Cromwell's Head

Oliver Cromwell's magnificent funeral in 1658 was a regal affair, witnessed by thousands and drawing on all the trappings of state. Yet less than three years later his corpse was removed from Westminster Abbey and 'executed' at Tyburn. This gruesome ceremony launched Cromwell's head on three centuries of extraordinary adventures, from a traitor's pole by Westminster Hall to an exhibition in London's Bond Street, the probings of 'cranial detectives' to the peace of a Cambridge college. "Crom...