THE burial of one of our most famous monarchs here in Worcester eight hundred years ago this year has given the city a special landmark place in history.

King John – who helped change the way the country was ruled when he granted Magna Carta – chose to be buried here and his tomb is a striking monument in the heart of Worcester Cathedral.

He was buried in a very important part of the church, near the High Altar, following his death at the age of 51 in October, 1216. The royal effi gy is the earliest in England, dating from 1232 and made from Purbeck marble. It would originally have been painted and depicts John in his prime, unusually holding an unsheathed sword, which is being held in the mouth of a lion.

John reigned for over seventeen years but his way of

ruling was considered by many to be ruthless and distrustful. The discontent led to him granting Magna Carta in 1215, a landmark step in devolving power away from the monarchy that was marked nationwide last year.

Worcester celebrated its claim with the Cathedral’s King John and Magna Carta Exhibition, which opened last year and will be running during 2016. His will and artefacts can be viewed close up on a large touchscreen and there will be a special lecture due to be given in April.

John’s effi gy is raised up on an impressive late medieval box structure. This was added by the Tudors in 1529 to match that of Prince Arthur, who was

buried in a chantry chapel close by in 1502.

When John’s tomb was fi rst placed in the Cathedral it would have been positioned slightly further to the west, between the two great Anglo-Saxon shrines to Saints Oswald and Wulfstan. The effi gy would have been closer to the fl oor and decorated with jewels. King John’s original coffi n, which is located within the tomb chest, was made from white Highley stone from Shropshire.

The proof that John wanted to be buried in Worcester

Cathedral can be found on display in the Cathedral Library. Amongst many ancient documents and books, the Will of King John is the earliest original English Royal Will. It is no bigger than a postcard and written on vellum.

In it, John is most concerned about his soul and the future inheritance of his two sons. The Cathedral library also holds some relics believed to have been taken from the tomb by workmen in the late eighteenth century. They had been helping an antiquarian called Valentine

Green who wanted to study the body. There had been much discussion amongst historians in previous centuries whether King John had been buried in the Quire or the Lady Chapel to the east. Green was determined to prove where John must have been buried, and convinced the Dean of the Cathedral, Dr Arthur Onslow, to allow the investigation.

Once the effi gy was lifted off, Green found that the king had been nearly fi ve feet seven inches in height. This was the average height at the time for

a man. The King’s body was covered in a robe that had faded from crimson to a dusky brown.

He was wearing a coif or medieval cap on his head. It was previously thought to have been a monks’ cowl, but is now believed to be his coronation cap.

To book a tour of the Cathedral Library or a talk on the subject of King John’s tomb contact the Cathedral Chapter Offi ce on 01905 732900. Visit www.worcestercathedral.co.uk for more information.

DAVID MORRISON tells the story of John’s fi nal resting place in Worcester Cathedral

Monument to our Magna Carta king

Roundabout way of digging up the pastAN archaeological dig in the shadow of Worcester Cathedral has given us a fascinating glimpse of our past, writes Chief Archaeologist Victoria Bryant.

The redevelopment is changing the face of Cathedral Square but before the new arrangements were put in place, Worcestershire Archive and Archaeological Service carried out exciting work.

Beneath the topsoil and rubble we found the road surface of a vanished thoroughfare, Lich Street, together with the foundations

of the buildings that once lined it over 700 years ago.

‘Lich’ comes from the Saxon word for corpse, and it was along Lich Street that funeral processions would have entered the Cathedral cemetery.

Over the centuries rebuilding and alterations to the houses here incorporated recycled material including bricks, roof tiles and some carved stone from all over

Worcester, including fi ne sandstone possibly once part of the city wall after

damage during the Civil War.From the Tudor period we

found stoneware jars from Germany, colourful Dutch tin-glazed earthenware and a beautiful glass fl ask, indicating that this was then a prosperous neighbourhood, although not very sanitary – not until 1870 was a sewer laid down the middle of the street.

The twentieth century history of Lich Street is well documented in the Archives, and many people who visited the dig remembered shops such the sweet shop and the Punch Bowl Inn. One visitor

recalled his grandparents’ home at No. 9, with its dark cellar and communal wash house.

By the 1950s Lich Street had become sadly run down, and it was decided to demolish it. Although we have now recorded much of its history, parts which have not been excavated have been protected to preserve them for the future.

