05th December 2024

Medieval murder in Micklegate

 

Simon Batchelor highlights a fascinating new resource opening a tiny window on life in medieval York

A brilliant new online medieval murder map has been produced by The University of Cambridge, using York Coroner’s Rolls. You can find it at https://medievalmurdermap.co.uk, together with similar maps of London and Oxford.

In the 14th century York was the second most populated and the second richest city in England, after London. An administrative and judicial centre, it served as the nation’s capital during the wars with Scotland, with three kings using it as a military base. After the Black Death, the city flourished, thanks to immigration, international trade, and the booming domestic textile industry.

The new map details 129 ‘murder’ enquiries conducted by the York Coroners, for the years 1345-1385. In the medieval period it was necessary to establish the nature of a killing, the duty of the coroner. He would empower a jury and together they would determine whether the killing was a matter of self-defence, manslaughter (a heat of the moment act which may have resulted in the fatality of the victim) or murder (a premeditated act).

The York coroners’ rolls tend to be more formulaic that other cities. Nevertheless, they provide insights into the homicide suspects and victims, including sex, number of perpetrators, the weapons used, and the days of the week and parts of the city where violence occurred.

Micklegate for example features in nine such investigations recorded here. To take an example:

Tuesday: The Feast of St. Mark (21st May) 1374:

A quarrel between Robert Dart, servant of Robert de Cristdendome a bower [a bow maker], and Thomas de Bedale, glover.

The Jury reports that Thomas struck Robert about the head with a baslard (a dagger with a blade around 30-50 cm) causing Robert to fall to the ground. Robert got up and, in defence and salvation of his life, drew his knife. Robert struck Thomas in the left part of the head killing him outright. Robert fled the scene. The knife is valued at one penny, Robert had no possessions.

In this case Robert would have been found innocent of murder on grounds of self defence as he struck Thomas ‘in defence and salvation of his life’. The Jurors would have valued the weapon used in order to levy the fine to the Crown, or the Deodand as it was called. In medieval law the object which caused the death was surprisingly as guilty as its owner and as such had to pay a fine equivalent to its value. This is also why the Jury is concerned with Robert’s possessions, as his goods and chattels would be seized in order to prevent him from escaping justice.

There is even a button to press where you can hear a description of what happened in each case.  To find out details of other cases visit https://medievalmurdermap.co.uk