A warm glow of satisfaction crept over him as he saw his chance. ‘Your brother has not yet seen the king’s commissioners, then?’ he asked innocently.
Matilda looked at him suspiciously. ‘He is at the castle now, receiving the official warrant of his appointment – though the bishop told him of it several days ago.’
John dropped into his cowled chair with assumed nonchalance. ‘Then neither of you are aware that I have already received a warrant from the Archbishop of Canterbury, issued to me on the Lionheart’s specific orders, to become the King’s Coroner for the County of Devon, taking office on the same day as your dear brother!’
John had rarely seen his wife lost for a tart reply, but this was one of those delicious occasions. Making the most of it, he got up again and informed her harshly that he was taking the hound for some exercise.
‘I don’t know when I’ll be home, I have much to think about,’ he said, as he went to the door and slammed it behind him. Whistling for Brutus, he set off for the Bush again.
Historical Note
The sequence of sheriffs in Devon in the last decades of the twelfth century is something of a mystery. Several lists exist but the most reliable one records that William Brewer held the shrievalty until Michaelmas 1189, the year of Richard the Lionheart’s accession. Then the Count of Mortain is listed, but with the brief comment that ‘he did not account’, that is, send the county taxes to Winchester.
At Christmas 1193, Richard Revel appears on the list, but immediately following, Henry de Furnellis is also recorded as being sheriff from Christmas. This is unusual, as almost all other changes over several centuries were at either Easter or Michaelmas.
Henry stays until Michaelmas 1194, then Richard Revel reappears, but a year later, Henry de Furnellis is back again at Michaelmas 1195 and remains in office until 1198. Though history offers us no explanation, the coincidence of dates with the rise and fall of Prince John seems very suggestive.
For those interested in the events portrayed in this book and the fascinating story of the Lionheart’s reign, the following books are recommended:
Blondel’s Song by David Boyle, Penguin Books (2006), paperback, ISBN 9780141015972. An excellent, very readable account of Richard’s journey home from the Holy Land, from which many of the facts in this novel are taken – together with a wealth of other detail about life and politics at that time.
Richard I by John Gillingham, Yale University Press (2002), paperback, ISBN 9780300094046. The definitive text about the Lionheart in the Yale English Monarch Series.
Domesday Book to Magna Carta by A. L. Poole, Oxford University Press (1993), paperback, ISBN 9780192852878. This is the standard volume in the Oxford History of England series, covering the twelfth century.
1 Not the Italian Ragusa, but in Croatia, later called Dubrovnik.
2 It was 1198 before Richard adopted a third lion, which is still seen in the present-day Royal Coat of Arms.
3 Now Dubrovnik in Croatia, not the Italian Ragusa.
4 The king’s judges who try serious cases; the Eyres became the Assizes, then the present Crown Courts.
5 Wheat boiled in milk with spices, cinnamon and sugar.
6 First recorded use of the words in Old English was ‘Christis maesse’ in 1028.
7 1 January was not legally New Year’s Day in England until 1752.
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