Hidden Meaning: A Catholic Reliquary in an Anglican World

Summary

More than one hundred human burials have been excavated at Jamestown over the past 20 years, and thus far, few have contained grave goods.  The discovery of a small box on top of Captain Gabriel Archer’s coffin was, therefore, surprising to archaeologists.  Extensive scientific testing determined the box is silver and contains human bone and a lead ampulla.  It is a Catholic reliquary, a container to store holy relics—the bones of a saint, and a vial of holy water or blood of a saint.  This paper will attempt to explain the presence of a Catholic reliquary in an Anglican church in an Anglican colony, at a time when English Catholics were severely restricted from practicing their faith, and when all but the highest-ranking colonists took a loyalty oath to King James I as the head of church and state. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Looking Back, Moving Forward: Reinterpreting Jamestown through Archaeology, History, Science, and Technology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 729