You can read more about Lich Street, including interviews with people who remember it, on our blog at http://diglichstreet.blogspot.co.uk/

Sunlight through the window looking west in the Nave of Worcester Cathedral

Looking down on the dig

A bird’s eye view of King John’s tomb

WORCESTER

February 2016

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Was this treasure fi t for the prince?It survived for 500 years and is now on display but did it cover Arthur’s coffi n? PHILIPPA TINSLEY looks at the mystery

THIS great treasure from Worcester fi ve hundred years ago is on display in The Commandery, Sidbury, on loan from the Clothiers Company.

It is referred to as Prince Arthur’s pall as the story is told that it was used to cover the coffi n at the young prince’s funeral in Worcester Cathedral in 1502.

Prince Arthur was the older brother of King Henry VIII and died, aged 15, in Ludlow only a few months after his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

There is no fi rm evidence that this object was used at Prince Arthur’s funeral, but the embroidery has been dated as early 16th century. Very few textiles survive this long and this piece is now very fragile. The embroidery was stabilised by gently securing it onto a modern backcloth in 2007, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The fi gures illustrated are saints, many of whom are identifi able from symbols. There are four emblems of the clothiers in red, which have been applied at strategic points where the pall would have draped over a coffi n.

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Grisly death of spy who came in from the coldSecret agents were key fi gures in the English Civil War. But what happened if they got caught? Vaughan Wiltshire of the Battle of Worcester Society tells how one of them met a gruesome end – and how you can see him today in a city centre cafe.

ON August 2 1651 Charles II and his largely Scottish Army of around 16,000 men reached Worcester.

By August 27 Oliver Cromwell was at Evesham with Parliamentary forces totalling 28000 and more arriving daily from the militia as the Parliamentary Army marched towards Worcester. Cromwell anticipated that he might have to besiege the city and by the end of August, the Parliamentary Scoutmaster had spies operating in Worcester to determine the Royalist Army dispositions.

On August 29, Cromwell’s artillery opened fi re on the Royalist position of Fort Royal near the Sidbury Gate. The purpose of this opening barrage was to show the defenders of the city what destruction they would face if they did not surrender and also to determine the Royalist strength of artillery fi repower.

The Scots on the Royalist Fort Royal returned fi re “as if they never feared to want for powder or bullets”. However, the fusillade against Fort Royal prompted the Scottish Royalists to attempt to neutralise the threat from the Parliamentary cannon by planning an attack against the Parliamentary positions on Red

Hill and most probably also against those on Bund’s Hill.

This surprise attack was planned for the night of August 29 and was called a “camisado” after the Spanish word for shirt because the attackers would wear shirts over their armour to aid friendly identifi cation in the dark.

These plans for a surprise attack were revealed to the Parliamentary Army by William Guise, a tailor who made his way to their lines. In consequence the Scottish Royalist attack led by General Middleton and Sir William Keith was ambushed, resulting in numerous casualties including Major Knox who, in charging Charles Fairfax’s regiment, was killed by Parliamentary pike-men.

William Guise then made his fatal mistake; he returned to Worcester and the following day he was arrested by the Scottish Royalists. He was hanged from the signboard of the Golden Cross Inn in Broad Street.

On September 3, 1651, the Parliamentary Army under Cromwell destroyed the Scottish and Royalist forces and Charles II was lucky to escape with his life. Charles lived in near poverty in Europe until his Restoration of 1660.

William Guise is one of the very few ordinary citizens caught up in the Battle of Worcester to be remembered by history. There were several spies in Worcester for the Parliamentary Army because in the aftermath “a little maid” in Worcester was awarded £100 for her services and also another £40 was given to others. It is unlikely that William Guise was a paid spy placed by the Parliamentary forces because Cromwell, hearing of his exploits after the Battle and impressed by the tailor’s character wrote “the man (I am credibly informed) feared the Lord” and commended

his widow and children to Parliament’s charity who voted a gift of £200 and a further £100 a year annuity.

William Guise was a Puritan. There is a William Guise who was born at Crowle in 1630 which would make him only 21 in 1651 but his death mask suggests an older man of corpulent features.

His reputed death mask can be seen in Costa Coffee High Street Worcester

It is very unlikely that the £100 annuity paid to the widow of William Guise survived the Restoration.

www.thebattleofworcestersociety.org.uk

Iain Rutherford on the political scene behind the Civil War

WORCESTER is rightly remembered as the place where the Civil War began and ended. The city’s role in the development of liberty and democracy has been celebrated with events at the

Commandery, the Royalist HQ during the Battle of Worcester.

