LOST HISTORY
Does This Casket at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum Really Contain the Bones of Saint Thomas of Becket?
• BY STEVEN SORA O
n an August night in 1990, some- time after midnight, two young men with Dickensian-sounding names approached Britain’s Canter- bury Cathedral. Armed with crowbars, bolt cutters, chisels, wire, masking tape, and a torch, Peregrine Prescott and Risto Pronk were well prepared for surreptitious entry but perhaps not well enough. Despite the fact that both young adventurers were veterans of the Foreign Legion, the police learned of their apparent burglary-in-progress and promptly took both into custody. The pair claimed not to have intended stealing anything; but, alas, what small case there might have been for the innocence of their intentions was not helped when, along with burglary tools, in their possession was found a map of the cathedral interior. The explanation offered—one which at first did little to im- press police—was that they were searching for the bones of one of England’s most revered saints Thomas a’Becket.
Becket had lived in very tur- 40 ATLANTIS RISING • Number 85
bulent times, but, as fate would have it, even in the afterlife, his bones would see little rest. The actions of Prescott and Pronk were simply the latest on a long list of distur- bances marring the saint’s post-mortem slumber, including the highly acclaimed 1964 film starring Richard Burton as Becket. Born in 1118 of Norman parents, Becket was blessed with a quality education, a strong presence, and, most likely, no small portion of charisma. He entered the service of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald, who soon recognized his talent and packed him off to Bologna and then Auxerre to fur- ther his studies in the law. When Becket re- turned to England, King Henry II took him on as chancellor, an ac- tion that immediately made him one of the most powerful men in the country. For years, the king and his chancellor got along fa- mously. They soldiered together in war, hunted in peace and Becket came to share his king’s passion for luxury. Thomas up- held the policies of the church but with the king it was as an ad- visor and a friend.
Then Theobold died. Becket was ordained at once as priest
and as Archbishop and immediately took over the role of Archbishop of Canterbury. This new position, he realized, would have potential to cause a rift between him and the king. He knew no man could serve two mas- ters at the same time. And, indeed, soon his role as advisor to the king became strained and diminished as he now represented a sep- arate power. While humor may once have settled differences, since Becket was now bound to the Church, it failed. It didn’t help that he chose now to dress in the austere garb of a religious man. And it certainly did not help that he took his new role seriously. One of his jobs was to collect estates owed to the Church that were held by his once dear friend the king. Minor conflicts soon snow- balled into major ones, and by 1164 he was forced to escape to France to avoid being jailed.
Then, in December of 1170, having been led to believe that reconciliation was pos- sible, Becket returned to Canterbury but not for long. One day four knights rode to the Cathedral, rushed into the Chapel of St. Benedict, and charged through the handful of helpless monks. Each knight struck the Archbishop on the head with his sword and left him bleeding and near death, then made
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