A new book has revealed that Oxford University academics used a chalice made from a human skull—potentially belonging to an enslaved Caribbean woman—at formal dinners until as recently as 2015. The chalice, which featured a sawn-off skull with a silver rim and stand, was used for decades in the senior common room at Worcester College, according to Professor Dan Hicks, curator of world archaeology at the university’s Pitt Rivers Museum.
The item’s “shameful history” is detailed in Hicks’ forthcoming book Every Monument Will Fall, which explores colonial legacies and the theft of human remains. The chalice was eventually repurposed to hold chocolates after it began leaking, Hicks said.
Worcester College phased out its use after growing concerns from faculty and guests, and in 2019, the college invited Professor Hicks to investigate its origins. While the exact identity of the skull’s owner remains unknown, carbon dating suggests the skull is around 225 years old, likely originating from the Caribbean. Based on circumstantial evidence, Hicks speculates it may have belonged to an enslaved woman, though Worcester College insists that this claim cannot be substantiated.
The skull, which was transformed into a chalice in 1838—the year of Queen Victoria’s coronation and the emancipation of enslaved people in British colonies—was sold at auction in 1884 by Bernhard Smith, an Oxford graduate. Smith’s father had served in the Caribbean during the time of the abolition of the slave trade. The chalice was purchased by Augustus Pitt Rivers, the founder of the Oxford museum bearing his name. The object was later donated to the university in 1946 by Pitt Rivers’ grandson, George Pitt-Rivers, a controversial figure linked to British fascism.
Hicks has argued that the chalice’s existence raises broader questions about the display and ownership of human and ancestral remains in museums and universities. He is backing calls from MPs to ban the sale and display of such remains.
An Oxford spokesperson confirmed that the chalice was removed from display in 2015 and stored in the college archives. The university’s response emphasized that DNA testing failed to determine the skull’s origins, and the suggestion that it belonged to an enslaved woman was unfounded. However, the university insisted that the issue was addressed with “ethical and thoughtful” consideration.
