Stothard, Charles Alfred; Kempe, Alfred John: The monumental effigies of Great Britain: selected from our cathedrals and churches ; for the purpose of bringing together, and preserving correct representations of the best historical illustrations extant, from the Norman conquest to the reign of Henry the Eight (London, 1817)

making particular arrangements. He appoints certain nobles and dignified ecclesiastics
his executors, directs them, in general terms, by donations to religious houses, and alms
to the poor, to make, for the good of his soul, reparation for injuries done to God and
holy Church. He annexes the usual anathema against any who shall infringe their
disposition of his property. He directs his body to he buried in the Church of St. Mary
and St. Wulstan, the Cathedral at Worcester. John, in his last moments, commended
his soul to God and St. Wulstan, his body, royally attired, was conveyed to Worcester,
over his head was placed a monk's cowl, as a sort of cover for all his sins and a passport
to Heaven. He was interred between St. Oswald and St. Wulstan, whose graves are in
the Chapel of the Virgin at the eastern extremity of the Cathedral. Thence, in all pro-
bability, they underwent translation to their present situation before the high altar in the
Choir.
The efHgy of John, carved in grey marble, which forms the superstructure of his present
tomb, was originally the lid of the stone coffin that contained his remains, and in its first
position must have been placed on a level with the floor of the building within which he
was interred. His head is adorned with a crown of state and supported by two Bishops,
undoubtedly intended for Oswald and Wulstan, between whose remains he, as before-
mentioned, actually reposed. He is represented as wearing a dalmatic of crimson lined
with green, the neck and cuffs edged with a gold and jewelled border ; his tunic is yellow,
or cloth of gold ; he is girt with a belt; on his hands are jewelled gloves, a ring on the
middle finger of his right hand, which supports a sceptre, while his left grasps a sword.
He wears red hose, golden spurs, his feet have on them black shoes, and rest upon a lion.
The greater part of these details will be recognized as the ensigns of royalty.
Valentine Green, F. 8. A. the historian of Worcester, published a pamphlet, giving
a very interesting account of the opening of the tomb of King John on the 17th of July
1797. Two walls of were found to form the supporters of the effigy of the monarch.
The coffin containing his remains, of which it had originally formed the top, was
covered with two strong elm planks, the intervening spaces between the sides of the
tomb and the effigy, being filled up with mortar and brick rubbish. These circumstances,
and the state of the King's mortal relics, shewed that they had been at some previous
time disturbed, and seem to favour the conjecture of their having been translated from
the Lady Chapel in the Cathedral into the Choir, most probably about the time of
Henry the Seventh, as the altar tomb, on which the coffin lid lies, resembles the monu-
ment of Prince Arthur in the same Church, and brick was much employed in architec-
ture about that period. The skull was found turned complctelv round, and presented
what anatomists term the /bzYOZzez? 77mg72zz?7z, or aperture through which the spinal marrow
passes. The upper jaw lay near the right elbow. The agreement of the dress on the
body with that of the efHgy on the tomb was very remarkable, and shews, as in the
instance of Henry the Second's figure, that these efHgies very faithfully represented the
defunct as he lay in state. John had, however, no crown on his head or gloves on his
hands; in the place of the former was found the celebrated monk's cowl, confirming the
minute accuracy of the Chronicles. This sacred envelope fitted the head very closely,
and had been buckled under the chin by straps, parts of which still remained. The
16