King Henry IV

King Henry IV died in 1413, and it was his last wish to be buried in Canterbury Cathedral rather than Westminster Abbey. He had always had an affinity for Thomas Becket’s cult, which was still thriving at the time, and wanted to be buried adjacent to his shrine.

The body made the journey from London to Kent and was finally laid to rest on the north side of Trinity Chapel.

A rumour began a few weeks after the King’s death that stated that during a dinner party toasting the late King’s life, one guest was reported to have said:

"God knows whether he was a good man; but this I know for certain: while his body was conveying in a small vessel from Westminster towards Canterbury to be buried there, I was one of three persons who threw the corpse into the sea, between Berking and Gravesend."

The rumour went on to say that a storm had been raging at the time, and it was thought the body was considered a bad omen by those onboard, so it was thrown overboard to appease the superstitious sailors.

The rumour persisted for centuries, and in 1832, the Dean and Resident Canons of Canterbury decided to open the tomb to see once and for all if the long-dead king’s body was actually there.

They had to saw open the tomb and cut through the leaden case within.

An account of the facts and discoveries was drawn up at the time by the Rev.Dr. Spry, one of the Canons present. His account recalls that they found leather wrappers "of a deep brown colour and earthy smell" and

"These wrappers were cut through and lifted off, when, to the astonishment of all present, the face of the deceased King was seen in complete preservation, " it was even noted that Henry’s "thick and matted" russet beard still adorned his chin. The body was apparently in a ‘good’ state, having been embalmed well. The rumours were finally laid to rest.

Source:

Archaeologia Cantiana: Vol. VIII

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