This
is the story of an amazing discovery of relics from the tomb of Tutankhamun
by a member of our Jones family. Lesley Ann Jones journalist, who is a fourth
great granddaughter of Morgan Jones wrote an article which appeared in 'The
Mail on Sunday' dated March 26, 2000. This is the story based around the
article. As Lesley-Ann's in laws Ursula and Michael Shine prepared to leave
the Surrey home they had lived in for many years, they discovered two cognac
boxes in a Sainsbury's carrier bag at the back of a wardrobe. Michael Shine
joked about them being the family jewels. Inside the boxes were a collection
of Petri dishes containing a selection of textile fragments, seeds, palm
nuts and other biological samples. All the items were neatly labelled as
having originated from the burial chamber of Tutankhamun at the time of
its discovery. How then, had they lain undisturbed for nearly half a century
in Surrey? The answer is the friendship between two remarkable men by the name of Henry James Bunker, a microbiologist and chemist Alfred Lucas. Henry Bunker was the grandfather of Lesley-Ann's husband Gerard Shine. Alfred Lucas had been Howard Carter's right-hand man when the tomb of Tutamkhamun was opened for the first time in 3,000 years. A Government chemist, Lucas assisted Carter with conservation and scientific examinations of Tutankhamun's tomb. What then was the link between Henry Bunker and Alfred Lucas? How did Bunker own a selection of items from Tutankhamun's tomb? How did the two men meet? It would appear that swabs taken from the tomb were sent back to England to verify its 3,000 year old sterility. The microbioligist who carried out the tests on these swabs was none other than Henry James Bunker.
A visit to the British Museum proved to be a breakthrough. Excited by the relics, they were verified by the Assistant Keeper of Egyptology Jeffrey Spencer. He declared them to be 'the most important collection ever to have been brought to us from the tomb of Tutankhamun by a private individual. British Museum staff begged Lesley-Ann and Gerard to leave the relics with them for further tests to be carried out. They were also advised to present the relics for academic valuation. To insure the items would be impossible, and , early valuations of the items suggest that they are priceless. Hence they are now locked away in the depths of a bank vault. Christine Insley-Green, an archaeologist and antiquities expert with Christies held the objects in her hands and, with tears in her eyes said, 'You have no idea how this feels to an Egyptologist, to actually hold objects from the tomb of Tutankhamen.' Lesley-Ann has had the go-ahead to begin research into a book revealing the true story behind the remarkable friendship between Alfred Lucas and Henry Bunker. However, she has fell victim to the legendary Pharaoh's Curse. Having learned that the private papers of Alfred Lucas are held at the Griffith Institute, Oxford, she discovered that rebuilding work which is in progress meant that the entire archive is in storage until Easter 2001. There is no possibility of access for another year or more. So near, yet so far: the full story remains on hold. After 3,000 years another 12 months doesn't seem to bad though.
Lesley Ann is a journalist and author of numerous books:
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