version was drawn by the antiquarian William Camden, but it has subsequently
disappeared (Figure 18). There is an account by Giraldus of Wales, who
claimed to have been present at the time of the discovery. He said that the
monks were told where to dig by the king, Henry II, who had been told of the
site by an aged poet. It would have suited the king to find evidence that Arthur
was truly dead, as he wished to put an end to Welsh insurgence and, for the
Welsh, Arthur was a symbol of independence. So this was a very convenient
fraud, both for the king and for the monks!
Rarely, an object that may have been stolen has been recovered by
archaeology. In 1976, in a cesspit in Winchester, a‘burseshaped’(that is,
shaped like a hanging purse) reliquary was discovered. The pit was dated to
somewhere aroundAD 925 – 950. The reliquary was made of beechwood
covered in a decorated sheet of a copper alloy covered with gilding (Figure
19). A reliquary was a special case meant to hold the relics of a saint–not
something that would normally be casually thrown away into a cesspit. Xray
examination showed that hidden inside the case are small cavities, possibly
containing parchment and a tiny stickshaped object, just fifty by seven
millimetres, the nature of which is unknown. The metal casing was embossed
with designs of leaves on the back, and the seated form of Christ on the front.
There may have been a strap attached, so that it could be carried around.^3
MEDIEVAL CRIMEFigure 18. The inscription on the Glastonbury cross