Re: Codex Argenteus - the Silver Bible

From: Martin Reboul (martin_at_spamfukreboul1471.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: 07/30/04 

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 21:05:01 GMT

"Robert Stonehouse" <ew65@bcs.org.invalid> wrote in message
news:4109f5e5.4246146@news.cityscape.co.uk...
> On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 04:21:36 GMT, "Martin Reboul"
> <martin@spamfukreboul1471.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> ...
> >All that matters (to me) is doing the right thing. The Greeks, our great
friends
> >and loyal allies for centuries, are rightly hurt by what appears to be
British
> >reluctance to return a very important national treasure (what if the Crown
> >Jewels were pinched, then sold to a Greek - same thing).
> ...
> Incidentally, does anyone know where the Crown Jewels are now? The
> pre-Restoration ones, I mean: those in the Tower mostly date from the
> 1660s.

Sadly, most were melted down and broken up by Puritan zealots shortly after the
Civil War. At the time this was fiercely opposed by many, and some may have gone
'missing'.

One piece owned by the Crown since 1471 definitely survived, the ring taken from
the body of Warwick the Kingmaker after the battle of Barnet (now in Liverpool
City Musuem), but that was hardly a 'crown jewel'.

What survived exactly, I have no idea - someone will know. It was a tragedy, and
an unconscionable act of vandalism.
                 Cheers
                         Martin