And We Shall Not Give Up (2024)
Reliquary for The Skull of a Young Man
Muslin, Archival Fabric, Silver
The Skull of a Young Man was discovered in 1984 whilst digging a service trench. Upon investigation it was identifed as one of three human burials. This particular burial comprised of a skull, pelvis and other fragments of bones, including a finger encircled by a gold ring. The black enameled inscription reads Ave Maria Gracia Plena – Hail Mary Full of Grace.
The remains were determined to be male, and a deep crack in the skull above the left eye suggested cause of death was being struck with force by a bladed weapon. The estimated date of the finger ring was between 1400 and 1450 C.E. with the remains interred at the St Austin Friary which occupied the site at that time.
From this it’s thought the individual is likely a casualty of the Battle of Shrewsbury. Fought in 1403, the battle saw Sir Henry “Hotspur” Percy rebel against King Henry IV. Feeling that he had not been adequately rewarded for his role four years earlier, in securing Henry’s throne, Hotspur sought to remove him from it. He met the King with an army of 10,000 just north of Shrewsbury, some three miles from the Friary.
If this individual is indeed someone who was fatally injured in the battle, I am absolutely in awe of the refusal of his associates to give up on him – the wound to his head is severe, and transporting a casualty such a distance would not have been a simple task. Over a thousand men are said to have been buried in a mass grave at Battlefield, and it is down to the belief and determination of others that he was not among them.
I wanted to celebrate the life of this individual who is, for me, symbolic of this determination. I created a reliquary for the skull of the individual to be cradled in, where it would still be visible to visitors. Housed within a stylised medieval pavillion tent, visitors are invited to enter and spend time with someone who lived over six centuries ago.
Vicky Roden 