This tumultuous period of our national history saw widely different political views being debated among the offi cers and soldiers of the Parliamentary Army. One of the leading fi gures who had a signifi cant association with

our county, Colonel Thomas Rainsborough, was sent to Worcestershire to bring the siege of Worcester to an end in the summer of 1646.

After the City surrendered, Rainsborough became the Governor of Worcester and then the MP for Droitwich. In the following year he took part

in political debates with Oliver Cromwell and his generals at Putney near London, arguing for the extension of the right to vote, the reform of the justice system and an end to corruption in Parliament among other things. His speech at Putney has gone down in history as one of the earliest

pleas for the democratic rights we now take for granted:

“I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he; and therefore truly, Sir, I think it’s clear, that every man that is to live under a government ought fi rst by his own consent to put himself under

that government…”A year later Rainsborough

was assassinated in Yorkshire by a group of Royalists, having made many enemies in the course of a successful military and naval career. Three thousand mourners attended his funeral. The words of this Worcestershire MP still speak to us across the centuries.

www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

Detail of the top left corner of the pall Death mask of William Guise

MP’s words echo across the centuries

Battle of Worcester at Fort Royal by David Birtwhistle

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WORCESTER

PHIL DOUCE of Worcester Civic Society starts a series telling the story of Berrow’s Worcester Journal

THE distinction of having the oldest surviving newspaper in the world belongs to Worcester

BERROW’S WORCESTER JOURNAL has appeared each week with unfailing regularity for more than 270 years. It was published irregularly from 1690 until 1709, the period following the deposing of James II which had seen the beginning of a

free press in this country.The first printing press was

established in Worcester as early as 1548, about 100 years after Johann Gutenberg’s invention of movable type, and several books were printed on it between 1548 and 1553.

The establishment of 1690 as the date of the first publication of the news-sheet which was to become Berrow’s

Worcester Journal is referred to by Valentine Green, the 18th century historian of Worcester, who records that a newspaper was established in the city in that year when William and Mary, newly on the throne, needed support in Worcester which had always been notably Stuart in its sympathies.

There are no existing copies of this news-sheet and the

history of the paper does not become clear until 1709 when Stephen Bryan became the first proprietor, printer and editor of the Worcester paper. For a time at least he must have been his own editor, compositor, printer and publisher.

In recent times the bound copies of these newspapers have been stored at a warehouse in Worcestershire.

There is an almost complete set of these held at the Hive in Worcester together with a microfilm copy, which can be used for research.

However, there are many bound copies that the Worcester Civic Society is in the process of rescuing. At present it is necessary to remove these from the warehouse into a safe

environment in the short term.The Civic Society will then

look for a permanent home for the volumes, and attempt to obtain funding to restore them so that they will be available for members of the public to view.

As soon as we can we will have a small number of these volumes on show at the museum in Worcester. Berrows Worcester Journal History of the Newspaper is available on the Worcester News website.

www.worcestercivicsociety.org.uk

World’s oldest is a survivor

ON the 31st October 1914, a massive German attack along the Menin Road to the east of Ypres broke the British line at Gheluvelt.

There was nothing in reserve. The British commander in chief, Sir John French reached Sir Douglas Haig’s I Corp headquarters on the Menin Road between Hooge and Ypres. He found Haig “very white but quite calm”.

“They have broken us right in,” Haig said, “and are pouring through the gap.”

The Worcesters, 350 men strong, were dispatched from Polygon Wood, just over a kilometre from Gheluvelt. They marched to a small belt of trees west of Polderhoek Chateau,

where they left their packs and formed two lines fifty yards apart, with two companies in the first line and one in the second. Major Hankey then gave the order: “Advance at the double. Advance.”

“There were still a thousand yards to traverse, and the scene that confronted the Worcesters was sufficient to demoralise the strongest nerves and shake the finest courage. The stretch of country which they saw in front of them was devoid of cover of any kind: beyond it lay the fences and enclosures of Gheluvelt Chateau and village, in which many houses were in flames. Wounded and stragglers in considerable numbers were making their way

back to the shelter of the woods, some of whom cried as the advancing troops passed through them, that to go on was certain death, whilst the enemy’s high explosive and shrapnel bursting overhead gave point and substance to the warning….”

