The Awful Secret Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  By Bernard Knight

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgements

  Maps

  Glossary

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Further Reading

  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 AWFUL SECRET

  A Crowner John Mystery

  Bernard Knight

  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 it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable 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.

  First published in Great Britain by Pocket Books, 2000

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  A Viacom Company

  Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  Africa House

  64-78 Kingsway

  London WC2B 6AH

  This eBook first published in 2014 by Severn House Digital

  an imprint of Severn House Publishers Ltd.

  Copyright © 2000 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: 978-1-4483-0126-3 (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

  Palimpsest Book Production Limited,

  Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

  Author’s Note

  Any attempt in historical novels to give modern English dialogue an ‘olde worlde’ flavour, 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 quite unintelligible to us today. Many others spoke 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.

  Many of the characters actually existed and the contemporary political and religious events alluded to are authentic – piracy was rife around the coasts of England, Prince John was constantly plotting against his brother Richard the Lion-Heart and the Inquisition was getting under way in France.

  The author leaves it to readers to put whatever credence they wish on the substance of the Awful Secret, but for those who may have a further interest in the subject, some sources are suggested at the end of the book.

  Acknowledgements

  The author would like to thank the following for historical advice, though reserving the blame for any misapprehensions 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; to copy-editor Hazel Orme and to Gillian Holmes and Clare Ledingham of Simon & Schuster for their continued encouragement and support.

  GLOSSARY

  ABJURER

  A criminal or accused person who sought sanctuary in a church and then elected to ‘abjure the realm of England for ever’ to avoid being hanged, by confessing to the coroner. He had up to forty days sanctuary, then had to proceed on foot, dressed in sackcloth and carrying a wooden cross, to a port nominated by the coroner and take the first ship available. If there was a delay, he had to wade out up to his knees at every tide, to show his willingness to leave.

  ALBIGENSIAN HERESY

  See Cathars.

  AMERCEMENT

  An arbitrary fine imposed on a person or community by a law officer, for some breach of the complex regulations of the law. Where imposed by a coroner, he would record the amercement, but the collection of the money would be ordered by the king’s justices when they visited at the Eyre of Assize (qv).

  APPROVER

  An accused person who attempted to obtain mercy by implicating his accomplices, as in the modern ‘turning Queen’s evidence’. He had to confess to the coroner, then challenge his accomplices to trial by battle; if he won, he was freed.

  ARCHDEACON

  A senior cathedral priest, assistant to the Bishop. There were four 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 manor.

  ATTACHMENT

  An order made by a law officer, including a coroner, to ensure that a person, whether suspect or witness, appeared at a court hearing. It resembled bail or a surety, distraining upon a person’s goods or money, which would be forfeit if he failed to appear.

  AVENTAIL

  A chain-mail armoured hood, similar to a balaclava, attached to the edge of the helmet and tucked into the neck of the hauberk (qv).

  BAILEY

  The outer enclosure of an early Norman ‘motte and bailey’ castle. An artificial mound was built and a wooden tower erected on top – the ‘donjon’ (qv), later called a ‘keep’. Around the base, usually asymmetrically, a ditch and stockade demarcated the bailey, in which a hall and other buildings for living quarters, stables, kitchens, etc were erected, the donjon being used in times of siege. Later, more complex castles had inner and outer bailies, such as Exeter’s Rougemont.

  BAILIFF

  Overseer of a manor or estate, directing the farming and administrative work. He might also investigate manorial disputes and crimes and hold the manor court. He would have reeves (qv) under him, and himself be responsible to the lord’s steward or seneschal (qv).

  BALDRIC

  A diagonal leather strap over the right shoulder of a Norman knight or soldier, to suspend his sword on the left hip.

  BARON

  Any major landowner, especially those powerful enough to have political influence. Often at loggerheads with the king, many barons, especially the Marcher Lords along the Welsh border, ran al
most independent kingdoms.

  BURGESS

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

  CANON

  A priestly member of the Chapter of a cathedral, also known as a ‘prebendary’, as they received their income from a prebend, a grant of land or a pension. Exeter had twenty-four canons, most of whom lived near the cathedral, though unlike the majority of other cathedrals, the canons were paid a small salary and had a daily allowance of bread, candles etc. Many employed junior priests (vicars and secondaries) to carry out some of their duties.

  CATHARS

  People of south-western France in the 11th–13th centuries, who professed a ‘gnostic’ type of Christianity, also known as the Albigensian heresy, as they were centred around the town of Albi. They professed free-will and thought all material things were the produce of evil. They fell foul of the Roman Church and though the Templars seemed to have some sympathy with them, they were ruthlessly exterminated by the Inquisition on the orders of Pope Innocent III in the 13th century.

  CHAPTER

  The administrative body of a cathedral, composed of the canons (Prebendaries). They met daily to conduct business in the Chapter House, so called because a chapter of the Gospels was read before each meeting.

  COG

  A crude building material made from clay, dung, ferns etc, supported between a wooden framework.

  COMMANDERY

  The main Templar establishment in a country, such as at Paris or the New Temple in London, now used by the legal profession. It would be headed by a Master, the Grand Master being at Acre in the Holy Land, until expelled by the Saracen onslaught, when he moved to Cyprus. Lesser Templar estab lishments elsewhere in a country were called Preceptories.

  CONSTABLE

  Had several meanings, but here refers to the military commander of a castle, sometimes called a ‘castellan’. In royal castles, such as Exeter’s Rougemont, he was appointed by the king, to keep him independent of powerful local barons. On a lower plane, in towns and some manors, a constable was a law enforcer assisting the bailiff or burgesses.

