Unburying and Reburying 'dem bones -- formerly RE: Where is everyon

I intended to answer Ed's post some time ago, but I've
been spread too thin lately. I'm still hung up on the
subject <g>, so I'll post this long-delayed answer.
***

Ed asked: Are there any estimates of the dimensions
and weight of the box?

***

Not that I know of. I've reviewed my books at home.
Those descriptions say that the workmen broke open the
box, and pieces of it were thrown on a trash heap. So
it seems that the box was never measured or weighed.
Apparently the type of wood wasn't recorded either, so
there's no way of guesstimating the rate of decay. I
think softwood--like pine--would decay more quickly
than hardwood. I'd expect softwood to be used, but I
don't know much about ceremonial burials. If it was a
ceremonial burial done centuries before 1483, maybe
the box was hardwood for permanance.

***

Ed wrote: Between 2 bodies and the weight of the box,
I'll guesstimate the priest was hauling a least 300
pounds of weight.

[snip]

Lets try my estimates:

Dig grave #1 13 hours
Remove coffin 1/2 hour
Refill grave #1 5 hours
Dig grave #2 13 hours
Lower coffin 1/2 hour
Refill grave #2 5 hours
Move excess dirt to grave #1 2 hours
Total 39 hours

Personally, I think my estimates are wildly generous.

[snip]

The priest would have been a lot better off bribing
the [Tower] guards to do the digging. Presuming he
got 3 or 4 of them to help he might possibly
have managed it between midnight and sunrise. Of
course, that rather contradicts the "for he alone knew
it" part.

***

Then I agree with Katy. She wrote: "...this athletic
priest chose to rebury the box of corpses under a
stone staircase -- leading to the Chapel of St John in

the White Tower -- that was in daily use at the time.
And he did it during one night, not leaving a trace of
his work.

If he accomplished all that without detection, he
performed a miracle that should have qualified him for
sainthood, himself."

***

Brakenbury's priest (or was it More?) seems to have
performed another miracle: Somehow he's blinded most
people to the absurdity of the claim that one
man--whose normal job description doesn't involve
manual labor--unburied and reburied two corpses
undetected in one of London's most heavily guarded
buildings.

I can't remember reading any questions about this
priest's ability to do all that digging, lifting,
carrying, and reburying alone. Maybe I haven't found
the right books or articles yet.

So far Ed's estimates are the most complete and
convincing I've read on the liklihood that
Brakenbury's priest could have done what More claimed
he did.

Is it really possible that no one in 523 years has
questioned More's claims for Brakenbury's priest in
print?

Is it really possible that Ed's estimates are the only
ones that have been done in 523 years?

If they have been done, can anyone tell me how to find
them?

TIA!


Marion










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