Some Pretty Mysterious Medieval London Murders…

Medieval Madness

01-05-2023 • 11 mins

When a Medieval death occurred in England an official appointed by the crown and known as the Coroner was responsible for finding out what had happened. By the 13th century there were four coroners in every county. Each one of them had a deputy who would sometimes hold an inquest. Their duties extended to a range of criminal matters, not just a violent or sudden death, but if that was thought to be the case, then the Coroner and the Sheriff would swear in a jury of local men to investigate how the victim had died. These investigations were chronicled in the ‘Coroners’ Rolls’. For the Medievals carrying weapons was part of daily life, male honour had to be safeguarded at all costs and arguments could very quickly get out of hand. Many of these records from the Coroners’ Rolls in London during the late 13th and 14th centuries have survived. Let’s go back in time and have a look at some of the cases from “the capital of the Kingdom of England”, which the cleric William fitz Stephen described as “one of the most renowned, [cities], possessing above others, abundant wealth, extensive commerce, great grandeur, and significance”. Welcome to Medieval Madness.