  CORONER

  A senior law officer in a county, second only to the sheriff (qv). First established in September 1194, though there are a few mentions of the coroner in earlier times. Three knights and one clerk were recruited in every county, to carry out a wide range of legal duties. The name comes from custos placitorum coronae, meaning ‘Keeper of the Pleas of the Crown’, as he recorded all serious crimes, deaths and legal events for the King’s Justices.

  COVER-CHIEF

  Head-dress of a Norman lady, more correctly called a couvrechef. To Saxons it was called a ‘head-rail’ and consisted of a linen cloth held in place by a band around the forehead, the lower edge hanging down over the back and bosom.

  CROFT

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

  CUIRASS

  A short tunic, originally of thick, boiled leather but later of chain-mail or plate metal, to protect the chest in battle.

  CURIA REGIS

  The King’s Court or Council, his tenants-in-chief, composed of the most senior barons and churchmen, who offered advice and devised national policy. From this developed the great Offices of State, especially the courts.

  CURRAGH

  A Gaelic word for a boat of similar construction to a Welsh coracle, but dinghy-shaped instead of round. Though flimsily constructed of tarred hide stretched over thin wooden frames, it was used extensively for voyages as far afield as Brittany.

  DEODAND

  Literally ‘a gift from God’, it was the forfeiture of anything that had caused a death, such as a sword, a cart or even a mill-wheel. It might be confiscated by the coroner and sold for the Crown, but was sometimes given to the deceased’s family as compensation for the death.

  DESTRIER

  A war-horse, a large animal strong enough to carry an armoured knight. When firearms made armour obsolete, destriers became draught-animals, from whom carthorses are descended. Previously, ploughing and carting was carried out by oxen.

  DONJON

  The fortified tower on the motte in early Norman castles. Originally of wood, it was later replaced by masonry. The later word ‘dungeon’, meaning a prison cell, came from the lowest chamber in the donjon, where prisoners were incarcerated.

  EYRE

  A sitting of the Kings’ Judges, introduced by Henry II in 1166, which moved around the country in circuits. There were two types, the ‘Justices in Eyre’, the forerunner of the Assizes (now Crown Courts), which was supposed to visit frequently to try serious cases; and the General Eyre, which came at long intervals to scrutinise the administration of each county.

  FIRST FINDER

  The first person to discover the corpse of a slain person had to rouse the four nearest households and raise the ‘hue and cry’ to give chase to the culprit. Then the bailiff had to be notified and then the coroner. Failure to do so resulted in amercement (qv) by the coroner.

  HAUBERK

  Also called a ‘byrnie’, this was a chain-mail tunic with long sleeves, to protect the wearer from neck to calf. The skirt was slit to allow him to ride a horse. A metal plate was often secured over the front of the chest to further protect the heart.

  HIDE

  A medieval measure of land, which varied from place to place, but was usually 120 acres at the time of the Domesday survey, but later quoted at anything between 30 and 80 acres. A hide was supposed to be enough to support a family and was divided into four ‘virgates’. Another land measure was the ‘carucate’, about 100 acres, the area one ox team could plough in a season.

  HONOUR

  A holding of land by a lord from the King, a baron or the church. It might be a large estate or a single manor and many honours consisted of numerous, separate holdings spread over many counties. A manor might be one village or several, under the same lord, but some villages were split between different lords.

  HUNDRED

  An administrative sub-division of a county, originally supposed to consist of a hundred settlements.

  JURY

  Unlike modern juries, who must be totally impartial, having no prior knowledge of the case, medieval juries included witnesses, local people who were obliged to gather to tell what they knew about a crime or dispute. The coroner’s jury was supposed to be all the males over the age of twelve from the four nearest villages, though this was usually a practical impossibility.

  JUSTICIAR

  One of the King’s Chief Ministers in Norman times. In the reign of Richard I, the most effective was Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was his military second-in-command at the Third Crusade, before he returned home during the Lionheart’s imprisonment in Austria and Germany, to raise money for his ransom. Richard made him Chief Justiciar and Hubert virtually ruled the country after Richard’s permanent departure from England in May 1194, only two months after returning from captivity.

  KIRTLE

  A woman’s gown, worn to the ankles, with long sleeves, wide at the wrists, though fashions constantly changed. The kirtle was worn over a chemise, the only undergarment.

  KNARR

  An early medieval merchant ship, generally like a Viking longship, but much broader in the beam. It was partly decked with a single hold, mast and sail.

  MANOR REEVE

  A foreman appointed in every village, either elected by villagers or by the manorial lord. He oversaw the daily farm work and though illiterate like the vast majority of the population, he would keep records of crop rotation, harvest yields, tithes, etc, by means of his memory and notches on tally sticks.

  MARK

  A sum of money, though not an actual coin, as only pennies were in use. A mark was two-th
irds of a pound, or thirteen shil lings and fourpence (now equal to sixty-six decimal pence).

  MOTTE

  The artificial mound on which the wooden donjon (qv) was erected in early Norman castles, surrounded by the bailey (qv). An excellent Devon example is at Totnes.

  MUTILATION

  A common punishment for all kinds of offence, as a lesser alternative to hanging. Removal of a hand was the most frequent, but feet, tongues, ears and noses were also cut off, as well as blinding and castration.

  ORDEAL

  There were many types of legal Ordeal, supposed to be a test of guilt or innocence, such as walking over nine red-hot ploughshares, picking a stone from a barrel of boiling water or molten lead or being submerged in water. The ‘Ordeal of the Bier’ was to detect a murderer by making a suspect touch the bier on which the corpse laid, when the fatal wounds would begin to bleed again. This is mentioned by Shakespeare in Richard III, Act One.