THE CHAPEL OF BONES
Michael Jecks
Copyright © 2004 Michael Jecks
The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
First published as an Ebook by
Headline Publishing Group in 2014
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 4722 1979 4
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
About the Author
Also by Michael Jecks
Praise
About the Book
Dedication
Map
Glossary
Cast of Characters
Author’s Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
About the Author
Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry to concentrate on his writing. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, has been Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, and helped create the Historical Writers’ Association. Keen to help new writers, for some years he organised the Debut Dagger competition, and is now organising the Aspara Writing festival for new writers at Evesham. He has judged many prizes, including the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Michael is an international speaker on writing and for business. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.
Michael can be contacted through his website: www.michaeljecks.co.uk.
He can be followed on twitter (@MichaelJecks) or on Facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author.
His photos of Devon and locations for his books can be found at: Flickr.com/photos/Michael_Jecks.
Also by Michael Jecks
The Last Templar
The Merchant’s Partner
A Moorland Hanging
The Crediton Killings
The Abbot’s Gibbet
The Leper’s Return
Squire Throwleigh’s Heir
Belladonna at Belstone
The Traitor of St Giles
The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker
The Tournament of Blood
The Sticklepath Strangler
The Devil’s Acolyte
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh
The Templar’s Penance
The Outlaws of Ennor
The Tolls of Death
The Chapel of Bones
The Butcher of St Peter’s
A Friar’s Bloodfeud
The Death Ship of Dartmouth
Malice of Unnatural Death
Dispensation of Death
The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover
The Prophecy of Death
The King of Thieves
No Law in the Land
The Bishop Must Die
The Oath
King’s Gold
City of Fiends
Templar’s Acre
Praise
‘Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit’ Robert Low
‘Captivating… If you care for a well-researched visit to medieval England, don’t pass this series’ Historical Novels Review
‘Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it that immediacy of a present-day newspaper article… He writes…with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters’ Oxford Times
‘Great characterisation, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical’ Library Journal
‘Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades’ Publishers Weekly
‘A tortuous and exciting plot… The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent’ Shots
‘This fascinating portrayal of medieval life and the corruption of the Church will not disappoint. With convincing characters whose treacherous acts perfectly combine with a devilishly masterful plot, Jecks transports readers back to this wicked world with ease’ Good Book Guide
About the Book
The eighteenth novel in Micahel Jecks’s medieval Knights Templar series.
In 1283, Exeter’s Cathedral Close was the scene of a vicious ambush. Now, forty years on, more deaths are ocurring. Is the first an accident? The second is surely not, and the killer will not be easy to catch. The victim, Henry Potell, was feared by many, and held secrets some would wish to keep hidden at any cost…
For investigators Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King’s Peace, and his friend Bailiff Simon Puttock, events become increasingly mysterious. Who among Henry Potell’s companions would have wanted him dead? The key to the mystery lies in the ominous Chapel of Bones, built in reparation for that terrible murder so many years ago.
This book is for Don and all the Mortons.
In affectionate and loving memory of Mary.
Also for Keith Aylwin.
A kind, considerate, and generous friend.
He’s missed.
Map of Exeter in Early 1300s
Map of Cathedral Close
Glossary
Accounts Medieval accounting was very simple compared with today’s bookkeeping. The accounts were kept yearly on rolls of parchment sewn together, top-to-tail, and recorded simply charge and discharge, with totals carried forward each year.
Annuellar Priests appointed by the Dean and Chapter of a cathedral to service a specific chantry and participate in certain tasks.
Approver The medieval equivalent of ‘Turning King’s Evidence’. A felon could confess and thereby postpone his execution; this often meant that he, the approver, would have to stand in combat against his former partners in crime.
Calefactory A ‘warming room’ in a monastery or nunnery in which a good, blazing fire was kept going during the colder months.
Canon Exeter Cathedral had a large Chapter of some twenty-four canons – men who had chosen to live together under the Church’s rules. They controlled the income of the Cathedral and mostly lived in the Close in their own houses.
Chapter The Cathedral at Exeter was ruled by the dignitaries – Church officials who possessed separate endowments.
Chaunter An archaic term for the
next most senior Dignitary after the Dean. More recently (and commonly) known as the Precentor.
Choir The full body of men who served the Cathedral, including the canons and the minor clergy. The word also refers to the part of the Cathedral where their stalls were located.
