t he was executor to the Black Prince may be responsible for his being
buried at his feet. It is not, however, certain that his body actually
lies here, though the ledger book of the cathedral states that he was
buried within the walls of the church. It is known, however, that he died
at Maidstone, and that he ordered in his will that his remains should rest
there, and a slab in the pavement of All Saints', Maidstone, shows traces
of a brass representing the figure of an archbishop, whence it has been
concluded that Courtenay was in fact buried there, and that his monument
in Canterbury is only a cenotaph.

[Illustration: TRINITY CHAPEL, LOOKING INTO THE CORONA, "BECKET'S CROWN,"
WITH CHAIR OF ST. AUGUSTINE.]

#Becket's Crown.#--The circular apse at the extreme east end of the church
is known as Becket's Crown. The name has caused a good deal of discussion.
The theory once generally received was to the effect that the portion of
Becket's skull which was cut away by Richard le Breton was preserved here
as a relic of special sanctity. We know that the Black Prince bequeathed,
by his will, tapestry hangings for the High Altar and for three others,
viz., "l'autier la ou Mons'r Saint Thomas gist--l'autier la ou la teste
est--l'autier la ou la poynte de l'espie est." The first and last are
evidently the altars at the shrine and in the Chapel of the Martyrdom, and
it has been contended that the altar "where the head is" was the altar of
which traces may still be seen in the pavement of the corona, or Becket's
Crown. Against this notion we must place the authority of Erasmus, whose
words plainly show that the martyr's head was displayed in the crypt:
"_hinc digressi subimus cryptoporticum: illic primum exhibetur calvaria
martyris perforata_ (the martyr's pierced tonsure): _reliqua tecta sunt
argento, summa cranii pars nuda patet osculo_." While Willis considers
that the term corona was a common one for an apse at the end of a
church, citing "Ducange's Glossary," which defines "Corona Ecclesiae" as
_Pars templi choro postica, quod ea pars fere desinat in circulum_; "at
all events," he concludes, "it was a general term and not peculiar to
Christ Church, Canterbury. The notion that this round chapel was called
Becket's Crown, because part of his skull was preserved here as a relic,
appears wholly untenable. There is at least no doubt that a relic of
some sort was preserved here, because we know from a record of the
offerings--Obla