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Saturday, 04 July 2009
at 06:34:52
The Flayed Dane
During the time of the Danish raids on Worcester, the poorly defended city was in great fear of the invading Norsemen who left murder and destruction in their wake. One Dane however stayed behind in the Cathedral. The monks and citizens returned with help and caught him, and then, it is said flayed him alive! The skin was tanned and nailed to the inner side of the great doors of the cathedral as a warning to other invaders. During the restoration of the cathedral the door was removed and thought to be lost but it was found again in 1850 along with a parchment like substance attached to it. This was sent off to the Royal College of Surgeons for testing who confirmed that it was human skin and that the hairs on it were those of a light haired person. A piece of the skin can be seen in the Cathedral library to this day.
