Cromwell's Head (2017)

• 76%
• 2017
• Documentary
• History

The story of Oliver Cromwell's head is perhaps the most bizarre, yet least well known, of all tales from English history. From regal burial, to exhumation and decapitation, this relic of our only non-royal ruler has traveled a most peculiar path. It has been a gruesome warning to traitors, a secret prize for a soldier, an attraction at an 18th century peep show, and an object of veneration and derision, until it was finally laid to rest in a secret ceremony. CROMWELL'S HEAD, is a one-hour documentary, telling the full story of this extraordinary artifact. CROMWELL'S HEAD unravels a mystery, and brings to light a variety of strange tales. By looking at the passions, public and private, aroused by Cromwell and his head, it illuminates how British attitudes to monarchy, democracy and radicalism were formed - and how they have changed, since our civil war over 350 years ago. Among the politicians and academics throwing light on Cromwell's legacy and historical impact are The Right Hon. Frank Dobson, Douglas Carswell MP, Dr. Patrick Little of the The History of Parliament Trust, Prof. Blair Worden, Dr. Micheál Ó Siochrú of Trinity College Dublin, and Dr. Frances Larson author of "Severed".