Common Fund This was the fund through which all the running costs of the Chapter were maintained – prebends for canons, monies for food and drink and so on. The two Stewards, both canons, received money into the exchequer for the Common Fund (which did not include the Fabric monies) and then allocated it to salaries and expenses.
Dignitaries The ruling body of the Cathedral, comprising the Treasurer, Chancellor, Precentor and Dean.
Fabric Fund While the Common Fund dealt with the general Chapter running costs, the Fabric handled all the actual Cathedral building expenses. The Warden of the Fabric received and dispensed the money for supplies of timber, iron, wages for the workers and all other aspects of the works.
Minor Clergy Four groups consisting of the Vicars Choral, Secondaries, Choir and Annuellars. The minor clergy had a pleasant, sociable life with access to good food and drink, and a certain amount of personal freedom.
Secondaries Appointed by the Dean himself, these were usually young men between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four. Many were choristers whose voices had broken.
Treasurer One of the four ‘dignitaries’ of the Cathedral, the Treasurer was responsible for the general Chapter costs. At Exeter this did not include responsibility for the Fabric accounts – as far as we can tell. Instead there were two Wardens of the Fabric, one of whom was the Master Mason and the other a member of the Chapter. In 1300 and beyond, this was a vicar.
Vicars Choral The personal servants of the canons. Each was appointed by his own canon, to whom he rendered personal services in exchange for benefits. He had lodgings in the canon’s house, meals at his table, and accompanied his canon to the Cathedral. In 1300 these men were paid between two and three pounds each year in cash, but of course they also received free board and lodging.
Warden of the Fabric The Chapter member responsible for the Fabric accounts and who worked with the Master Mason – also called the Clerk of the Works.
Cast of Characters
The Officers
Sir Baldwin de Furnshill Once a Knight Templar, Sir Baldwin is Keeper of the King’s Peace in Crediton and has gained a reputation as an astute investigator of crimes.
Lady Jeanne Baldwin’s wife, Jeanne has been married before, unhappily, and is constantly fearing that she may lose her new husband’s love.
Bailiff Simon Puttock The former Stannary Bailiff, Simon is now Abbot Robert’s man in Dartmouth, and regrets taking the post.
Sir Peregrine de Barnstaple Once a favoured advisor to Lord Hugh de Courtenay, this bannaret has been separated from his Lord’s household because his counsel was growing too opposed to the King’s favourite, Despenser. Lord Hugh couldn’t afford to be thought to challenge the King’s authority and so has forced Sir Peregrine to leave his entourage for a while.
The City
Alured de Porter Mayor of Exeter seven times, Alured was, nevertheless, hanged for the murder of Chaunter Walter when King Edward I arrived to try the case in 1285.
Henry Potell A successful saddler and businessman, Henry is almost sixty and has been working with his companion Joel for many years.
Mabilla Potell Henry’s wife is a stolid, dependable woman in her middle years.
Julia Potell Their daughter, and of marriageable age, Julia is a noted beauty and is pursued by some of the men in the city.
Udo Germeyne A German, Udo arrived in Exeter many years ago and decided to make the city his home. He desires Julia for his own wife.
Joel Lytell A successful joiner, who makes the frames on which Henry Potell builds his saddles.
Maud Lytell Joel’s wife. A rational and calm lady.
William An Exeter man, William came to the notice of the King after the murder of the Chaunter. A notable member of Edward II’s household, he has recently been installed as a corrodian (pensioner) at the Priory of St Nicholas.
Saul A well-known mason, Saul is a strong stone-worker and earns a good wage.
Sara Wife to Saul and mother to his boys, Elias (three and a half) and Dan (eight), Sara is a stranger to Exeter.
Ralph of Malmesbury A notable physician, Ralph is known to those in the city who can afford his services.
John Coppe Wounded by pirates many years before, John has lost one leg and his face is fearfully scarred. He now has to beg at the gate to the Cathedral.
Vincent Apprentice to Joel.
Wymond Vincent’s father, a tanner on Exe Island. The Cathedral
The Cathedral
Chaunter Walter Walter de Lecchelade was the Chaunter murdered in Exeter Cathedral’s grounds in 1283.
Dean Alfred The Dean conceals a sharp mind behind his bumbling manner.
