The quickest ever Holy Crusade was over in 2 hours and 13
minutes on the 20th March 1853, when Edward Denison, the Bishop of
Salisbury, declared that a crusade would be organised to recover the Cap of
Alginon, a holy relic that was under his possession. He declared that the cap
had disappeared, and had been, “spirited away by agents of Beelzebub, probably
from Switzerland,” but after preparations had begun, it was discovered that one
of his maids had accidentally knocked the cap behind the Bishop’s drinks
cabinet.
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| This image of the parchment of Lower Divebeny, produced by a verger of Bishop Denison's parish to commemorate the "Crusade of the Cap", as it became known in satirical magazines of the time. The Unicorn is sad to represent the Bishop, the Dragon to represent a "Swiss Demon", and the unidentified creature (possibly a hyena), pictured at the bottom is said to represent an angel, leading the unicorn to the drinks cabinet and the hidden cap. Picture by grongar. |
©2012 James Mathurin
