A good friend of mine in her eighties called Jane had an interesting experience related to this. Late in 1942, when she was six years old, she was living in Woodbridge. She was invited with other members of her family to a Christmas party at the house of Canon Horace Wilkinson. They played a game of pass-the parcel. At a certain point, the Canon indicated that he specifically wanted Jane to remove the remaining wrapping and see the contents. It was a wooden box and she opened it to reveal a human head. The Canon explained that this was the head of Oliver Cromwell. Jane says she remembers the broken spike to which it was connected, the wart on the face and a few strands of orange-coloured hair. From our modern-day perspective, it seems odd, even highly objectionable, that an adult - especially a priest in the Church of England - would do such a thing. On the other hand, Jane says that she was not in the least disturbed by the experience, but intensely curious, which, it appears, was exactly the effect Canon Wilkinson wished to achieve.
A good friend of mine in her eighties called Jane had an interesting experience related to this. Late in 1942, when she was six years old, she was living in Woodbridge. She was invited with other members of her family to a Christmas party at the house of Canon Horace Wilkinson. They played a game of pass-the parcel. At a certain point, the Canon indicated that he specifically wanted Jane to remove the remaining wrapping and see the contents. It was a wooden box and she opened it to reveal a human head. The Canon explained that this was the head of Oliver Cromwell. Jane says she remembers the broken spike to which it was connected, the wart on the face and a few strands of orange-coloured hair.
From our modern-day perspective, it seems odd, even highly objectionable, that an adult - especially a priest in the Church of England - would do such a thing. On the other hand, Jane says that she was not in the least disturbed by the experience, but intensely curious, which, it appears, was exactly the effect Canon Wilkinson wished to achieve.
This was a great man! Oliver the Great!