The Butchers Funeral: A Medieval Murder (14 page)

'No I do not ask you to pursue any course of vengeance against anyone.  Just become her protector in my place.  Tell her that I do not blame her and that I would do everything the same again to guard her.  For this I will take your place tomorrow.'

The early morning mists had not cleared by the time the procession to the field outside the city began.  As usual the procession moved slowly through the city from the gaol, the prisoner on the back of cart.  To have two executions in such a short space of time was unusual, even in such a rapidly growing city.   There were far greater crowds present than for the execution of the thief, for Donald Alvin was now famous around these parts as a brutal murderer, already well known over the area due to his travelling trade.  As a result, many people had flooded into the city from the surrounding towns and countryside. 

A festival air had begun to develop and many traders had responded, scaling up their usual presence at an execution.  Even Dionisia Butcher was doing a brisk trade, despite being here to watch the death of a friend.  A friend, who unknown to her, was the person that had released her from her husband.  Law had arrived during the night, making such a fuss that she had opened the door to him, where upon he had excitedly talked of oaths and imparted secrets that only her friend had known.  She knew she would not need to marry now, a successful business woman, financially independent, with the young man, Law, sworn to protect her honour and do her bidding.  She knew that she was in the perfect position to take over all the parts of her deceased husband's business, knowing that Law would do whatever was needed to continue to fulfil his promise to the surgeon.  There may even be occasion when the man would need to unleash his clearly ruthless friend, Judd, if matters ever became serious.  Besides, she quite liked Law, a mixture of innocence and a desire to do what was needed to fulfil his oath.  She was certain that he would grow to control his more aggressive friend, with time and her guidance.  She could even foresee him replacing the role of other men, such as Herry Webb in her life.

Nevertheless, it was a morning of sadness for Dionisia, the impending loss of a dear friend balanced against the promising prospects of the future and the expected profits of a very busy morning of trading.  The execution, and the subsequent business that would be done later in the day, would be highly profitable as the visitors from outside of the city spent their money around the market.

Eventually the cart arrived at the destination, the sheriff and the priest pronounced their final judgement on the surgeon before a silent crowd, the like of which had never been seen in the city before.  As Alvin stood on the back of the cart, the gibbet looming over him and the noose around his neck, he sought out Law.  They made eye contact, both men nodding to each other in a final affirmation of their agreement.

This story has spent a long time in development, the fruits of many years of teaching the history or medicine to high school students for their examinations.  There have been many liberties taken with the details of the medical practices and legal systems of the period the story is set in, however, my former students would certainly recognise some of the elements of the story.

The city, is of course fictional, but draws on some of the historical knowledge of the lifestyles of individuals and the experience of city life during the Medieval period in England.  There are frequent references to the ‘Plague’, which of course we now know as the Black Death.  During the writing of this book there were several interesting developments in the study of this pestilence which so devastated Europe for several generations.  However, all errors and liberties are the responsibility of the author.

There are a great many excellent books on life in Medieval England.  One of the best is ‘The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England’ by Dr Ian Mortimer.  This combines an intimate knowledge of the scholarship, by an acknowledged expert, with an unusually accessible readability.

The different chapters of the book were original published as separate ‘episodes’.  While there have been recent trends that return to the idea of a serialised story, the idea of splitting the book up was to help make it achievable.  Having not written fiction at length for around twenty years, I needed small goals.  It also provided the opportunity to experiment with a number of ideas.  The actual writing process took just over a year, with each episode published as it was finished.  What was particularly pleasing was that the pace of writing picked up as the work progressed.

C.M. Harald, Folkestone, 15
th
December 2015

C.M. Harald is an history teacher and writer living in an English coastal town within sight of France.

He has taught at a range of challenging schools, and is now returning to writing having spent many years concentrating on teaching.

RZC – part 1.

cmharald.net

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 1

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 2 - Hocking

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 3 – The Butcher’s Wife

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 4 – The Wise Woman

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 5 – The Carniter

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 6 – The Thief

The Butcher’s Funeral

Episode 7 – The Trial

cmharald.net