Michael Jecks
The Prophecy of Death
Glossary
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.
Cast of Characters
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.
Prologue
Saturday following Maria Visitatio, beginning of the reign of King Edward II1
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.