The Great Crown Jewels Robbery of 1303
Subtitle: The Extraordinary Story of the First Big Bank Raid in History
Edition: First Caroll &Graf Ed edition
Publisher: Carroll & Graf; Carroll & Graf Publishers
Published: September 26, 2005
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: H
Number of pages: 242
ISBN-13: 9780786716647
Subjects: True Crime; History - General History; Europe - Great Britain - General; History / Great Britain; General; Espionage; Crown jewels; England; History; Jewelry theft; To 1500
First sentence: Today the Crypt of Westminster Abbey is, in both name and atmosphere, a gloomy and forbidding place.
Description: In the reign of King Charles II (1660-85), there was a famous attempt to steal the crown jewels by the memorably named Colonel Blood. However, Blood's conspiracy was not the first such plot, and it was certainly not the most successful. Three centuries earlier, in 1303, Edward I of England (of Braveheart fame) was north of the Scottish border attempting to crush William Wallace, secure in the knowledge that he had stashed his royal treasure safely behind ironbound doors in Westminster Abbey-- a place of sanctity reputed to house Christ's body, and inhabited by pious Benedictine monks. Enter Richard Puddlicott: a former merchant and a charming, dissolute rogue with a grudge against the King. He infiltrated the Abbey's inner circle (entertaining them on the proceeds of their own silver) and, before long, had managed to help himself to a good part of the treasure. The Kings fury knew no bounds, but Puddlicott ran the King's men a merry dance before eventually being captured and sent -- along with 40 monks -- to his death at Westminster. This exhilarating tale of cunning, deceit, lechery, monks, pimps and prostitutes tells the story of the first great bank raid in history. Until now -- with most of the evidence still in manuscripts, in Latin or Norman French -- very little has been written about it. With his usual verve, blending vivid narrative and historical analysis, Paul Doherty takes the lid off both the medieval underworld and the "holy" monastic community. The result is historically enlightening and a gripping read. - Jacket flap.
Table of contents: title: Chronology; title: Prologue; title: Introduction; title: Part One.; title: The king' s tale; title: The monk' s tale; title: The clerk' s tale; title: The sheriff's tale; title: The justice' s tale; title: The constable' s tale; title: The thieves' tale; title: Part Two.; title: The tangled web; title: Retribution; title: The aftermath; title: Notes and sources; title: References; title: Appendix : Fitzstephen's description of London