The care of the royal tombs in english cathedrals in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: the case of the effigy of King John at Worcester

The medieval history of the celebrated tomb of King John at Worcester is now well known. The works of Charles Alfred Stothard at the beginning of the nineteenth century, of William St John Hope in the early years of the twentieth century, and that of Jane Martindale at the end of that century, are highlights along the road of our understanding of the royal effigy in its medieval context. But all the while this work of comprehension was going on, those who had a duty of care over the tomb were engaged in a battle to offload that responsibility. The authorities at Worcester were not alone in wondering who should carry the burden of caring for royal monuments in English cathedrals. As early as 1841, the question of the care of royal tombs in Westminster Abbey had come under Parliamentary scrutiny. The deans and chapters at Canterbury and at Gloucester also sought government subvention for the care of the royal tombs in their cathedrals. The history of this debate about the care of royal sepulchral monuments forms the wider framework for the main theme of this article, which is an examination in detail of the ways in which King John’s tomb at Worcester was treated between 1872 and 1930. It reveals a remarkable story in which a catalogue of disastrous decisions came to give us the tomb and effigy as we have them today. The article concludes with a short discussion of the introduction of the 1990 Care of Cathedrals Measure which established the structures that currently exist (with subsequent amendments) for the preservation of Anglican cathedral churches in use. L’historique médiéval de la célèbre tombe du roi Jean à Worcester est bien connu à l’heure actuelle. Les travaux de Charles Alfred Stothard au début du dix-neuvième siècle, de William St John Hope au début du vingtième siècle, et ceux de Jane Martindale à la fin de ce siècle, représentent d’importants jalons sur le chemin de nos connaissances concernant l’effigie royale dans son contexte médiéval. Mais pendant que cet effort de compréhension se produisait, ceux qui étaient responsables de l’entretien de la tombe faisaient de leur mieux pour se décharger de leurs responsabilités. Les autorités de Worcester n’étaient pas les seules à se demander qui devait se charger du fardeau de l’entretien des monuments royaux dans les cathédrales anglaises. Dès 1841, le parlement avait étudié la question de l’entretien des tombes royales de l’abbaye de Westminster. Les doyens et les chapitres des cathédrales de Canter