The Poisoned Chalice Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  By Bernard Knight

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Author’s note

  Acknowledgements

  Epigraph

  Maps

  Glossary

  Prologue

  Chapter One: In which Crowner John attends a shipwreck

  Chapter Two: In which Crowner John finds three corpses

  Chapter Three: In which Crowner John hears of a ravishment

  Chapter Four: In which the crowner meets a nun and an angry man

  Chapter Five: In which Crowner John holds an inquest at Torbay

  Chapter Six: In which Crowner John disputes with the sheriff

  Chapter Seven: In which Crowner John is summoned to a corpse

  Chapter Eight: In which Crowner John again meets Dame Madge

  Chapter Nine: In which Crowner John meets an old crone

  Chapter Ten: In which Crowner John defends a silversmith

  Chapter Eleven: In which Crowner John meets an Archbishop

  Chapter Twelve: In which Crowner John is called out of a banquet

  Chapter Thirteen: In which Crowner John meets the Chief Justiciar

  Chapter Fourteen: In which Crowner John interviews an apothecary

  Chapter Fifteen: In which Crowner John hears a confession

  Chapter Sixteen: In which Crowner John unsheaths his sword

  Chapter Seventeen: In which Crowner John takes a dying declaration

  Chapter Eighteen: In which Crowner John examines some wounds

  Chapter Nineteen: In which Crowner John holds another inquest

  Chapter Twenty: In which Crowner John discovers the truth

  Footnotes

  By Bernard Knight

  The Crowner John Series

  CROWNER’S CRUSADE

  THE SANCTUARY SEEKER

  THE POISONED CHALICE

  CROWNER’S QUEST

  THE AWFUL SECRET

  THE TINNER’S CORPSE

  THE GRIM REAPER

  FEAR IN THE FOREST

  THE WITCH HUNTER

  FIGURE OF HATE

  THE ELIXIR OF DEATH

  THE NOBLE OUTLAW

  THE MANOR OF DEATH

  CROWNER ROYAL

  A PLAGUE OF HERETICS

  The Richard Pryor Forensic Mysteries

  WHERE DEATH DELIGHTS

  ACCORDING TO THE EVIDENCE

  GROUNDS FOR APPEAL

  The Tom Howden Mysteries

  DEAD IN THE DOG

  THE POISONED CHALICE

  A Crowner John Mystery

  Bernard Knight

  First published in Great Britain by Pocket Books, 1998

  An imprint of of Simon & Schuster

  A Viacom Company

  This eBook first published in 2014 by Severn House Digital an imprint of Severn House Publishers Ltd.

  Copyright © 1998 Bernard Knight

  The right of Bernard Knight to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  ISBN-13 978-1-4483-0124-9 (ePub)

  Except where actual historical events and characters are being described for the storyline of this novel, all situations in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to living persons is purely coincidental.

  This eBook produced by

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  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which is was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicably copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Author’s note

  Any attempt to give modern English dialogue an ‘olde worlde’ flavour in historical novels is as inaccurate as it is futile. In the time and place of this story, late twelfth-century Devon, most people would have spoken early Middle English, which would be unintelligible to us at the present time. Many others would have spoken western Welsh, later called Cornish and the ruling classes would have spoken Norman-French. The language of the Church and virtually all official writing was Latin.

  At this period, the legal system for the punishment of crime was in a state of flux, as because of the financial benefits for the King’s treasury, the royal courts were competing with the old-established local courts. The legal reforms of Henry II (‘Henry the Lawgiver’) deteriorated under his sons Richard the Lionheart and John – in fact, the Magna Carta, a decade after our story, was in part intended to prevent abuses of the legal system.

  Acknowledgements

  The author would like to thank the following for historical advice, though reserving the blame for any misapprehension about the complexities of life and law in twelfth century Devon: Mrs Angela Doughty, Exeter Cathedral Archivist; the staff of Devon Record Office and of Exeter Central Library; Mr Stuart Blaylock, Exeter Archaeology; Rev Canon Mawson, Exeter Cathedral; Mr Thomas Watkin, Cardiff Law School, University of Wales; Professor Nicholas Orme, University of Exeter; and to Clare Ledingham, Editorial Director of Simon & Schuster, and Gillian Holmes for their unfailing interest and support.

  ‘This even-handed justice commends the ingredients of the poisoned chalice to our own lips’

  MACBETH, Act I, scene VII

  Glossary

  ALB

  A long garment, often elaborately embroidered, worn by priests under a shorter garment called the chasuble, q.v.

  AMERCEMENT

  The imposition of a fine for some breach of the law. The coroner would record the amercement, but usually it was not collected until after a decision by the visiting judges.

  APPEAL

  Unlike the modern legal meaning, an appeal was an accusation by an aggrieved person, usually a close relative, against another for a felonious crime. Historically, it preceded (and competed with) the Crown’s right to prosecute and demanded either financial compensation or trial by combat or the Ordeal.

  ARCHDEACON

  A senior priest, assistant to the Bishop. There were three in the diocese of Devon and Cornwall, one responsible for Exeter.

