75 to
1381. He built the west gate of the city, and a great part of the town
walls; in consideration of these benefits the mayor and aldermen used at
one time to make an annual procession to his resting-place and offer
prayers for his soul. Outside Canterbury his acts were not regarded with
so much gratitude, for he was the inventor, or reviver, of the poll tax,
and was in consequence beheaded on Tower Hill by Wat Tyler and his
followers. Stanley relates that "not many years ago, when this tomb was
accidentally opened, the body was seen within, wrapped in cere-cloth, a
leaden ball occupying the vacant place of the head." Sudbury is also
famous as having spoken against the "superstitious" pilgrimages to St.
Thomas' shrine, and his violent death was accordingly attributed to the
avenging power of the incensed saint. Westward of his monument stands that
of Archbishop Stratford (1333-1348), who was Grand Justiciary to Edward
III. during his absence in Flanders, and won fame by his struggle with the
king. Between this tomb and the archbishop's throne lies Cardinal Kemp
(1452-1454), who was present at Agincourt in the camp of Henry V.; his
tomb is surmounted by a remarkable wooden canopy. Opposite, on the north
side, is the very interesting monument of Archbishop Henry Chichele
(1414-1443). Shakespeare tells us that he was the instigator of Henry V.'s
war with France, and it is supposed that out of remorse for this act he
built, during his lifetime, the curious tomb which now conceals his bones;
it is kept in repair by All Souls' College, which was founded by the
penitent archbishop that its fellows might pray for the souls of all who
had perished during the war; the effigy, in full canonicals, with its head
supported by angels, and with two monks holding open books, kneeling at
its feet, lies on the upper slab; and underneath is a ghastly figure in a
winding-sheet, supposed to represent the archbishop after death; the
diminutive figures which originally filled the niches were destroyed by
the Puritans, but have been to some extent replaced. The gaudy colours of
the tomb enable one to form some idea of the appearance of the churches in
the Middle Ages, when they were bedizened with painted images, hangings,
and frescoes: to judge from this specimen the effect must have been
distinctly tawdry. Further east we find the monument of Archbishop Howley;
he was chiefly remarkable as having crowned Queen Victoria and married her
to the