Writing from the Rectory – March 2025

On Thursday 6th Feb I travelled down to Canterbury Cathedral. My rendezvous was with Robin, BBC radio producer, to complete a documentary on Simon of Sudbury due to be released in the summer of 2025.

The chief surveyor explained Simon’s considerable contribution to the construction of the gothic nave and showed us a stone arch decoration of his face complete with fetching hairstyle! Moving to the Romanesque architecture we stood looking over Simon’s tomb directly at the high altar, the epicentre of Anglicanism and site of Thomas Becket’s martyrdom. Such proximity denotes the esteem with which the then custodians of Simon’s body chose to position his final resting place. The tomb was robbed of the full-sized stone effigy of his lying in state as were so many during the puritanical raids of the Cromwellians. However, set into the sarcophagus are archways just large enough for the prayerful to utter discreet supplications.

A stained-glass window in the chapter house depicts the coat of arms of the Talbot hound. In the Victorian library the smell of oak cabinets and ancient leather books was enchanting. Here is housed an original parchment complete with Simon’s seal which ironically depicts the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170.

A leather-bound volume held minutes of a meeting chaired by the monks and nuns in charge of running the cathedral during the vacancy. The main item on the agenda was the last will and testament dictated to a scribe by Simon in the Tower of London facing his imminent and inevitable demise. It describes his desire to have his body appropriately buried at Canterbury. However, he also bequeathed his vestments and various artefacts, to the college of priests here in Sudbury – the question is, what happened to them?

Until 1981 roses were placed on Simon’s tomb by the mayor on Christmas day in recognition of his contribution to the repair of much of the city walls. It does seem that the townsfolk of Sudbury could do more to acknowledge the contribution of the Theobald lad made good.

Simon’s considerable faith in God and building of the college of priests in Sudbury gained recognition by the then pope and for which he was elevated to be archbishop of Canterbury. How contemporary this fascinating tale unravelling a story of knife crime, a sense of tax injustice in rural communities and a vacancy at the top job in the church! Who knows, perhaps some annual act of recognition might just raise the profile of the town and thereby give a welcome boost to its economy too?
Blessings
Revd Andrew