Thomas Becket: Deciphering these medieval pilgrim badges

A St Thomas Becket pilgrim badge.

From his birth off Cheapside in 1120 to his dramatic death at the hands of King Henry II’s knights 50 years later, Thomas Becket’s life was an extraordinary one, deeply intertwined with London’s story.

After beginning his career as a clerk in the household of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, “Thomas of London” rose dramatically to become first Chancellor and close friend to Henry II, serving the king as diplomat, statesman and solider. But after Thomas’ elevation to become Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, the two men argued over the rights of the Crown and the Church. This bitter struggle for authority and power was to lead to the death of Thomas, and his veneration as a holy martyr and, soon after, a saint.

London Museum has a large collection of souvenir pilgrim badges relating to St Thomas and his commemoration during the medieval period. These badges were produced in Canterbury and possibly also in London, to celebrate the saint.

Here, we explore some of the objects relating to St Thomas, offering the chance to take a closer look at the tiny details which can be difficult to see with the naked eye. Swipe through each gallery to look at the specific details.

Murder Scene Pilgrim Badge

A badge depicting the murder of Thomas Becket. Go to the next image to unravel the details.
The murderous knights: There were originally four knights attacking St Thomas, but the head of one of the knights is missing from this badge. They attack the saint as he kneels at the altar.
Looking closely, you can see the knights are dressed in chainmail. Two have their heads covered by their helmets whereas the figure on the left, holding a sword, shows an expressive face.
Sir Reginald FitzUrse's shield: One of the knights, Sir Reginald FitzUrse, can be recognised through the design of his shield showing two bears’ heads. Puns were popular in the medieval period and the bears were a play on the surname FitzUrse, which in Latin meant bear (ursus). In Edward Grim’s account of Thomas’ murder, Reginald was the first knight to strike.
Edward Grim, eyewitness to Becket's murder: Edward, who was a monk at Canterbury, is also on the badge, shown above the altar. Edward’s own arm was injured trying to fend off FitzUrse’ blow.
Line from moulding process: There is line running across the badge – along the top of the knights, to St Thomas’ head – which points to a crack in the mould when the badge was made.

The scene of Thomas’ martyrdom is one of the most popular images of the saint, found in art and sculpture across Europe. Many pilgrim badges have been found depicting the scene to commemorate St Thomas. The inscription at the bottom of the badge identifies the saint as ‘Thomas Martyr’ (THOMAS MA).

Thomas’ murder in Canterbury Cathedral caused an international sensation, in part because of its sacrilegious nature, spilling blood in a church. Miracles were reported and attributed to Thomas soon after his death and the shattered piece of sword, and a piece of his skull were kept and became popular relics. Thomas Becket was canonised in 1173 and the next year Henry II made a pilgrimage to his tomb at Canterbury as a sign of contrition for his part in Thomas’ murder.

Canterbury Shrine Pilgrim Badge

Pilgrim badge from the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Go to the next image to unravel the details.
In the middle of the shrine, St Thomas is shown lying dressed in the Archbishop’s robes with his hands joined in prayer. This is an artistic representation to indicate that the saint was buried within the tomb itself. It is possible to see the decoration on his mitre (a bishop’s headdress).
Reliquary box: Next to the figure of St Thomas is a gabled reliquary box that held Becket’s bones. The box is covered in jewels.
If you look closely, you will be able to see a tiny figure on the reliquary. The figure points to a large ruby, which later writers suggest was given by King Louis VII of France in 1179. Some claimed that the ruby, known as the ‘Regale of France’ was the size of a thumbnail, others the size of a hen’s egg. The setting must have made it difficult to estimate its actual size.
Decoration to the left of the shrine of St Thomas: On the left of St Thomas you can see the canopied niches of the shrine, which were used by the devout for prayer. The tomb was also been embellished with carved and pierced tracery, through which pilgrims inserted votive offerings. Some even attempted to reach inside to touch or kiss the tomb, and one of the miracles attributed to Thomas was that a fully grown man was able to get into the tomb through one of these small openings. Afterwards, not even a child was able to replicate the action.
Ships surmounting the reliquary: These ships were gifted to the cathedral by King Edward I in 1285, along with other figurines and jewels to decorate the shrine, which came to a total cost of £347 1s 1 ½d.

This intricate open-work pilgrim badge depicts the shrine of St Thomas at Canterbury Cathedral. A digital interpretation of the shrine was done by the Centre for Christianity and Culture based in York in 2020. The shrine was built in 1220 and the design changed in the 14th century.

St Thomas’ fame and renown as a saint quickly spread across Europe and he was credited for countless and varied miracles. Canterbury Cathedral similarly became an international pilgrimage site. St Thomas’ tomb drew a significant number of pilgrims from London where he was considered particularly important and London itself, with the site of St Thomas’ birth, may have been an important part of the pilgrimage route.

Ampullae of Canterbury Water

Ampulla from the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Go to the next image to unravel the details.
Inscription on ampulla band: The inscription on the band of this ampulla includes part of the phrase ‘Thomas is the best doctor for the worthy sick’ (OMPVSA OPTM[VS EG]RORVM MEDICVS FIT). Ampullae such as this were very popular in London, brought by pilgrims returning from Canterbury, and many have been found on the Thames foreshore. Such ampullae may have been hung around the neck and the band would have prevented the vessel from twisting around.
Face of St Thomas: The front of the ampulla depicts St Thomas, again in his bishop’s robes and mitre. You can see in this image the figure of Thomas is given a prominent nose. He would have originally been holding a crozier, a bishop’s staff, however, this has since broken off.
Reverse – scene of martyrdom: What can you see of the martyrdom scene on the reverse side? The image has been partially worn away. Many other badges and ampullae also show signs of constant wear and handling. This is evidence of the personal value given to these objects.
Crushing marks at top of the ampulla: In addition to wearing, many surviving examples have been crushed. It is not always clear if this happened before or after they were discarded. This ampulla, now somewhat flattened, would originally have had a wider profile. If you look closely at the top of the ampullae, jagged pincer marks are visible. This process would have sealed the vessel after Canterbury Water had been added.

A distinctive feature of the cult of St Thomas was his association with ‘Canterbury Water’. After his death, miraculous cures were attributed to St Thomas’s blood. Drops of the blood saved after his death were added to water and blessed. This could be distributed to pilgrims who carried the water home in ampullae such as this one.

The seal of approval: St Thomas as patron saint of London

Seal matrix for the City of London. Go to the next image to unravel the details.
On the left is the image of St Paul, one of the patron saints of the City of London, holding a sword. And on the right is St Thomas, the second patron saint in archbishops’ robes, holding a cross.
Two serjeants-at-arms – a ceremonial officer of the City of London. You can identify them by the staffs they are holding.
Virgin Mary and the Christ Child flanked by angels.

In the late twelfth century St Thomas was adopted as one of the patron saints of London, along with St Paul. They are both depicted in this 1381 matrix for a new seal for the Mayor of London. The inscription around the side reads ‘seal of the mayoralty of the city of London’ (sigill: maioratus: civitatis: london). The position of London mayor was closely linked with St Thomas during the later medieval period. By the 15th century the newly elected mayor would take part in a procession from the site of St Thomas’ birth at Cheapside to St Pauls and back, donating a penny to the Hospital that stood on the site.

Kirstin Barnard (@KirstinBarnard) is a PhD candidate in the History Department at the University of York.