Where is St Cuthbert buried?
Durham Cathedral © Jarrold Publishing, Chapter of DurhamFrom that time, until the early 16th Century, no one seems to have doubted the truth of Cuthbert’s preserved body or his presence in the Cathedral. However, around the year 1537, Henry VIII’s unbelieving commissioners came to Durham. During the 1530s, monasteries were being closed throughout the country. Durham survived until 1540, but this did not prevent the destruction of the shrines of Cuthbert and Bede. We are fortunate to have a document known as the ‘Rites of Durham’, first published in 1593, which includes, what purports to be an eyewitness account of the destruction of Cuthbert’s shrine. The writer speaks of the visitation of Dr Ley, Dr Henley and Mr Blythman, which took place about 1537. The Commissioners brought with them a goldsmith who, when he had taken off the gold, silver and precious stones, called out that he had come to a chest strongly bound in iron. The commissioners commanded him to smash it open. Cuthbert’s