  ASSART

  A new piece of arable land, cut from the forest to enlarge the cultivated area of a village.

  AVENTAIL

  A chainmail neck-covering, similar to a balaclava, attached to the edge of the helmet and tucked into the top of the hauberk.

  BAILIFF

  Overseer of a manor or estate, directing the farming and other work. He would have manor-reeves under him and in turn be responsible either to his lord or the steward or seneschal.

  BALDRIC

  A diagonal strap over the right shoulder of a Norman soldier to suspend his sword scabbard on the left hip.

  BARBETTE

  A fabric band over the head and under the chin, as part of a lady’s attire.

  BURGAGE

  A house in a town, occupied by a burgess.

  BURGESS

  A freeman of substance in a town or borough, usually a merchant. A group of burgesses ran the town administration and elected two portreeves (later a mayor) as their leaders.

  CANON

  A priestly member of the chapter of a cathedral, also called a prebendary, as they derived an income from their prebend, a grant of land or pension. Exeter had twenty-four canons, most of whom lived near the cathedral. Many employed junior priests (vicars) to carry out their duties for them.

  CHAPTER

  The administrative body of a cathedral, composed of the canons (prebendaries) and the senior clergy. They met in the Chapter House, usually attached to the cathedral, so-called because a chapter of the gospels was read before each meeting.

  CHASUBLE

  A thigh-length garment, usually embroidered, with wide sleeves, worn by priests.

  CONSTABLE

  Has several meanings, but here refers to a senior military commander, often the custodian of a castle, otherwise called a castellan.

  CORONER

  Senior law officer in a county, second only to the sheriff. First appointed in September 1194, though there are a few mentions of coroners in earlier times. The name comes from the Latin CUSTOS PLACITORUM CORONAE, meaning ‘Keeper of the Pleas of the Crown’, as he recorded all serious crimes and legal events for the King’s judges.

  COVER-CHIEF

  More correctly ‘couvre-chef’, a linen veil worn by women, held in place by a band or circlet around the forehead and hanging down over the back and bosom.

  CRESPINES

  Gilt nets on either side of the head, to hold hair.

  CROFT

  A small area of land around a village house (toft) for vegetables, a few livestock, used by the occupant (cottar) who was either a freeman or a bondsman (villein or serf).

  CUIRASS

  A breastplate or short tunic, originally of leather but later of metal, to protect the chest in combat.

  EYRE

  A sitting of the royal judges, introduced by Henry II in 1166, which moved around the countries in circuits. There were two types, the ‘Justices in Eyre’, the forerunner of the Assizes which was supposed to visit frequently to tr
y cases – and the General Eyre, which arrived at long intervals to check on the administration of each county.

  FIRST FINDER

  The first person to discover a corpse or witness a crime, had to rouse the four nearest households and give chase. Failure to do so would result in an amercement (fine).

  GORGET

  Similar to a wimple, a band worn under a veil or hood, passing beneath the chin and up to the temples: may also be a wide necklace, originating from armour.

  HAUBERK

  A chainmail tunic with long sleeves to protect the wearer from neck to knee.

  HEAD-RAIL

  Female head-covering, similar to cover-chief (q.v.).

  HIDE

  A measure of land, not always constant in different parts of the country, but usually between 30 and 80 acres. A hide was divided into four virgates.

  HUE AND CRY

  When a crime was witnessed or discovered, the First Finder (q.v.) had to knock up the nearest four households and if possible give chase to the suspect.

  HUNDRED

  A sub-division of a county, originally named from a hundred hides of land or a hundred families.

  JURY

  Unlike modern juries, the medieval jury were witnesses, local people who were obliged to gather to tell what they knew of a crime or dispute and to come to a decision on the verdict. The coroner’s jury was supposed to comprise all the males over twelve years old from the four nearest villages, though this was often a practical impossibility.

  KIRTLE

  A woman’s dress, worn to the ankles, with long sleeves, though fashions changed frequently. The kirtle was worn over the chemise, the only undergarment.

  LEAT

  A ditch cut to drain a marsh.

  MANOR REEVE

  A foreman appointed in each village by the lord of a manor to oversee the daily farm work. Although illiterate, like the vast majority of the population, he would keep a record of crop rotation, harvest yields, tithes, etc., by means of memory and notches on tally-sticks.

  MANTLE

  A cloak, usually of square or semicircular shape, secured at the neck by a brooch-pin or ring. May have a hood for travelling.

  MARK

  A sum of money, though not an actual coin, as only pennies existed. A mark was two-thirds of a pound, i.e., thirteen shillings and fourpence (sixty-six decimal pence).

  MIDDEN

  A rubbish pit or dump, often used for sewage.

  MURDRUM FINE

  A fine or amercement levied on a village by the coroner when a person was found dead in suspicious circumstances and no killer could be produced, if the locals could not make ‘presentment of Englishry’ (q.v.).

