History at The Hall – Precious Bodies: Enshrining forbidden Catholic relics in 16th and 17th century England.
Monday 7th September, 18:00
On the evening of Monday 7 September 2026, join Dr. Janet Graffius for History at The Hall – Precious Bodies: Enshrining forbidden Catholic relics in 16th and 17th century England.
Stonyhurst College is home to an extraordinary collection of once-forbidden treasures. Founded in 1593 in exile in the Spanish Netherlands, the College provided the only Catholic education available to English, Welsh and Irish boys. It rapidly developed as a sanctuary for pre- and post-Reformation salvaged material culture, marked for destruction in Elizabethan England and smuggled across the Channel.
The lecture will examine some superlative silver and gold reliquaries, including those linked to Mary, Queen of Scots, Thomas More and Hans Holbein. Although costly and beautiful, in post-Reformation England, such objects were deeply incriminating. The lecture will put them in the context of the crucial need for secrecy.
The lecture will examine some superlative silver and gold reliquaries, including those linked to Mary, Queen of Scots, Thomas More and Hans Holbein. Although costly and beautiful, in post-Reformation England, such objects were deeply incriminating. The lecture will put them in the context of the crucial need for secrecy.