Big Dig.

Church seeks to exhume head of Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More… 500 years after it was put on a pike.

The remains could be on public display for the anniversary of More's death.

• Freya Parsons

• Published: 9:41, 12 Jul 2025.

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THE head of Sir Thomas More, the Catholic martyr and former Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, could soon be dug up, five centuries after it was boiled and placed on a pike.

St Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury has revealed plans to exhume and preserve the centuries-old relic, with hopes of putting it on display.

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The remains of Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More may be exhumed.Credit: Alamy

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The former Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII was executed for his beliefs in 1535Credit: Getty

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St Dunstan's, an Anglican church in Canterbury, Kent, has made the bid to dig up the severed headCredit: Alamy

The remains would be placed in a shrine in 2035, lining up with the 500th anniversary of More’s execution.

More was Henry VIII's lord chancellor but was best known for defying the King and was executed for treason in 1535 in Tower Hill, London.

The lawyer, author and philosopher refused to accept Henry as head of the newly formed Church of England - a decision that cost him his life.

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While his body was buried in the Tower of London, his head was parboiled and mounted on a spike on London Bridge as a grim warning to others thinking of crossing the king.