Particle.news
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Medieval Study Identifies Noblewoman as Architect of 1337 London Priest’s Murder

Cambridge criminologist Manuel Eisner used newly analyzed church archives to argue that Ela FitzPayne ordered the ambush as revenge for Forde exposing her affair

Image
The murder of John Forde was the culmination to years of political, social, and criminal intrigue.
Image
Image

Overview

  • On May 3, 1337, priest John Forde was ambushed and killed on Westcheap by assailants who slit his throat and stabbed him in broad daylight
  • Eisner’s Medieval Murder Maps project draws on coroners’ rolls and church records to link the attack to Ela FitzPayne’s quest for vengeance after a public sex scandal
  • FitzPayne had been excommunicated in 1332 by Archbishop Simon Mepham over alleged affairs that included Forde and defiantly refused years of prescribed penance
  • Despite jurors naming FitzPayne’s brother and household servants as perpetrators, only one servant was ever convicted and FitzPayne escaped any punishment
  • The research underscores that 14th-century homicide rates in cities like London far exceeded modern levels and were unexpectedly highest in affluent districts