Night took hold over the neighbourhood near the Tower of London as the Thames lapped gently onto the gravelly shore. It was 26 October 1276, a Sunday, and the Curfew Bell had rung, signalling for residents to return to the safety of their homes for the evening. But as the last few candles were extinguished in the huddle of thatched houses in this historic part of London, a scuffle, a round of loud voices and a shriek pierced the calm of the darkness.
On Saturday 1st November the local Chamberlain and Sheriffs began their enquiries into the discovery of a dead body lying in the house of Roger le Chaloner in Mark Lane, a few minutes' walk from the looming pale turrets of the Tower. Calling in other local officials to investigate, they spoke to neighbours and began to piece together what had happened.
After the ringing of the curfew bell, a man named Richard Moys was walking along the highway and came to the door of John le Chaloner near Fenchurch Street. John seems to have leased out the property, which at that time lodged Robert de Munceny and Arnulph his son, along with other members of their household. Richard tried to enter, making a noise and creating a disturbance. He was asked by Robert to 'cease making this noise, and go away', but refused. Again, after some more shouting from Richard Moys, Robert and his household told him a second time to go away, but he still continued. The dispute then spilled out into the street, with Robert, Arnulph and others deciding to send Richard away with force. The record in the Coroner's Roll of that year lists 'John de Munceny, son of Robert, John Fauntilun, Robert de la Rokele, Henry de Ginges, John Curtoys, John de Hakone, John le Wyte, Hugh de Hoddone, Hachard de Garbodesham, and Robert de le Lo', who approached Richard with 'swords, and some with other arms'. Robert, the householder, stood at his door, while Richard, suddenly panicked, fled to the house of a neighbour named Alice.
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| The White Tower of the Tower of London, close to the events of October 1276 |
As Richard Moys burst in through the open wooden door, with the armed rabble following close behind, he disturbed a group of people drinking, all seated. Attempting to hide from Roger's men, Richard 'concealed himself between two wooden vessels', in the room of the house. One of the drinkers, called Richard de Parys, stood up and confronted Arnulph at the door, asking 'who are these people'? It was now that Arnulph turned violent, and lashed out at Richard de Parys 'with his drawn sword', with de Parys 'already stupefied as he was at the sight of the sword'. The statement of the report continues to describe how Arnulph ran into the house, wounding de Parys in the 'back, between the ribs of the body, two inches in breadth, and penetrating to the intestines'. This was clearly a deliberate and forceful blow, intended to seriously immobilise de Parys, who had only, according to the surviving evidence, entered the dispute to settle it down. De Parys also received another small wound 'under the left breast'.
Arnulph and the other men fled the scene and returned to their lodgings, while Hachard de Gobodesham and Arnulph's brother John de Munceny ran away from the area.
Richard de Parys was nursed by his neighbours and friends, but died from his injuries the following Thursday. Arnulph and the remaining men were questioned and imprisoned, although all their accounts agreed that Arnulph was the only one that attacked Richard de Parys on that chaotic and fateful night.
The causes of the disagreement were not recorded in the Coroner's report. The Muncenys' running after Richard Moys into the street with weapons, and his loud banging on their door suggests that the two parties were known to one another and had perhaps a business or personal dispute that Richard had tried to tackle after dark. Robert Munceny was noted to have had items of some value, including six horses, three beds, a falcon and three greyhounds which were all assessed at twenty marks. In any case, it was a man apparently unconnected to the two parties who was mortally wounded in the course of that evening and later lost his life.
Like this? You might also like: The Medieval and Tudor Archers of Finsbury, London; The Medieval Brothels of Southwark in London and Moll King, Notorious Businesswoman of Georgian London.
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Source:
Coroner's Roll of Our Lord the King, 1276 in Memorials of London and London Life, in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. 1276-1419. Henry Thomas Riley. Longmans Green and Co., London. 1868.
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