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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Medieval cold case is SOLVED: Vengeful noblewoman had her priest lover murdered after 'betrayal' that forced her to do Game of Thrones-style walk of shame, study reveals
The facts are worthy of a 21st century crime novel: an ungodly priest murdered by an aristocrat seeking revenge; and a jury too scared to identify the perpetrators. But this is what happened nearly 700 years ago, when churchman John Forde had his throat cut in London 's most prominent Medieval 'murder' hotspot - near St Paul's Cathedral. Now, records traced by an expert criminologist suggest the priest's murder was a revenge killing orchestrated by a noblewoman who is believed to have been his lover. Aristocrat Ela Fitzpayne allegedly directed four men - including her own brother - to cut down Forde in the belief that he betrayed her to the Archbishop of Canterbury. A letter sent in 1332 by the Archbishop, then Simon Mepham, accused her of having sexual liaisons with 'knights and others, single and married, and even with clerics in holy orders.' She was ordered to do a Game of Thrones-style walk of shame in bare feet the length of Salisbury Cathedral. Before their drastic falling out, Fitzpayne had Forde had also been partners in crime along with her husband; with the trio having raided a monastery together. The research was carried out by leading criminologist Professor Manuel Eisner, the leader of Cambridge University's pioneering Murder Maps project. The interactive database - which features Forde's murder - catalogues hundreds of unnatural deaths in London, Oxford and York in the 14th century. Digital copies of the coroner report in the Forde case, along with letters, have been published for the first time on Cambridge University's website. Professor Eisner said: 'We are looking at a murder commissioned by a leading figure of the English aristocracy. 'It is planned and cold-blooded, with a family member and close associates carrying it out, all of which suggests a revenge motive,' said Eisner. 'Attempts to publicly humiliate Ela Fitzpayne may have been part of a political game, as the church used morality to stamp its authority on the nobility, with John Forde caught between masters,' he said. 'Taken together, these records suggest a tale of shakedowns, sex and vengeance that expose tensions between the church and England's elites, culminating in a mafia-style assassination of a fallen man of god by a gang of medieval hitmen.' Forde was murdered as he walked up Cheapside near St Paul's on May 3, 1337. A fellow priest, Hasculph Neville, distracted him with 'pleasant conversation' and then four other men - including his lover's brother, Hugh Lovell - launched a frenzied attack. Lovell used a 12-inch dagger to slit open Forde's throat and then two other men - Hugh Colne and John Strong - stabbed Forde in his belly. Although the jury identified all the assassins, they claimed to be ignorant of where they could be found. Jurors also noted that the Fitzpaynes had been in a longstanding feud with Forde. Professor Eisner said it was unlikely that jurors really did not know where to find the murderers. 'Despite naming the killers and clear knowledge of the instigator, when it comes to pursuing the perpetrators the jury turn a blind eye,' the expert said. 'A household of the highest nobility, and apparently no one knows where they are to bring them to trial. 'They claim Ela's brother has no belongings to confiscate. All implausible. This was typical of the class-based justice of the day.' Former Fitzpayne servant Colne was eventually indicted for the crime five years later in 1342, and imprisoned in Newgate – the only charge brought in the case. The area of Westcheap, where Forde was slain, was London's most prominent medieval murder 'hot spot', according to the latest research. Home to numerous markets, taverns and alehouses, and many powerful guilds, such as the goldsmiths and saddlers, it was a centre of trade and revelry and events could get out of hand . Triggers for violence in the area included quarrels between merchants or artisans and group fights between guild apprentices akin to turf wars between gangs. Records also show the area was the scene of several other premeditated revenge killings. Among the new evidence in the case of Forde's murder was the discovery of a letter from the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Mepham, to the Bishop of Winchester. Written in January 1332, it claimed Ella Fitzpayne had sexual liaisons with 'knights and others, single and married, and even with clerics in holy orders'. She was punished by being banned from wearing gold, pearls or precious stones and had to pay large sums of money to monastic orders and the poor. But Fitzpayne also had to carry out a walk of shame in bare feet along the length of Salisbury Cathedral - which had the longest nave in England - while carrying a four-pound wax candle to the altar. The humiliation was made worse by the fact she had to repeat the walk every autumn for seven years. It echoes the distressing sequence in hit book and TV series Game of Thrones, when leading character Cersei Lannister is stripped naked and forced to traipse through the streets as a form of public humiliation and atonement for her sins. Archbishop Mepham's letter also stated that Fitzpayne was led by a 'spirit of pride' and had abandoned her husband. A further letter sent in April 1332 claimed she was hiding in Rotherhithe and had been excommunicated. Only Forde was named in the letters as being her lover, suggesting his involvement in alerting the Archbishop to Fitzpayne's misdeeds. At the time of his death, Forde was the rector of the church of Okeford Fitzpaine, a village on the Fitzpayne family's Dorset estate. 'The archbishop imposed heavy, shameful public penance on Ela, which she seems not to have complied with, but may have sparked a thirst for vengeance,' Professor Eisner said. 'Not least as John Forde appears to have escaped punishment by the church.' Other records show that Fitzpayne, her husband Sir Robert and Forde had been indicted by a royal commission for raiding a Benedictine priory in 1321. The crew smashed gates and buildings, felled trees and robbed the quarry, seizing up to 18 oxen, along with 30 pigs and some 200 sheep and lambs and driving them back to the Fitzpayne castle, Stogursey. The priory had been an outpost of a French abbey and so was particularly vulnerable at a time of heightened tensions between England and France. Professor Eisner believes Forde may have had split loyalties - to the Fitzpayne family on one side and to the bishops, his bosses in the church. 