I read a funny little story recently regarding Helston Fair in the County of Cornwall and the skull of Oliver Cromwell.
In a book entitled Around Helston in the Old Days, the author, A S Oates tells of one travelling showman named Maxwell.
Maxwell carried with him a box in which he said was the skull of the Lord Protector, and for a penny you would be able to view it. Oates writes that after his penny was paid and the skull viewed, puzzled, he remarked to Maxwell.
"Here's a funny thing Maxwell, I've a photograph of Oliver Cromwell at home in a book, he's pictured as having a very large head. The skull you have in your box is a very small one. How do you account for that?"
The peddler replied promptly
"Oh, this was his skull when he was a boy!"
Maxwell carried with him a box in which he said was the skull of the Lord Protector, and for a penny you would be able to view it. Oates writes that after his penny was paid and the skull viewed, puzzled, he remarked to Maxwell.
"Here's a funny thing Maxwell, I've a photograph of Oliver Cromwell at home in a book, he's pictured as having a very large head. The skull you have in your box is a very small one. How do you account for that?"
The peddler replied promptly
"Oh, this was his skull when he was a boy!"
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