The first two

hundred yards were crossed in one long rush; nevertheless, the Worcesters were observed by the enemy’s artillery and took over a hundred casualties, but the rest still pressed on.

The chateau grounds were reached. The Germans were there, searching for water and looting, and in no expectation of such an onslaught. They offered no organised resistance, and were thrown back in confusion.

Gheluvelt was recaptured and the gap in the British line was sealed. Hankey’s men had defeated the best part of a German infantry regiment.

They had preserved the integrity of the I Corps and in doing so had averted the collapse of the BEF and the loss of the Channel Ports.

French certainly had no doubts about the value of their achievement.

“The Worcesters,” he told

Lord Selborne, “saved the Empire.”

The Worcestershire Soldier Gallery tells the story of the men of our county Regiments from 1694 to the present. The Gallery is located at The Worcester City Museum and Art Gallery, Foregate St, Worcester WR1 1DT. Open Monday to Saturday 10.30am – 4.30am. No charge for admission. The Worcestershire Soldier is administered by the Mercian Regiment Museum

(Worcestershire) Trust a Registered Charity no 276510. www.worcestershiresoldier.org . For information on joining the Friends of the Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcester) and future events please contact: John Paddock or Pamela Langford on 01905 721982 or email at museummercian@btconnect.com. Images: © Courtesy of the Trustees of the Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire).

An act of bravery by the Worcesters halted a German advance – JOHN PADDOCK tells the heroic story

Striking back to save the Empire

The Worcesters reach the Chateau. Painting by J. P. Beadle

The rush across the open. Drawing by G. Holiday

The fascinating Tudor House

ELIZABETH PIMBLETT on the varied past of a city museum

THE Tudor House Museum is one of the city’s best-kept secrets.

It’s a fine, timber-framed

house built in the 1500s for wealthy weavers in Friar Street in the heart of the city.

The displays show the use of the house over the centuries, from its glory days to its relative poverty in Victorian times, when part of it

was a disreputable pub.It was also used as an ARP

Warden’s post during WW2, and a school clinic since the 1920s. Richard Cadbury bought the building in the 1900s and restored it as a coffee shop to help feed the poor of the area.

Much of the grounds have been lost to the 1960s carpark, and ten years ago it would have been closed to the public had it not been for a group of volunteers who re-opened it as an independent museum, with no council funding.

Recent developments have included a Victorian kitchen display, reflecting the last inhabitants of the Cross Keys

Pub, and a re-display of the ARP Wardens room, which has been put back to its original position.

So if you think you know Tudor House, do visit again – there are always new additions and new aspects of the story to be told. Or come for a cup of tea in the charming coffee shop where there is a warm welcome. Visit www.tudorhouse.org.uk

Walk through the glory days

Launching new view of history and cultureby David Hallmark, Publisher

THIS First Edition is a joint venture with many local individuals and institutions.

Berrows and these several historians have combined to share these stories to bring information on the past of the City into public knowledge. They are supported by the City Council and the County Chamber of Commerce and the Advertisers.

This supplement – with your help and support – is intended to develop the use and appreciation of the facilities featured and to encourage readers to relish the enthusiasm for their subject which each of the correspondents disclose.

Please let us have your comments and additional suggestions.

Our thanks go to the editors Paul Francis and Diana Winsor and to Simon and Mike at Carter Graphics for the layout, to Peter John, Editor of Berrows Worcester Journal and Colin and Katie of Nexus Creative.

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WORCESTER

Fame and fortune for idyllic painterThe riverside Diglis Hotel was once home to a Victorian artist. PHILIPPA TINSLEY tells his story.

BENJAMIN Williams Leader is Worcester’s most famous artist and the Worcester City Art Gallery, fi ttingly, has one of the best collections in the world of his work including twelve oil paintings.

He portrayed an idyllic and glorious British landscape celebrating nature.

Leader was born in Worcester in 1831 as Benjamin Leader Williams (he later swapped his names around to avoid confusion with other artists called Williams). His father was a notable civil engineer who designed the Diglis lock; the family lived right next to his work at Diglis House, now the Diglis Hotel.