'We know that Archbishop Mepham was keen to enforce moral discipline among the gentry and nobility, and act against those who displayed moral failings,' Professor Eisner said. 'Taking part in the raid would have shown Forde's loyalty to the Fitzpaynes rather than the church, which would not have gone down well with the Archbishop.' The expert believes Forde - under pressure following the raid - could have confessed his liaison with Fitzpayne. The Archbishop then ordered her humiliating punishment. Professor Eisner added: 'Public humiliation can have poisonous effects, breeding hatred and revenge in humans both today and in the distant past. 'Feeling humiliated motivates wars, extremism, mass killings, and here it's probably a motivation for assassination. 'Humiliation creates emotions of anger and shame in the short term. Over time this can harden into a desire for violence.' Although the Archbishop died in 1333, Fitzpayne waited until four years later before getting her revenge on Forde. 'The public execution style of Forde's killing, in front of crowds in broad daylight, is similar to the political killings we see now in countries like Russia or Mexico. It's designed to be a reminder of who is in control,' Professor Eisner said. 'Where rule of law is weak, we see killings committed by the highest ranks in society, who will take power into their own hands, whether it's today or seven centuries ago.'
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Iranian-born refugee could be first female archbishop of Canterbury
An Iranian-born refugee could become the first female archbishop of Canterbury. Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, has emerged as an early front-runner among bookmakers to succeed Justin Welby, who formally stepped down in January. Ladbrokes and Star Sports have both named her the favourite to become the 106th holder of the role and the first woman in the job's 1,428-year history. Bishop Francis-Dehqani has been an outspoken critic of the immigration policy of successive governments. Earlier this week, she criticised the Prime Minister's speech in which he said Britain risked 'becoming an island of strangers'. She said: 'In the churches and different communities I am a part of, we are not an 'island of strangers'. Migrants are not 'strangers' but friends who fully participate and contribute as we worship, serve and live life together. 'The vast majority have applied through official routes to come here to the UK to live, work and study, and their contributions go far beyond a simple binary GDP evaluation.' She also criticised the previous government's Rwanda asylum plan, and attacked Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, after she said that churches were fuelling fake asylum claims. Bishop Francis-Dehqani's family fled to Britain when she was 13 following Iran's Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s. Her brother was shot dead in 1980 and attempts had been made on the lives of her father, an Anglican bishop, and mother before they left. She was ordained in 1999 and served as bishop of Loughborough from 2017 to 2021 before moving to Chelmsford in 2021. She is now one of five women among the bookmakers' front-runners to become the most senior bishop and the spiritual leader of the Church. Nomination expected by autumn Earlier this month, the Church of England announced the central members and Anglican Communion representatives of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), the body charged with nominating a new archbishop. Its membership was expected to be announced in March, but there appear to have been delays in the selection of representatives from the diocese of Canterbury. On Tuesday, the Church confirmed that Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, currently the most senior bishop in the Church, would be among the voting members, alongside Graham Usher, the Bishop of Norwich. It has already been confirmed that the commission will be chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale, a former director general of the MI5 security service. Candidates for the new archbishop have to be at least 30 years old, and are generally younger than 70. A nomination cannot be made unless it has the support of two-thirds of the total number of CNC voting members in a secret ballot. The commission is expected to have its first meeting later this month. At least two further meetings will follow in July and September. It is expected a nomination could be announced for the 106th archbishop of Canterbury by autumn – a year after Mr Welby announced his resignation. He said on Nov 12 2024 that he was to stand down following failures in handling an abuse scandal involving John Smyth, a barrister and Christian camp leader thought to be the most prolific abuser associated with the Church. The Church has faced calls to speed up the process of appointing Mr Welby's successor. Martin Vickers, a Conservative MP, said it had a lot to learn from the Catholic Church's speedy election of the new Pope. In past years, those tipped for the role in the early stages have not gone on to lead the Church. Both Mr Welby, archbishop from 2013 to 2025, and Rowan Williams, who held the role from 2002 to 2012, were not on the early list of front-runners.
Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Maori priest to help pick next Archbishop of Canterbury
A Palestinian archbishop, a Maori priest, an Argentinian engineer and a Ghanaian economics professor are among those who will choose the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Eight men and six women have so far been named to sit on the committee that will select the next spiritual leader of the Church of England, which includes the largest-ever contingent from outside of England. Five out of 17 voters on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) come from non-English churches in the international Anglican communion, up from just one out of 16 when Justin Welby was nominated in 2012. • The Sunday Times View: Christianity is at a crossroads but its values will endure The CNC will meet in May, July and September, drawing up shortlists and carrying out
