The Strange Post-Mortem History of Oliver Cromwell’s Head

The peculiar history of Oliver Cromwell’s head is a narrative described as “so strange that you couldn’t possibly make it up”. This narrative is currently featured in an exhibition at the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon, a venue dedicated to the 17th-century statesman’s life. Although Cromwell died of natural causes, unlike his predecessor Charles I, his body was exhumed after the monarchy’s restoration in 1660, and his head subsequently became a mobile curiosity for centuries. Stuart Orme, curator of the Cambridgeshire museum, stated that “The grisly story of what happened to Oliver Cromwell’s corpse is one that seems to fascinate visitors and has been one of our most requested subjects for a special exhibit.” Cromwell, who spent his formative years in Huntingdon, was initially an unknown landowner before gaining significance during the Civil Wars. He was instrumental in the 1649 trial and execution of Charles I and assumed the role of Lord Protector in 1653. Mr Orme noted: “Weeks after his death in 1658, one of the most elaborate state funerals of the 1600s was carried out in his memory.” Upon Charles II’s ascension to the throne two years subsequent, he granted a general pardon to individuals who had opposed his father. This pardon, however, excluded the Regicides—a term for those who signed Charles I’s death warrant or participated actively in his trial—10 of whom faced execution by hanging, drawing, and quartering. Other Regicides sought refuge overseas, evading the King’s agents, a narrative recently examined by Robert Harris in his novel *Act of Oblivion*. Although Charles II was unable to execute Cromwell, he was able to exhume his remains. Mr Orme explained: “With two others, it was ceremonially hung at Tyburn in London.” He added: “It was cut down [and] beheaded, and the severed head displayed at Westminster for two decades before being stolen.” For centuries, it functioned as a tourist attraction, an investment commodity, and an item of intrigue, until Sydney Sussex College, Cambridge, buried it in 1960. Mr Orme commented that “The display gives a fascinating window into a story which is often so strange that you couldn’t possibly make it up.” The exhibition features seldom-seen artifacts, including a banner from Cromwell’s funeral, one of his death masks, a 1799 exhibition catalogue of his head, and the key to its burial box. The “Cromwell’s Head” exhibition will be open at the museum until 30 March.