St Dunstan's Church, Canterbury

Canterbury: St Dunstan’s Church

The most famous Catholic martyr of the Reformation is buried in Canterbury, the capital of Anglican Christianity, in an Anglican church. Or to be precise, his head is here, buried in a vault near the high altar. St Thomas More defied a king’s wishes and died a martyr’s death in 1535. His head has lain in this crypt ever since.

Highlights

St Thomas More's head, in closed crypt

St Thomas was a politician rather than a churchman, which makes his principled stand all the more notable. He was Lord Chancellor when King Henry VIII asked him to sign the Act of Supremacy in 1534, making the king head of the Church of England rather than the Pope. St Thomas refused and was arrested, convicted of treason and beheaded on July 6 1535.

There is little doubt about the authenticity of the relic. St Thomas’ daughter Margaret was married to William Roper, a landowner who lived in Canterbury. She was in London at the execution and managed to retrieve her father’s head after it was displayed outside the Tower of London. She brought it back to Canterbury and buried it in a niche inside the Roper family vault. This is directly beneath the Roper Chapel, to the right of the high altar.

The vault has been opened a number of times in recent years, but is now sealed. A display of photographs inside the Roper Chapel shows what was found on the last investigation in 1997.

A lead casket housing St Thomas More’s head sits in a small niche behind a metal grille on the north side of the vault. As the guide points out, this is directly underneath the word ‘Sir’ on his marble memorial slab, which is on the left of the altar. The entrance to the vault is under the heavy (and broken) stone grave slab a couple of metres in front of the altar.

Some monuments and signs in the building call its most famous resident Sir Thomas More, rather than Saint. He has been listed in the Church of England’s calendar of saints since 1980, so any theological quibble seems rather picky. The church website names him correctly however.

On the other hand, it is worth remembering that St Thomas was not as perfect as he is often portrayed. He approved of burning ‘heretics’ to death, for example – an activity that would see anyone excommunicated from all of today’s churches. No one seemed capable of rising above the 16th century’s vitriol. Canterbury’s other St Thomas is also linked to St Dunstan’s church, albeit indirectly. After the murder of St Thomas Becket, King Henry II came to Canterbury to do public penance.

He stopped at this church and changed into a rough pilgrim’s shirt. He then walked the last half mile barefoot to the cathedral, where he was whipped in front of the saint’s shrine in 1174. Needless to say St Thomas More has yet to enjoy a royal visit, let alone a scourging.

Directions

St Dunstan’s Church, 80 London Road, Canterbury CT2 8LS

W3W: judges.filled.bend

GPS: 51.2838N 1.0707E

www.dunstanmildredpeter.org.uk

St Dunstan’s is on the corner of StDunstan’s Street and London Road, about 10 minutes’ walk from the cathedral heading north west along the High Street. It is usually open daily until 5pm. Contact tel: 01227 786109.