Educated at the Royal Grammar School in Worcester, Leader fi rst worked at his father’s offi ce as a draughtsman while studying art in the evenings at the Worcester School of Design. At the age of 23, he was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools in London and started on a career path to become one of the most celebrated landscape artists of the Victorian age. At the height of his fame he was reputably the most expensive painter in England and exhibited at the Royal Academy every year from 1857 to 1922, a record-breaking 65 continuous years!www.museumsworcester

shire.org.uk

Composer’s clues to an enigmaA man of mystery who liked a joke – CHRIS BENNETT on how to join in the fun at Elgar’s Birthplace Museum

ON June 2, 1857, Edward Elgar was born in a humble little cottage in the village of Lower Broadheath, just three miles west of Worcester.

Despite his lack of formal training, he became England’s greatest composer for over 250 years, writing many immortal works such as the Enigma

Variations, with Nimrod its central theme, The Dream of Gerontius and Pomp and Circumstance, which includes our unoffi cial second national anthem Land of Hope & Glory.

That humble little cottage is now The Elgar Birthplace Museum and with the adjacent modern Elgar Visitor Centre attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. The place is jam packed with Elgar’s belongings from all periods of his life.

When wandering around

the Museum, you soon realise that there was so much more to Elgar than the music. He had a vast range of hobbies, one of which was the great fun he got out of mystifying people. His letters are full of eccentric spellings and made up words, and he would send coded messages to friends. One of his greatest puzzles is hidden in the music that fi rst brought him recognition, the “Enigma” variations; what is the secret theme hidden in the music, and who is the mysterious woman

behind the thirteenth variation? Whose soul did Elgar “enshrine” in his violin concerto? And what on earth is the meaning of that cryptic letter he sent to the beautiful Dorabella?

Elgar took a lot of the secrets to his grave, but he left clues wherever he went. Some are undoubtedly hidden in the displays at The Elgar Birthplace Museum. Why not come along and see if you can discover the secret to England’s most enigmatic composer.www.elgarmuseum.org

Upbeat times for orchestraThe county’s only professional symphony orchestra has plenty of strings to its bow

Peter Sheeran explains

THE English Symphony Orchestra (ESO), the only professional symphony orchestra based in the Three Counties, is looking to the future as it celebrates its 35th year.

Since its formation by William Boughton in 1980, it has performed around 1,000 concerts, including a recent

series celebrating the work of Elgar in Malvern, Hereford and Birmingham.

The orchestra has played all over the UK, toured the US and recorded over 50 albums for Nimbus. Its list of guest conductors includes such star names as Michael Tippett, Yehudi Menuhin and Vernon Handley.

The ESO believes in bringing the joy of live music to everyone, regardless of circumstance, and has performed everywhere from pre-schools to care homes and hospices. It runs orchestra

courses from beginner-level upward.

Two such regular members, Noriko Tsuzaki and Amelia Jones, began their careers as juniors in the side-by-side scheme.

The ESO has very close links with the Elgar School of Music in Worcester and was recently appointed “orchestra in association” by Worcestershire Youth Music.

The ESO’s most popular recording is Vaughan Williams’s Lark Ascending featuring Michael Bochmann. This year it has recorded works by

contemporary composers such as Deborah Pritchard, Geoffrey Gordon and Philip Saywers. It has also just recorded the piano concertos of the American

composer Ernst Krenech.Visit www.eso.co.uk

and follow on twitter @englishsymphon

The Smooth Severn Stream by Benjamin Williams Leader 1886. It’s a familiar riverside place – can you tell where?

A sculpture of Elgar relaxing the the birthplace museum

Shop at Hive for perfect presentsDON’T miss the Explore the Past shop if you’re visiting the library or the café at The Hive. It’s halfway up the staircase, on Level 2 and there you’ll fi nd a distinctive range of jewellery, pottery, and other gifts with a real fl avour of Worcester, old and new, made by local craftspeople.

In addition there are CDs and books, too, including a wide selection of local history.

Also available is a new children’s book which has been published by Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service.

Stories of Worcester, History through the eyes of Children, by Pat Hughes and Deborah Overton, illustrated by Pat Hughes and Aisling Nash, is a delightful collection of stories based on real evidence of the history of the City. The earliest were prompted by the archaeological discoveries made when The Hive and other areas were excavated.

The documents in Worcestershire archives proved a rich source for stories of real families through the centuries.

It’s a delightful addition to the wide range of gifts suitable for any occasion.

Buy them from the Explore the Past shop, or by post – for details, telephone the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service (WAAS) on 01905 822866, write to WAAS, The Hive, Sawmill Walk, The Butts, Worcester, WR1 3PD, or www.worcestershire.gov.uk/waas

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The hills are alive with the sound of the ESO

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WORCESTER