Unfortunate Ends

From the author of Twitter's Medieval Death Bot comes Unfortunate Ends: On Murder and Misadventure in Medieval England, an illuminating collection of in-depth looks at the most interesting cases from medieval coroners' rolls.

Thomas, son of Henry Robekyn, died 1286 after cutting off his left foot and then his left hand in a frenzy.

Henry Debordesle, died 1343. Long sick with diseases, smote himself in the belly with a knife worth one penny.

On 11 August 1267, Henry Constentin is driving a horse-drawn cart of wheat through the field of Tweedscroft. His feet slip and he falls upon 'a certain pole' of his cart 'so that it penetrate[s] into his fundament'.

From the bizarre to the mundane, each death tells a tale from a dangerous time to be alive, and even to die. Coroners' rolls list every inquest held for a death by misadventure - or accident - as well as grisly murders, some witnessed by others, some only coming to light when the hidden body was found. A handful of these deaths rise to the top, their tales too bizarre, ridiculous or heartbreaking to not be spun again for the modern ear. Through death, Unfortunate Ends gives us a rare, first-hand look into everyday life for common people of the English Middle Ages.

“"Here's a selection of grim deaths that have aged beautifully in the more than 600 years since they occurred." --Mental Floss, on the twitter account, Medieval Death Bot”

The creator of the Medieval Deathbot lives in the Pacific Northwest of the US. @DeathMedieval

From the author of Twitter's Medieval Death Bot comes Unfortunate Ends: On Murder and Misadventure in Medieval England, an illuminating collection of in-depth looks at the most interesting cases from medieval coroners' rolls Thomas, son of Henry Robekyn, died 1286 after cutting off his left foot and then his left hand in a frenzy Henry Debordesle, died 1343. Long sick with diseases, smote himself in the belly with a knife worth one penny A romp through the death records of medieval England. From the bizarre to the mundane, each death tells a tale from a dangerous time to be alive, and even to die. Coroners' rolls list every inquest held for a death by misadventure - or accident - as well as grisly murders, some witnessed by others, some only coming to light when the hidden body was found. A handful of these deaths rise to the top, their tales too bizarre, ridiculous or heartbreaking to not be spun again for the modern ear. Through death, Murdered by Clerks gives us a rare, first-hand look into everyday life for common people of the English Middle Ages.

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