Cambridge Mapping Project Solves a Medieval Murder

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: In 2019, we told you about a new interactive digital 'murder map' of London compiled by University of Cambridge criminologist Manuel Eisner. Drawing on data catalogued in the city coroners' rolls, the map showed the approximate location of 142 homicide cases in late medieval London. The Medieval Murder Maps project has since expanded to include maps of York and Oxford homicides, as well as podcast episodes focusing on individual cases. It's easy to lose oneself down the rabbit hole of medieval murder for hours, filtering the killings by year, choice of weapon, and location. Think of it as a kind of 14th-century version of Clue: It was the noblewoman's hired assassins armed with daggers in the streets of Cheapside near St. Paul's Cathedral. And that's just the juiciest of the various cases described in a new paper published in the journal Criminal Law Forum.

The noblewoman was Ela Fitzpayne, wife of a knight named Sir Robert Fitzpayne, lord of Stogursey. The victim was a priest and her erstwhile lover, John Forde, who was stabbed to death in the streets of Cheapside on May 3, 1337. 'We are looking at a murder commissioned by a leading figure of the English aristocracy,' said University of Cambridge criminologist Manuel Eisner, who heads the Medieval Murder Maps project. 'It is planned and cold-blooded, with a family member and close associates carrying it out, all of which suggests a revenge motive.' Members of the mapping project geocoded all the cases after determining approximate locations for the crime scenes. Written in Latin, the coroners' rolls are records of sudden or suspicious deaths as investigated by a jury of local men, called together by the coroner to establish facts and reach a verdict. Those records contain such relevant information as where the body was found and by whom; the nature of the wounds; the jury's verdict on cause of death; the weapon used and how much it was worth; the time, location, and witness accounts; whether the perpetrator was arrested, escaped, or sought sanctuary; and any legal measures taken. The full historical context, analytical depth, and social commentary can be read in the the paper.

Interestingly, Eisner 'extended their spatial analysis to include homicides committed in York and London in the 14th century with similar conclusions,' writes Ars' Jennifer Ouellette. Most murders often occurred in public places, usually on weekends, with knives and swords as primary weapons. Oxford had a significantly elevated violence rate compared to London and York, 'suggestive of high levels of social disorganization and impunity.'

London, meanwhile, showed distinct clusters of homicides, 'which reflect differences in economic and social functions,' the authors wrote. 'In all three cities, some homicides were committed in spaces of high visibility and symbolic significance.'

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