The Killing of William Rufus

[boatman]

As Rufus has been mentioned I got out my copy of The Killing of William Rufus by Duncan Grinnell-Milne, David & Charles 1968. Quite a good detective
story and a very evocative book on the New Forest.

Especially worthwhile if you are interested in historical and family continuity in an area a lot of us love.

As to the death of William Rufus, the book concludes that Henry his brother conspired to murder him. Several quoted historians also say they think he dun it. However, the most that can be said about their verdicts is Non Proven. All circumstantial evidence and the only contemporary suspect fled with people thinking him guilty not of murder but of causing an accidental death. Experienced hunters and soldiers as those present mostly were would know from what direction the arrow came, given the posture that Rufus would most likely have been in while waiting for his deer and they saw no problem in thinking it an accident.

If murder by someone unknown that person would have had to get into and out of position unseen. Everybody would also have known that you could not guarantee an immediate death or even a fatal wound. Should Rufus have not been killed then the conspiracy would have been unmasked and Henry finished.

All in all it is safer to call it an accident. The book though is thoroughly recommended.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

So its a who dunnit and you tell me the conclusion

 

[boatman]

So its a who dunnit and you tell me the conclusion

Sorry,never thought of that, still worth reading.

 

[fishfish]

i allways thought he was shot by walter tyrell who fled to france,theres a lot of places named after him in the forest and area adjacent,tyrels ford for one. i occasionally visit the spot where the king died,its right opposite a rather nice pub,the place is known as the rufus stone.

according to one source:

"On 2 August 1100, King William II organized a hunting trip in the newforest King William was presented with six arrows, on the eve of the hunt; taking four for himself, he handed the other two to Tirel, saying, "Bon archer, bonnes fleches" "To the) good archer, the good arrows."
On the subsequent hunt, the party spread out as they chased their prey, and William, in the company of Tirel, became separated from the others. It was the last time that William was seen alive.
In their search for prey, according to chroniclers, Thurold let loose a wild shot at a passing stag However, instead of striking the stag as intended, the arrow pierced William in the chest, puncturing his lungs. Stricken with panic, Walter leapt upon his horse and fled to France. A version of this tale is given by William of malmsbury in his Chronicle of the Kings of the English (c. 1128):
"The day before the king died he dreamt that he went to hell and the Devil said to him "I can't wait for tomorrow because we can finally meet in person!". He suddenly awoke. He commanded a light to be brought, and forbade his attendants to leave him. The next day he went into the forest... He was attended by a few persons... Walter Tyrel remained with him, while the others, were on the chase. The sun was now declining, when the king, drawing his bow and letting fly an arrow, slightly wounded a stag which passed before him... The stag was still running... The king, followed it a long time with his eyes, holding up his hand to keep off the power of the sun's rays. At this instant Walter decided to kill another stag. Oh, gracious God! the arrow pierced the king's breast. On receiving the wound the king uttered not a word; but breaking off the shaft of the arrow where it projected from his body... This accelerated his death. Walter immediately ran up, but as he found him senseless, he leapt upon his horse, and escaped with the utmost speed. Indeed there were none to pursue him: some helped his flight; others felt sorry for him. The king's body was placed on a cart and conveyed to the cathedral at winchester... blood dripped from the body all the way. Here he was buried within the tower. The next year, the tower fell down. William Rufus died in 1100... aged forty years. He was a man much pitied by the clergy... he had a soul which they could not save... He was loved by his soldiers but hated by the people because he caused them to be plundered. To some chroniclers, such an 'act of god' was a just end for a wicked king. However, over the centuries, the obvious suggestion that one of William's many enemies may have had a hand in this extraordinary event has been repeatedly made. Even chroniclers of the time point out that Walter was renowned as a keen bowman, and unlikely to fire such an impetuous shot. And William's brother Henry, who was among the hunting party that day, benefited directly from William's death, as he was shortly after crowned king.
Abbot Sugar, another chronicler, was Thurold's (Tyrel) friend and sheltered him in his French exile. He said later:
It was laid to the charge of a certain noble, Walter Thurold, that he had shot the king with an arrow; but I have often heard him, when he had nothing to fear nor to hope, solemnly swear that on the day in question he was not in the part of the forest where the king was hunting, nor ever saw him in the forest at all."

 

[Tengu]

Where does the sacrified king stuff come into it?

 

[British Red]

Historians now doubt Canterton as the location - they reckon somewhere near Beaulieu - I think given the stone didn't go up till the 1800s - its a plain old guess

It did used to be a very nice pub I agree - used to drive past that area on the way to from shooting...beautiful part of the country

 

[Robbi]

used to drive past that area on the way to from shooting...beautiful part of the country

shooting or beating ? did you get paid ?

 

[boatman]

Arthur Lloyd who proposed Beaulieu as the area of the death concluded it was an accident so different venue but still an accident.

http://www.newforestcentre.org.uk/uploads/publications/65.pdf

 

[British Red]

Shooting - at paper - I even changed my own targets