained his embalmed head. But while the sack dates to the correct era and was found in his son’s home, scholars are not convinced
By Jason Daley
October 30, 2018
Four hundred years ago, Sir Walter Raleigh, the poet, soldier and favorite courtier of Elizabeth I had his head chopped off after he was convicted on charges of conspiring against the monarch's successor, James I. Legend has it that Raleigh’s widow, Bess, was so distraught that she took the head and had it embalmed, then kept it near her in a bag the rest of her life. Now, West Horsley Place, where Raleigh’s third son, Carew, lived, says they have found a bag that could have held Raleigh’s head, as David Batty at The Guardian reports.
In a real Halloween headliner (sorry), West Horsley Place broke the news of the find on its website, explaining the discovery was made after the estate's attic was cleared out for emergency repairs in 2014. There, a red velvet bag was discovered, just the right size for an embalmed human head. Mark Wallis, co-director of a company that makes historical costumes and expert on period clothing took a closer look at the bag earlier this month, determining that it dates to the time of Raleigh’s death.
Read more:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bag-held-sir-walter-raleighs-mummified-head-180970656/#f8atgrEXrHyiIxmX.99
