Scientists have conducted the first-ever archaeological study of William Shakespeare's grave and discovered that his skull might be missing from the Stratford-upon-Avon tomb. The radar scan that penetrated the Bard's gravesite in Holy Trinity Church could be confirmation of the 1879 short story that tells of grave robbers taking the skull from the tomb back in 1794.
"This is the first archaeological investigation ever of Shakespeare's burial, and what we found was quite surprising," said Kevin Colls, lead researcher of the project. "We have Shakespeare's burial with an odd disturbance at the head end and we have a story that suggests that at some point in history someone's come in and taken the skull of Shakespeare. It's very, very convincing to me that his skull isn't at Holy Trinity at all."
The team also identified a change of material in the burial, suggesting that foreign material might have been used to repair damages made to the grave during the robbery.
In the process of the project, Colls and leading geophysicist Erica Utsi explored a legend claiming that the skull of Shakespeare was 15 miles away, located inside St. Leonard's church in the Worcestershire village of Beoley, and determined that it was false.
"The amazing project team, using state of the art equipment, has produced astonishing results which are much better than I dared hoped for, and these results will undoubtedly spark discussion, scholarly debate and controversial theories for years to come," Colls said. "Even now, thinking of the findings sends shivers down my spine."
If the skull is revealed stolen, Colls wouldn't be surprised, as stealing skulls from graves was a common practice at the time. Many people sought skulls of geniuses and famous people in order to analyze them and figure out what made them special.
Although Patrick Taylor, vicar of the Holy Trinity Church, is impressed with the study, he does not believe that there is enough evidence to know for certain that the skull has been stolen.
"We intend to continue to respect the sanctity of his grave, in accordance with Shakespeare's wishes, and not allow it to be disturbed," he said. "We shall have to live with the mystery of not knowing fully what lies beneath the stone."