  ORDEAL

  Though sometimes used to extract confessions, the Ordeal was an ancient ritual, abolished by the Vatican in 1215, where suspects were subjected to painful and often fatal ordeals, such as walking barefoot over nine red-hot ploughshares, picking a stone from a vat of boiling water, licking white-hot iron, etc. If they suffered no injury, they were judged innocent. Another ordeal was to be thrown bound into deep water: if they sank, they were innocent, if they floated, they were guilty and were hanged or mutilated!

  PEINE FORTE ET DURE

  ‘Hard and severe punishment’ used for the extraction of confessions from suspects.

  PORTREEVE

  One of the senior burgesses in a town, elected by the others as a leader. There were usually two, later superseded by a mayor, the first mayor of Exeter being installed in 1208.

  PREBENDARY

  See ‘Canon’.

  PRECENTOR

  A senior cleric in a cathedral, responsible for organising the services and singing, etc.

  PRESENTMENT OF ENGLISHRY

  Following the 1066 Conquest, many Normans were killed by aggrieved Saxons, so the law decreed that anyone found dead from unnatural causes was Norman and the village was punished by a murdrum fine (q.v.) unless they could prove that the deceased was English or a foreigner. This was usually done by a male member of the family. This continued for several hundred years, as even though it became meaningless long after the Conquest, it was a good source of revenue.

  REEVE

  See ‘Manor Reeve’.

  SENESCHAL

  The senior servant or steward to a lord.

  SHERIFF

  A ‘shire-reeve’, the King’s representative in each county, responsible for law and order and the collection of taxes.

  SUPER-TUNIC

  Similar to a surcoat, but usually heavier: worn as a lighter alternative to a mantle (cloak).

  SURCOAT

  A garment worn over the tunic, usually shorter. It was also used to cover armour, to protect from the sun and used for heraldic recognition devices.

  TABARD

  A male over-garment, open at the sides and laced at the waist.

  TITHE

  A tenth part of the harvest, demanded by the Church.

  TUNIC

  The main men’s garment, pulled over the head to reach the knee or calf. A linen shirt may be worn underneath. For riding, the tunic would be slit at the sides or front and back.

  UNDERCROFT

  The ground floor of a fortified building. The entrance to the rest of the building was on the floor above, isolated from the undercroft, which might be partly below ground level. Removable wooden steps prevented attackers from reaching the main door.

  VICAR

  A priest employed by a more senior cleric, such as a prebendary or canon, to carry out his religious duties. Often called a ‘vicar-choral’ from his participation in chanted services.

  WIMPLE

  A linen or silk cloth worn around a lady’s neck to frame the face. The sides were pinned up above each ear and the lower edge tucked into the neckline of the kirtle or chemise.

  PROLOGUE

  September 1194

  The chamber was almost in darkness. The only light came through the slightly open door, from three tallow tapers burning in a candlestick in the next room. From the large bed came muffled whisperings and the sounds of increasing intimacy. A woman’s gasps of half-reluctant delight alternated with the deeper murmurings of a man intent on extracting every ounce of pleasure for himself. He remained steadfastly in control, while she became progressively more abandoned, throwing her arms wildly above the fleeces that covered them, arching her back as she sobbed, and biting back cries of desperate delight.

  The carved bedstead, itself a novelty in Exeter where most folk slept either on rushes or a mattress on the floor, began to creak rhythmically, then with increased vigour and pace. Suddenly there was a duet of strangled gasps, the sheepskins heaved in a final spasm and the creaking subsided.

  After a moment or two of silence, a gentle sobbing could be heard. ‘This is so wrong,’ she whispered. ‘I must never come here again … never!’

  The answering voice was deep and strong, with confidence verging on arrogance. ‘You say that every time, Adele. But still you come. You need a man, a proper man.’

  She sniffed back her tears. ‘If we should ever be found out – oh God, what would we do?’

  He grinned in the darkness. ‘Well, I’ll not tell anyone, if you won’t!’

  Then they were silent, each with their own thoughts in the guttering candlelight.

  CHAPTER ONE

  In which Crowner John attends a shipwreck

  Silence also reigned in the narrow chamber set high in the gate-house of Rougemont Castle. It was broken only by the steady champing of Gwyn’s jaws as he finished the last of the crusty bread and cheese left over from the trio’s second breakfast. The other two members of the coroner’s team were totally silent. Thomas, the clerk, was laboriously penning a copy of yesterday’s inquest held on a forester crushed by a falling tree. The coroner himself was covertly studying the latest lesson set him by a cathedral canon, who was trying to teach him to read and write.

  Sir John de Wolfe sat, silently mouthing the simple Latin phrases. With an elbow on the table, he held his hand casually across his mouth to hide the movements of his lips from the others. After twenty years as a soldier, he was sensitive about his efforts to become literate, in case it was thought effeminate. Thomas de Peyne, the unfrocked priest who was his very literate clerk, knew of his master’s ambition and was somewhat piqued that he himself had not been asked to be the tutor – though he appreciated the coroner’s sensitivity about his inability to read his own documents. Gywn of Polruan knew little of this and cared less, as sensitivity was foreign to the nature of the red-haired Cornish giant, who acted as the coroner’s officer and bodyguard.