Canterbury Church Plans Exhumation of Thomas More’s Head for 2035 Anniversary

St Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury, an Anglican church that is a pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics, plans to exhume and preserve the remains of Sir Thomas More’s head in time for the 500th anniversary of his execution in 2035. More, Henry VIII’s former Lord Chancellor, was executed in 1535 after refusing to recognize the king as head of the Church of England; his head was parboiled and placed on a spike on London Bridge as a warning. His daughter, Margaret Roper, secretly retrieved and preserved the head, which was later buried with her and transferred to the Roper family vault at St Dunstan’s, where it has remained behind metal bars ever since. The church council seeks permission from Canterbury's commissary court to begin the exhumation and conservation, intending to possibly display the remains in a reliquary or shrine, a move welcomed by many visitors and devotees. Although the exact condition of the skull is unknown due to limited access since the 19th century, the church aims to raise funds for expert archaeological conservation. More was declared a martyr and saint by the Vatican, making his remains holy relics in Catholic tradition, and the church hopes to honor his legacy through this project.