Treasurer Stephen A canon who has invested much of his working life in the rebuilding of the Cathedral, Stephen is devoted to ensuring that the works are completed successfully (even though he knows he won’t live to see them finished).
Matthew The Warden of the Fabric, Matthew is responsible for much of the accounting for the building works.
Friar Nicholas Once a novice at the Cathedral, Nicholas was dreadfully injured while trying to save his master, Chaunter Walter, during the fight when Lecchelade died. He has recently returned to the Friary.
Janekyn Beyvyn The porter at the Fissand Gate of the Cathedral Close, Janekyn is popular with the beggars of the city, all of whom know him to be a kindly, generous soul.
Prior Peter Peter was once a member of the Chapter of the Cathedral, but after his part in Lecchelade’s assassination, he was evicted. Now he has become acting head of the Priory of St Nicholas until a new Prior is elected.
Robert de Cantebrigge A famous Master Mason from Kent, Master Robert is supervising the rebuilding of the Cathedral as well as several other projects.
Author’s Note
This story has been in my mind for some time, ever since I first heard of the strange murder of the Chaunter at Exeter Cathedral.
The tale has all those elements which a novelist would love: intrigue, hatred, jealousy and murder, all occurring within the supposedly calm and contemplative environs of a Cathedral Close. Naturally I was drawn to it.
A good friend of mine, Susanna Gregory, author of the excellent Matthew Bartholomew series of medieval murder stories, has commented that at a time in which almost a third of the male population of the country was directly or indirectly employed by the Church, it would be astonishing if some of them weren’t unpleasant, murderous or plain mad. Well, if events at Exeter in the 1280s are anything to go by, there were many men in the Cathedral who were ‘mad, bad, and dangerous to know’.
The story really began with the arrival of Bishop Quivil in 1280. He would appear to have been a thorough and responsible Bishop, who was notable for spending a lot of his time in the saddle travelling about his diocese and making sure that people were well-served by his men. Unlike Exeter’s Bishops before and after him, Quivil devoted his time to the souls under his jurisdiction, and would appear to have largely ignored the country’s politics. Sadly, though, he managed to make his Archbishop angry even before he had won his post.
Archbishop Peccham refused to consecrate Quivil*, sending him a curt letter that read: We should desire personally to confer on you the rite of consecration in the Metropolitan Church of Canterbury on the Sunday before St Martin’s Day; but, finding it a little inconvenient to be present in our own person … Thus Peccham found it too much of a trial to attend the installation of one of his top men in his own church at Canterbury.
This was a poor start to Quivil’s rule, but matters were soon to deteriorate.
Although Quivil appears to have been an exceptionally mild-tempered Bishop for his time – he rarely excommunicated anyone, tended not to call in the secular arm of the law to chastise
the disobedient, had disputes neither with laymen and clerics nor the priories and abbeys in his territory – yet he still had a series of problems with one man: John Pycot.
The Archbishop installed John (also called John of Exeter) as his Dean under Quivil. From the records, John would appear to have been ‘an unscrupulous though plausible worldling’ (Boggis). Although Quivil fought against his appointment, John had the full weight of Peccham behind him, and eventually became Dean on the death of Dean John Noble in 1281. Quivil unsuccessfully appealed to the Pope against his installation on several grounds.
The actual reason for their enmity has been lost; however there are some clues. Nicholas Orme in Medieval Art and Architecture at Exeter Cathedral (‘Transactions of the British Archaeological Association’, 1985), points out that Pycot was already the Treasurer of the Cathedral, but that alone hardly seems reason enough for Quivil’s violent dislike of him. There must have been some other grounds for Bishop Quivil’s refusal to accept Pycot as his Dean.
For whatever the reason, Quivil would have nothing to do with him. He refused to acknowledge Pycot’s position, and then, when it was apparent that he was getting nowhere, he installed his own Chaunter, Walter de Lecchelade, who made it his business to obstruct the Dean whenever he could. He took over the Dean’s stall in the Cathedral, the Dean’s residence, and his income, as well as taking on all the rights pertaining to the office of Dean. As Chaunter, he had second-in-command status after the Dean, and would take control in the Dean’s absence. The fact that he was put in post in the same year in which John Pycot was elected to Dean seems to support the view that Quivil was looking to counterbalance the Dean’s authority.