Links to the Camino in England

This is an amalgamation of three previous posts about links to the Camino in England and discusses the hand of Saint James in Marlow, the Worcester Pilgrim and the copy of the Portico de Glorio in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.









According to some stories the hand of Saint James somehow became separated from his body and in 640 was being stored by the Bishop of Torcello of Venice before being a part of the collection of the German Imperial chapel in 1072. 

In 1133 it was given to Reading Abbey’s founder by Henry I (or possibly the daughter of Henry I Matilda who was the widow of Henry V Emperor of Germany [Emperor Frederick Barbarossa did ask for the hand’s return but was politely refused and sent many gifts in return]). The hand is why the symbol of Reading Abbey had upon it three scallop shells.

The symbol of Reading Abbey (from http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3/pp336-342)

The same Scallop shells appear on many coats of arms associated with Reading including for the University there.



The hand was one of 230 relics at the Abbey and was used in healing ceremonies (and was dipped into the ‘water of Saint James’) and attracted Pilgrims from all over Europe as well as the interest of Royalty with it being taken to Henry II before he went on a difficult oversees campaign and Richard Coeur-de-Lion considering taking it with him on his crusades.

In 1539 came the dissolution of the Monasteries and the hand was hidden in an iron chest before being dug by workmen who were building Reading Gaol in 1786 who gave it to Reading museum. In the 1840s a J Scott Murray bought the hand and put it in his private chapel at Danesford House in Reading and Marlow and on his death he left it to Saint Peter’s Church in Marlow where it is still on display (it made a brief return to Reading for five days for Saint James’ day in 2011 to the Church of Saint James).

The Hand of Saint James on display (image taken from http://www.stfrancisramblers.ukwalkers.com/maurice_hickmans_walk_04_05_14.html)

The Victoria and Albert museum holds in its collection a reliquary case for the hand

                                      

Photograph from http://livingthehistoryelizabethchadwick.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/todays-research-snippet-empress-matilda.html

Worcester Cathedral has the grave of a 15^th Century Pilgrim there – it was found in 1987 during excavations on the Cathedral floor and is the first discovery of a Pilgrim burial in England.

Within the grave was found a skeleton wearing the remains of knee-length boots and woollen garments. He had with him a small wooden staff that was painted purple and topped with a horn peg and with a tip of an iron double-prong. A scallop shell, pierced so that it could be hung by a cord was to one side of him. His head (on which may have been his pilgrim hat) was lost in 19^th century works.

Looking at the boots I cannot help to compare them to my own that I wear on Pilgrimage – the soles of his are thin and the shoes leather, these are far from the ‘technical’ shoes that modern pilgrims wear. Similarly you would not find many pilgrims at all now who would wear any wool clothes. Things have changed a lot since this Pilgrim walked to Santiago.

The man was well-fed and in his 60s who was placed with his arms crossed over his chest and was buried as near to the altar as was possible for one of his status.

He had a muscular right arm and wear and tear to his joints indicating a lot of walking possibly done whilst leaning on a staff. He also had arthritis in his legs, toes, spine, ribs and pelvis and fusion in some of his bones of his spine, coccyx, ribs and sternum. At some point he had also gained two scars from arrowheads on his left thigh.

Reasearch has suggested that the Pilgrim may be Robert Sutton who died in 1454. He was a Dyer and one-time Baliff in Worcester and so would have had access and funds to use the rare purple pigment that was used for the paint on his staff.

Sutton was a member of the Fraternity of Saint James and as a Pilgrim he would have earned the right to be buried in the manner seen although there was no mention of a wish to be buried in this manner in his will Sutton did pay for a new ceiling in the tower of Saint Andrew’s Church and chose to be shown as a Pilgrim in one of the carved roof bosses.

I did ask one of the guides at the Cathedral and he did confirm that the Pilgrim had been reburied in his original position but did not know whether he had been buried with his scallop shell and nor did he know if the Cathedral has a sello of some sort to stamp a credential.

 

Worcester Cathedral had shrines to Saint Oswald and Saint Wulfston and so was a popular place for Pilgrims both as a place of Pilgrimage in its own right and as somewhere to visit on their way to Santiago.
 

In 1218 the remains of both Saints were enshrined in the present Cathedral (which was built 1084-1504). Saint Wulfston’s tomb was canopied and protected by metal grills and had a large crucifix and precious jewels adorning it. Off to one side there was an image of him that Pilgrims could kiss and they could leave the Cathedral with a small bottle of Holy Water.
 

The Pilgrim’s shoes and staff can be seen in the Cathedral Crypt (entry to the Cathedral and Crypt are free but a donation is requested).

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a copy of the Porico de Gloria and on a recent visit took the time to get a few more pictures of it.

It's held in the Cast Courts which can be found by walking to the entrance, going to stand in front of the shop then turning right and walking right down the corridor where you'll find the Cast Courts on the left (there are two: one for Italy and one for Europe, it's the second of these that you want and just walk all the way to the back).

You can also go two floors up and look over the Portico from one of the museum's balconies (Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

The Tree of Jesse (Victoria and Albert museum)

 (Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

(Victoria and Albert museum)

The first view of the portico as you enter (behind Trajan's Column!) (Victoria and Albert museum)