“God’s First”: St. Thomas More’s Skull May Be Exhumed Ahead of 500th Anniversary

“God’s First”: St. Thomas More’s Skull May Be Exhumed Ahead of 500th Anniversary

St. Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury confirms plans to preserve and potentially enshrine the martyr’s relic, in an ecumenical effort bridging five centuries of English religious history.

St. Thomas More’s skull — preserved in secret for centuries following his execution for treason in 1535 — may soon be exhumed from the Roper family vault at St. Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury, where it has rested since being retrieved by his daughter. The Anglican parish’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) announced on July 6, 2025, that it had voted to pursue the exhumation and conservation of the relic in preparation for the 500th anniversary of More’s martyrdom in 2035.¹

“It is unusual to have any relics in an Anglican church, especially those of a Catholic saint,” said Sue Palmer, churchwarden at St. Dunstan’s. “The PCC views this as an opportunity for ecumenical outreach and cooperation.”²

The project, estimated to cost £50,000, will involve consultation with osteoarchaeologists, relic preservation experts, and both Anglican and Catholic authorities.³

A Witness Buried, A Conscience Unyielding

St. Thomas More (1478–1535), Lord Chancellor of England and author of Utopia, was executed on 6 July 1535 after refusing to accept King Henry VIII’s claim to supremacy over the Church in England. His final declaration, “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first,” has become a byword for Catholic fidelity.

After More was beheaded, his head was displayed on a pike atop London Bridge, a grim warning to others. It was later rescued by his daughter, Margaret Roper, and interred in the Roper family vault beneath the Roper Chapel at St. Dunstan’s. The site has since drawn pilgrims and visitors from around the world.⁴

Preservation and Pilgrimage
Palmer explained that the proposal aims not only at preservation but accessibility:

“We could just put it back in the vault, maybe in a reliquary… or we could place it in a carved stone pillar above ground in the Roper chapel, which is what many of our visitors have requested.”⁵

The skull was last examined in 1997, when it was found to be fragmented and encased in a broken lead container. Its current condition is unknown. Church officials stress that all plans are subject to ecclesiastical legal approval from the Commissary General (the diocesan legal authority) and relevant heritage and archaeological bodies.⁶

Ecumenical and Global Implications
Though canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935 and revered as the Patron Saint of Statesmen and Politicians, More’s appeal transcends confessional lines. Anglicans, Catholics, and even secular scholars have long recognised his courage, intellect, and integrity.

Palmer noted that the spotlight of 2035 will shine not just on the relic, but on the Church’s duty to steward it faithfully:

“We won’t be able to keep him to ourselves… Ecumenically and globally we have a responsibility both to the relic and to Christians and scholars throughout the world. Judging by the comments in our visitors’ book, having the relic deteriorating in a vault is not good enough.”⁷

What Happens Next
The PCC confirmed it will now submit a formal application for exhumation. If approved, the process will involve careful drying, analysis, and long-term conservation — possibly culminating in a visible shrine or reliquary that can be venerated by pilgrims from across the world.

St. Dunstan’s Church, though Anglican, has in recent years embraced its role as custodian of England’s Catholic martyr relic. It may soon become the centre of global reflection on conscience, martyrdom, and religious unity.

In an age increasingly indifferent to religious conviction, More’s enduring witness — and now perhaps his visible relic — may yet call a new generation to the courage of truth. 🔝

1. Catholic News Agency, “St. Thomas More’s skull may be exhumed from Canterbury vault for saint’s 500th anniversary,” 19 July 2025.
2. The Times, “Church seeks to exhume skull of Thomas More for 500th anniversary,” July 2025.
3. Church Times, “Deteriorating head of St Thomas More should be exhumed and conserved, PCC agrees,” 18 July 2025.
4. E.E. Reynolds, Saint Thomas More, London: Burns Oates, 1953.
5. Church Times, ibid.
6. The Times, ibid.
7. CNA, ibid.