Michael Jecks: The Prophecy of Death

Assart

A clearing in a forest, in which a farmer had created arable land by cutting down trees and grubbing up the roots.

Bellatores

Medieval society thought itself composed of three groups: religious, who prayed for men’s souls, peasants, who gave their labour to provide food and clothing, and the warrior class, the bellatores , who maintained order.

Buttery

King’s office which was responsible for ales, wines and other stores.

Castellan

The man in charge of a castle.

Cokinus

Literally, ‘Cook’, but was used as the term for messengers who went about on foot rather than on horseback — and older term, used before ‘Cursor’ came into vogue.

Cursores

Late in King Edward I’s time, this term began to replace the older ‘Cokinus’.

Fewterer

The officer who had responsibility for the packs of hunting dogs.

Frater

This was the room in which the monks would eat.

Host

The King’s army. Army was a new term to the later fourteenth century.

League

An ancient measure of distance, roughly equivalent to three miles (although no medieval measures were standardised across the country!).

Lords Marcher

Also known as Marcher Lords, were the knights and barons who owned estates on, or near to, the ‘marches’.

March

The lands along the Welsh and Scottish borders. They had their own customs and laws which gave great independence to the Lords who owned them, mainly because they were almost permanently in a state of war — especially on the Scottish March.

Marshal

The man in charge of the ‘Marshalsea’.

Marshalsea

The stables, and those who worked in them.

Murdrum Fine

‘Murder’ was so termed because of this fine. In short, after the Norman invasion, the rebellions against the invaders were so regular, that unless a corpse could be proved to be that of an Englishman, by men coming forward to assert the dead man’s ‘Englishry’, the body was assumed to be that of a Norman. The death of such a man meant heavy fines to be imposed on the vill where he was found — the ‘murdrum’ fines.

Nuncius

A messenger on horseback.

Palfrey

These were better quality horses for riding.

Porters

The men who were responsible for the gates to cities, or to castles or halls.

Rache

A specific form of hunting dog which was used to hunt by scent rather than others, like greyhounds, which depended upon sight.

Reredorter

A toilet that was at the back of the dormitory in a monastery.

Rounsey

A general, average quality horse used for riding, carrying goods etc, but not for pulling carts.

Sewer

The attendant on a lord who would serve his master, and who would see to the setting of the table, as well as tasting the King’s food in a royal household.

Sumpter

Packhorse.

Tranter

A wandering salesman of various essentials.

Sir Baldwin de Furnshill

Keeper of the King’s Peace in Crediton, and recently made Member of Parliament, he is known to be an astute man and shrewd investigator. From his past as a Knight Templar, he has a deep hatred of injustice or persecution.

Jeanne

Baldwin’s wife, Jeanne is mother to his two children.

Simon Puttock

Baldwin’s friend for many years, Simon was a bailiff to the stannaries at Lydford, where he gained a reputation for honesty and fairness.

Margaret

Simon’s wife.

Edith

Simon and Margaret’s daughter.

King Edward II

the feckless king of England, Edward has gone down in history as one of our most brutal, sly, and devious kings. His reign is noted for the disasters, natural and otherwise, which dogged his rule.

Isabella

Edward II’s queen, Isabella was the daughter of King Philip the Fair of France, and was thus the sister to the current ruler, King Charles IV.

Sir Hugh le Despenser

probably one of the most unsavoury characters ever to gain influence at an English court, Hugh Despenser the younger was noted for his avarice, his cruelty, and his ruthlessness in the pursuit of his own personal ambitions.

Edward of Windsor

the son of King Edward and also called the Earl of Chester, the Earl was never officially made a Prince. He would later become King Edward III — one of England’s most successful monarchs.

André

mercenary and guard to the Bishop of Orange.

William Ayrminne

a canon, Ayrminne is a close ally to the queen.

Sir John of Bakewell

one of many knights serving King Edward II at his coronation.

Thomas of Bakewell

the brother of John, and later a king’s messenger.

Matthew atte Brook

the owner of an assart in Ashdown Forest, near Crowborough.

Agnes atte Brook

wife to Matthew.

Richard of Bury

a royal clerk who was based in Chester, in 1324 Bury became tutor to Earl Edward.

Henry of Eastry

the Prior of Christ Church Priory, Canterbury.

Mark of Faversham

steward and bailiff to Prior Henry.

Brother Gilbert

a monk at Canterbury.

John

son of Peter, John is a strong fighter too.

Joseph of Faversham

a King’s messenger.

Jack of Oxford

one of the guards of the Bishop of Orange.

Hal

assistant to Mark of Faversham at Christ Church Priory.

Bishop of Orange

one of the Pope’s trusted emissaries, Orange is attempting to bring peace between France and England.

Peter

one of the men-at-arms in Canterbury under the castellan, Peter is a ruthless fighter.

Pons

a friend of André’s and guard to the Bishop of Orange.

Walter Stapledon

the Bishop of Exeter is a wily politician. Twice the Lord High Treasurer, he is known to be a loyal servant to the crown — and deeply suspicious of the queen.

Sir Robert of Westerham

the King’s Coroner at Canterbury.

Nicholas of Wisbech

a Dominican sent by the King to negotiate with the Pope.

Richard de Yatton

Herald to the King, Richard is a trusted messenger.

Saturday following Maria Visitatio, beginning of the reign of King Edward II 1

Westminster Abbey

Within his burnished steel shell the knight looked utterly impregnable, standing close to the place where he was about to die.

To the boys all about he was a giant . Tom could see that. Massive, with all his limbs looking larger than natural, larger than life. It made his heart swell to see John, his brother, looking like that. He couldn’t keep his feet still. His toes were tapping a staccato rhythm as he stood, waiting with all the rest.

This was the most exciting day of his life ! All his life, he’d lived under the reign of the old King, Edward, but now for the first time in many years, five-and-thirty, some said, there was going to be a coronation again! Everyone was thrilled by the idea. All the apprentices were here, most of them drunk as usual; they hadn’t the decorum of a bitch on heat, most of them. They were contemptible. But there were also all the rich ladies and their squires. He could see some merchants from the City over there, where the main gate to the abbey lay, and nearer were some Aldermen. Everybody had come here to witness the great event.