Oxford’s Decades-Long Use of Skull Chalice Unveils Colonial Legacy

 Oxford, April 22, 2025 – A forthcoming book by Prof. Dan Hicks, curator of world archaeology at the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum, has brought to light a disturbing chapter of colonial history: the use of a chalice crafted from a human skull at formal dinners at Worcester College, Oxford, until 2015. Titled Every Monument Will Fall, the publication explores the violent legacy of looted human remains, revealing that this skull-cup—fashioned from a sawn-off and polished braincase, adorned with a silver rim and stand—was a regular feature of senior common room gatherings, occasionally repurposed to serve chocolates when it began leaking wine.

Prof. Hicks, who investigated the artifact’s origins at the college’s request in 2019, described the practice as a “sick variety of tableware,” noting that growing unease among fellows and guests eventually halted the ritual. The chalice, donated to Worcester College in 1946 by former student George Pitt-Rivers—a eugenicist interned during World War II for supporting fascist leader Oswald Mosley—traces its lineage to the private collection of his grandfather, Victorian soldier and archaeologist Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, founder of the Pitt Rivers Museum.

Historical Context and Origins

The skull, carbon-dated to approximately 225 years old, lacks definitive records of its original owner, though its size and circumstantial evidence suggest it may have belonged to an enslaved woman from the Caribbean. Augustus Pitt-Rivers acquired it at a Sotheby’s auction in 1884, the same year he established the museum, with the listing noting a wooden stand inlaid with a Queen Victoria shilling. Silver hallmarks indicate the chalice was crafted in 1838, the year of her coronation, and was likely gifted to Bernhard Smith, an Oriel College graduate and lawyer who collected weaponry, by his father, a Royal Navy officer stationed in the Caribbean.

Prof. Hicks argues that debates on colonialism often center on the glorification of figures like Cecil Rhodes or Edward Colston through statues and institutions, while the identities of their victims are erased due to racist notions of British cultural and white supremacy. “The dehumanisation and destruction of identities was part of the violence,” he stated, emphasizing the chalice’s role as a symbol of this legacy.

Ethical Response and Broader Implications

The revelation has sparked outrage, with Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Afrikan reparations, condemning the practice as “sickening.” She highlighted the irony of Oxford dons, beneficiaries of colonial wealth, using a skull—potentially from an enslaved individual—as a drinking vessel, its value reduced to a mere object.

A Worcester College spokesperson acknowledged the chalice’s 20th-century display and limited use as tableware, noting that its public presence diminished after 2011 and ceased entirely a decade ago. Following scientific and legal consultations, the college’s governing body opted to store the artifact respectfully in its archive, denying permanent access. The spokesperson emphasized that, as Prof. Hicks acknowledges in his book, the institution has addressed the matter with ethical consideration.

The book further details other instances of looted skulls, such as that of a Zulu commander exhumed by Field Marshal Lord Grenfell two years after the 1879 Battle of Ulundi, displayed in Victorian homes or donated to museums. This case underscores the ongoing need to confront the colonial past embedded in cultural artifacts, prompting a reevaluation of how such items are preserved and interpreted.