Once a Week (magazine)/Series 1/Volume 5/Relics of Byron

Relics of Byron.—We hear that the widow of Col. Wildman, the late owner of Newstead Abbey, has signified her intention of securing to that estate in perpetuity by deed of gift two well-known treasures whose associations are inseparably connected with the name of Lord Byron; the monk’s skull cup, and the ancient communion service of the abbey. The former is the well known skull cup, made out of the cranium of a monk whose remains were discovered by Lord Byron soon after coming into possession; the stone coffin which contained them is still to be seen in the cloisters at Newstead. The poet composed some Bacchanalian verses, which are engraved on the silver stem in which the cup is mounted: the lines are to be found in any edition of his works. The communion service is of gold, and the workmanship in excellent taste; it is a fine specimen of antique art, and is held in high veneration by the good people of Newstead and its neighbourhood.