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Oxford's Chilling Tradition: Wine Chalice from Slave's Skull

4/22/2025

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Summary

Story summary

At Worcester College, Oxford, a chilling tradition persisted until 2015: academics sipped from a wine chalice crafted from a human skull, believed to belong to a 19th-century female slave. Professor Dan Hicks, in his book "Every Monument Will Fall," sheds light on this unsettling history, which finally ceased in 2019 amid growing guest unease.

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Story summary

At Worcester College, Oxford, a chilling tradition persisted until 2015: academics sipped from a wine chalice crafted from a human skull, believed to belong to a 19th-century female slave. Professor Dan Hicks, in his book "Every Monument Will Fall," sheds light on this unsettling history, which finally ceased in 2019 amid growing guest unease.